When humans domesticate and breed an animal, they tend to select for a very specific trait. In laying hens, artificial selection for high egg production has led to hens that can produce 320 eggs a year. But could artificial selection have unintentionally altered hen brain morphology?
Sustainability issues demand significant attention today. And while it can be challenging to identify and implement strategies, sustainability will continue to drive decisions within the food-animal sector.
Egg-drop syndrome 1976 (EDS 76) was diagnosed in US broiler breeders — possibly the first incidence of its kind in the country.
There are many pests and pathogens to monitor on poultry farms, but bed bugs typically aren’t top of mind. Nevertheless, bed bug infestations have been resurfacing in US poultry farms. Does that present a health, performance or welfare problem for flocks?
US consumers have misconceptions about how poultry is raised, including a widely held but erroneous belief that there are added hormones or steroids in chicken meat, a national survey suggests.
Modern Poultry announced plans to debut four additional newsletters to help its rapidly growing audience keep pace with the latest developments in live production:
After a decade studying how to reduce losses from necrotic enteritis and gangrenous dermatitis on broiler farms, Don Ritter, DVM, an independent consultant who heads Poultry Business Solutions, Norfolk, Virginia, believes the industry is finally making progress against these two clostridial diseases.
A University of Minnesota research team is exploring options for moving uninfected eggs from farms where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been diagnosed and making them available to consumers.
Reality is sinking in. HPAI in the US is likely here to stay, and vaccination may be an option for long-term control, reported David Suarez, DVM, PhD, US National Poultry Research Center.
Light intensity has been shown to affect the activity of birds, but most studies have focused on constant light intensities to determine their effect on welfare.
Colibacillosis resulting from E. coli is arguably one of the major causes of morbidity, mortality and carcass loss to the poultry production industry worldwide, putting at risk one of the cheapest and most valuable sources of protein.
Environmental factors appear to have a bigger impact on the microbiome found in the digestive system of commercial broiler chickens than the use of antibiotic feed additives, according to a Canadian study.
