Emily Kimminau, PhD, has firmly become one of the industry’s go-to specialists in coccidiosis — a disease that remains one of the most prevalent and costly challenges in global poultry production. In this Q&A, she talks about disease trends, gut health strategies and what the future holds for data-driven poultry production.
Infectious coryza, a bacterial upper respiratory disease, is on the rise in the US. Avibacterium paragallinarum, which is a primary pathogen of chickens causing coryza, spread from southern states to Pennsylvania in 2018, followed by Ohio, Iowa and other northern states.
A North Carolina State University study, led by graduate student Athena He-DeMontaron, compared the growth performance and mortalities of fast- and slow-growing strains of broilers reared in silvopastures, which provide a natural habitat with trees, shrubbery and vegetation and indoor facilities. How did these systems impact the different bird strains?
By Ken Opengart, DVM, PhD, DACPV
3 Birds Consulting
Signal Mountain, Tennessee
An innovative vaccine designed to protect broilers against increasingly virulent forms of Marek’s Disease is helping producers rethink how they approach immune health, and how they use data to diagnose problems before they’re visible in the flock.
By Shreeya Sharma
Graduate research assistant
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Clemson University
Feed additives, which facilitate nutrient transport in birds, can help producers counter the rising costs of energy sources in poultry diets and loss of resources resulting from the competition for these ingredients. Emulsifiers could be a promising option here.
By Jennifer Irwin
North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
By Matthew J. Hardy, MSc
AgriNerds – Co-owner, Waterfowl Biologist and Co-director of Ecological Modeling
Chester County, Pennsylvania
A new in ovo sexing technique with a modified genetic trait to hatch only female chicks may someday help eliminate the culling of day-old male chicks. According to developer and embryologist Yuval Cinnamon, PhD, the genetically based solution offers many benefits over the other technologies currently on the market.
A joint research study conducted by the USDA and North Carolina State University researchers demonstrated that the type of housing system used for laying hens can influence levels of human pathogenic Salmonella in their organs.
Beak trimming is common in the management of laying hens, involving the removal of a portion of a bird’s beak to minimize harmful behaviors. While beak trimming helps reduce injuries among birds, the technique has also raised animal welfare concerns. Thus, farmers and researchers are continuing to explore ways to manage hens without the need to trim their beaks.
