The Turkey Industry Annual Report, which gathers perspectives from producers and veterinarians working in the US industry, ranked aMPV, lack of efficacious drugs and HPAI as the top three management concerns among 39 reported issues. Report author Steven Clark, DVM, said he was not surprised by the trends.
Consumer interest in poultry welfare has led to the expansion of unconventional poultry-rearing systems, such as silvopasture. Justin Lowery, MS, and a team of researchers from North Carolina State University conducted a broiler research trial comparing the impact of conventional and silvopasture production systems on the cecal microbiota of slow- and fast-growing broilers.
Cases from an outbreak of aMPV among broiler flocks in Mississippi are mostly coming with secondary infections, which can exacerbate disease severity. A research team led by Autumn Gregg, DVM, a poultry resident at Mississippi State University, investigated the infections appearing in the outbreak.
HPAI is a significant threat to the poultry industry, and vaccination alone is not enough to combat this virus, said David Swayne, DVM, PhD, DACVP, a former USDA scientist who has spent more than 30 years studying this disease. Swayne discussed HPAI vaccination programs, addressing four misconceptions about the vaccines.
The One Health approach, which encompasses human, animal and environmental health, is well-suited to address a disease issue such as HPAI, according to Meghan Davis, DVM, PhD, associate professor at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Engineering.
By Zac Williams, PhD
Extension specialist – Poultry Husbandry and Management
University of Arkansas
Gut health is often discussed in poultry production. But according to immunologist Michael Kogut, PhD, lead research microbiologist at the USDA-ARS, College Station, Texas, the term is really about gut homeostasis, which enables birds to maximize performance and reach their full potential.
Eric Shepherd, DVM, Zoetis, takes a look at potential IBD vaccination programs that may disrupt field virus pressure, restore disease control and support overall flock health.
By Iqra Nazir, PhD candidate
Department of Animal Sciences
Purdue University, USA
When it comes to resisting bird flu, chickens on poultry farms are like sitting ducks. Last year, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, H5N1, ripped through poultry farms across the US, prompting farmers to cull tens of millions of chickens to contain the outbreaks. But far-UVC light may offer a safe and practical way to inactivate any type of virus in the air, reducing the chance of transmission.
In nature, fear protects animals from danger. In commercial settings, domestic laying hens are shielded from most fear-inducing stimuli, such as predators and unfamiliar situations. Therefore, fear serves as an aversive experience for the hens themselves and leads to undesired behaviors for producers.
In the opening session of Phibro Academy’s three-part webinar series, “Coccidiosis Tools and Strategies,” Greg Mathis, PhD, president of Southern Poultry Research, Inc., focused squarely on anticoccidials and the importance of long-term planning with rotation and shuttle programs.
