Feed is a vital part of the poultry industry, representing around 60-70% of the total costs. However, even the best feed formulation cannot deliver results if the birds cannot access it readily. Anusha Gautam and Bethany Baker-Cook, PhD, Auburn University, discuss the right type of feeders to select for each of the production phases, appropriate feeder spacing, proper feeder height, and the overall feeder arrangement.
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
By Jennifer Irwin
North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
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.
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.
By Matthew J. Hardy, MSc
AgriNerds – Co-owner, Waterfowl Biologist and Co-director of Ecological Modeling
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Coccidiosis doesn’t just lurk in poultry houses — it thrives there. For decades, producers have relied on synthetic anticoccidials and ionophores to keep it in check. But with growing resistance and increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use, more operations are turning to vaccination as a sustainable, effective alternative.
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