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.
The US-RSPE is a pre-competitive, multi-stakeholder organization focused on advancing sustainability across the entire US poultry and egg value chain. It designed the Sustainability Framework to provide the poultry and egg industry with a standardized approach to define and implement sustainability.
Amino acid requirements for laying hens are not well understood, primarily because data are lacking for the pullet stage. This gap is increasingly important as the table-egg industry wants to extend the hen’s life cycle to 100 weeks or more. Jo Ann Chew, graduate research assistant, University of Alberta, investigated how amino acid levels during rearing might impact body fat and the onset of lay.
Gut inflammation is common throughout poultry production, but its effects are not always visible. Birds deal with stress every day through changes in environment, feed adjustments, handling and exposure to coccidiosis and other intestinal diseases. All of these changes trigger the immune system to send a response to manage the inflammation.
