Hatchery day-of-age vaccination has been a cornerstone of broiler health for decades, but new research is shedding light on the mechanisms that help it protect chicks despite the immaturity of their immune systems. The findings are significant because it is widely used throughout the poultry industry, yet relatively little is known about how newly hatched chicks develop protection following vaccination.
Broiler breeder fertility has been declining over the past decade, raising concerns about both productivity and the long-term sustainability of the industry. Marcela Quino, a graduate student at Auburn University, examined how time of day, rooster competition and behavior influence mating success and fertility during the early production period.
When faced with these emerging IBDV variant strains, it’s important to provide every chick the strongest possible immune start while keeping pace with a changing virus. Kalen Cookson, DVM, MAM, DAPVC, director of clinical research, Zoetis, provides vaccination strategies for poultry vets to consider.
By Zac Williams, PhD
Extension specialist – Poultry Husbandry and Management
University of Arkansas
The starter-phase duration for broiler breeders can affect their reproductive performance later, including development, fertility and hatchability, according to a study led by Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón, DVM, MSc, PhD, Dipl. ACPV, North Carolina State University.
Chickens are highly motivated to peck, forage, and explore their environment. Providing opportunities for birds to express these motivated behaviors, is a key component of animal welfare, and edible enrichments can be an effective way to encourage engagement with the environment.
A university challenge study has examined how recombinant HVT-ILT vaccines used at the hatchery affect the response to live, chicken-embryo-origin ILT vaccines applied later as part of a dual infectious laryngotracheitis vaccination program.
Researchers at North Carolina State University evaluated the effects of housing systems and genetic strains on broiler mobility in slow-growing strains vs fast-growing strains in both indoor and outdoor environments.
The poultry industry has spent decades chasing infectious bronchitis virus, adjusting vaccination programs and developing new vaccines as new variants emerge. Yet despite those efforts, the cycle continues. However, Mark Jackwood, PhD, one of the world’s leading IBV researchers, says that’s not a sign that vaccination has failed. It’s simply the nature of the virus.
In the second installment of Phibro Academy’s three-part webinar series, “Coccidiosis Tools and Strategies,” Greg Mathis, PhD, president of Southern Poultry Research, Inc., made it clear that effective coccidiosis control today depends less on new product development and more on how well existing strategies are combined.
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.
