Optient lighting, developed by ONCE® by Signify® and available through VAL-CO, is a lighting system built entirely around how a chicken sees the world. It uses poultry-specific LED lights to accommodate chickens’ heightened photosensitivity.
Three recent studies by Huvepharma found that birds receiving quillaja, which is derived from the bark of the South American soapbark tree, alongside different anticoccidials achieved significantly better feed-conversion than those receiving the anticoccidials alone.
Although links between the gut microbiome and broiler performance are well established, translating microbiome data into practical decisions has been a challenge, said Fernanda Castro, PhD, micronutrition and health technology lead for Cargill Animal Nutrition.
Modern commercial chicks hatch into a very different world than they would under natural conditions. According to Ivan Rychlik, DVM, researcher at the Czech Republic’s Veterinary Research Institute, that difference has major consequences for gut health, disease resistance and antibiotic use.
Ivan Alvarado, DVM, PhD, Merck Animal Health, discusses the research which has highlighted the health and production benefits of using recombinant HVT vaccines at the hatchery alongside live vaccines against infectious laryngotracheitis and Newcastle disease.
By David L. Wicker, PhD, industry consultant, Gainesville, Georgia and
W.A. Dozier, III, PhD, Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Broilers do not spread evenly across their environment. Some may cluster near a wall, equipment line, or other boundary, while other areas appear relatively unoccupied. Shawna Weimer, PhD, University of Arkansas, explores the behavior of wall hugging and what it means to broiler production.
By Douglas L. Fulnechek, DVM,
Senior Public Health Veterinarian,
GTS Health
An innovation taking the broiler/breeder industry by storm is Comfort Nest™, a mechanical egg-laying system from VAL-CO that more than doubles the nest size to accommodate high-yield broiler-strain hens.
Can laser enrichment improve broiler health and marketability? Kayla Elmore, a graduate student at Iowa State University, conducted a study to investigate this question, following up on two previous studies that reported increased activity among broilers exposed to lasers.
Hatchery day-of-age vaccination has been a cornerstone of broiler health for decades, but new research led by Rodrigo Gallardo, DVM, PhD, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, is shedding light on the mechanisms that help it protect chicks despite the immaturity of their immune systems.
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.
