Category: Health

Watkins: Six tips to conduct water assessments for poultry

When it comes to drinking water for poultry, Susan Watkins, PhD, has a lot to say. Most important: Don’t neglect it. At the Devenish Symposium held during the 2025 PEAK conference, Watkins, a consultant and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas, offered practical advice for keeping poultry water clean.

Wilson: Old diseases are back with cage-free production

The shift to cage-free layer housing opened the door to poultry diseases that disappeared during the years of cage housing. At the Devenish Symposium held during the 2025 PEAK conference, Dan Wilson, DVM, Wilson Vet Co., discussed the return of several diseases from the past that affect today’s egg layers.

Import license for avian metapneumovirus vaccine offers new tool for producers

Faced with the emerging disease threat posed by avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), the USDA is allowing the importation of three vaccines from Boehringer Ingelheim: the live virus products NEMOVAC™ for use in chickens and AVIFFA RTI for use in turkeys and chickens, as well as the TUR-3 inactivated vaccine for primary vaccination of both turkey and chicken flocks against aMPV subtype B.

New ventilation system design holds promise for heat and air quality concerns in manure-belt layer houses

Bird health and production are significantly impacted by air quality, humidity and temperature. Mechanical ventilation systems play a crucial role in maintaining indoor air quality and disease control, but the current systems have limitations, particularly in caged-layer facilities. Researchers from The Ohio State University have designed an innovative ventilation system that addresses health and heat concerns.

Technologies can help producers reduce risks of dust-borne avian influenza

Dust particles in poultry houses can exacerbate the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), with the virus on dust particles remaining infectious for up to 17 hours. By the birds’ activity, it can easily be aerosolized into the environment and, by the ventilation system’s airflow, can be transmitted within the barn and from barn to barn.

Beyond protection: How vaccines are shaping the poultry microbiome

The poultry gut is more than just a digestive organ — it’s a dynamic ecosystem that plays a critical role in bird health, disease resistance and overall performance. As the industry continues moving beyond blanket antibiotic use, producers and researchers alike are zooming in on the gut microbiome and how to manage it more effectively.

Using technology to address the triple threat of dust in poultry houses

Airborne bacteria and viruses that cling to the dust in poultry houses pose substantial health risks. Lingying Zhao, PhD, agriculture air quality specialist and Extension educator at The Ohio State University, discussed her insights on dust mitigation and collection during a May 2025 webinar sponsored by the University of Georgia.