The microbiota found in the guts of chickens is responsible for more than the breakdown of food products. It also impacts immune response, the enteric nervous system and cell function. An imbalance can affect disease resistance, and heighten stress and fear responses.
Mobility and leg problems are common in modern-day broilers, which are bred for high breast-muscle yield. Extra activity can help the birds support the extra bodyweight and prevent skeletal disorders. Could colored lighting encourage broilers to be more active and less prone to leg problems?
To help improve biosecurity on individual premises and prevent introduction or spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), USDA recently announced plans to expand assessments and audits available to commercial poultry producers.
Using a dietary supplement containing a blend of Bacillus bacterial strains appears to positively affect the intestinal health and immunity of broiler chicks after a coccidia challenge, according to a Frontiers in Microbiology report.
A survey of more than 600 Enterococcus samples from Mississippi poultry farms revealed that E. cecorum primarily affects broilers, while E. faecalis is more problematic in hatcheries and very young chicks.
Synthetic anticoccidials, also referred to as “chemicals,” are often considered the most efficacious tools to mitigate coccidiosis in poultry. Yet, despite their effectiveness, veterinarians and producers sometimes hesitate to incorporate them into control programs due to the concern of chemical-resistant Eimeria strains developing.
Having been linked to everything from yield gains, feed-conversion ratio and immunity to disease tolerance, mortality and animal welfare, intestinal health is foundational to the success of poultry operations today. Three poultry-health experts took part in an intestinal health webinar in which they discussed viral, bacterial and coccidial challenges in poultry, their impact on gut health and potential management strategies.
By Marcelo Lang, DVM
Farsight Consulting & Marketing Services, LLC
By Tom Tabler, PhD
Professor, Extension Poultry Specialist
University of Tennessee Extension Service/Animal Science Department
Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center
Spring Hill, Tennessee
HPAI virus continues to take a heavy toll on US poultry while raising concerns about transmission to other species, including humans. How serious are these concerns and what are the transmission routes?
To address the strain on the nation’s egg supply and resultant record egg prices due to the current HPAI outbreak, the National Chicken Council petitioned the FDA to reverse or modify current regulations that compel the broiler industry to discard nutritious and safe eggs.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major concern for human and food-animal health. The key to better understanding AMR selection and spread is the resistome, the collection of all antimicrobial resistance genes and their precursors in the gut microbiome.
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