Reading the hens’ behavior: What activity and play tell us about welfare in cage-free aviaries
A “Rising Stars” article
by Xiaowen Ma, MS
Department of Animal Science
Michigan State University
A “Rising Stars” article
by Xiaowen Ma, MS
Department of Animal Science
Michigan State University
Salmonella exposure to consumers from eggs has been a decades-long concern. Richard Gast, poultry research microbiologist at USDA’s US National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, has developed two research projects to gain more perspective on Salmonella Enteritidis in cage-free layer housing.
US poultry producers have a new, FDA-approved weapon in the fight against Northern fowl mite (NFM) with Exzolt™ (fluralaner oral solution), a pioneering treatment from Merck Animal Health.
There is a buzz about emerging technologies to monitor layers and nudge their behaviors. But, according to Janice Siegford, PhD, from Michigan State University, more “ground truthing” by testing new tech in real commercial conditions is needed to establish whether they will deliver promised advantages for producers.
Conducting in-lay boosting of adult, organic, free-range laying hens with a Pasteurella multocida vaccine protected against fowl cholera with minimal impacts on production, according to a study conducted by Luke Trimble, DVM, Wilson Vet Co.
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.
Layer hens in cage-free housing systems have freedom of movement, but they also encounter high levels of dust and airborne bacteria. Feed, litter, manure and bodily shedding all contribute to dust within the rooms, which challenges the hens’ health and well-being. Could spraying acidic electrolyte water on the litter floor be a solution?
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.
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.
Low crude-protein diets are a well-proven practice to reduce diet cost and minimize excess nitrogen and excreta, thereby benefiting profitability, health and welfare in broilers and swine. However, the laying-hen industry is far behind in understanding the interaction and requirement of lower amino acids.
By Alexander W. Strauch, DVM
Poultry Veterinarian
Four Star Veterinary Service, LLC
Minton Veterinary Service Office
Chickasaw, Ohio, USA
Studying genetic material from the air in layer poultry-production facilities has shed new light on potential opportunistic pathogens with antibiotic-resistance genes.
