A new in ovo sexing technique with a modified genetic trait to hatch only female chicks may someday help eliminate the culling of day-old male chicks. According to developer and embryologist Yuval Cinnamon, PhD, the genetically based solution offers many benefits over the other technologies currently on the market.
Campylobacter hepaticus has been identified as the causative agent in spotty liver disease, so when Roel Becerra, DVM, received a phone call from a producer that had free-range, antibiotic-free, brown layer hens with SLD, he and fellow investigators decided to study chlorine as a possible treatment.
Recently, Campylobacter hepaticus was identified as the causative agent for chicken spotty liver disease (SLD), an illness which manifests as acute infectious hepatitis and causes a significant drop in egg production and high mortality in layer chickens. Researchers from Iowa State University, led by Orhan Sahin, DVM, PhD, are studying Campylobacter bacterins in the control of SLD.
One of the many challenges affecting layers is APEC, an opportunistic challenge that impacts at least 30% of commercial flocks in the US, resulting in decreased egg production, increased bird mortality and significant economic losses. Cargill Animal Nutrition has introduced Biostrong™ C-Protect
In March, a bipartisan coalition of members from the House of Representatives introduced the “Lowering Egg Prices Act” to address current regulations that require farmers to discard hundreds of millions of eggs annually.
The move to cage-free egg production in the US and Europe created a seismic change in hen breeding programs.
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
For every laying hen that is hatched, approximately one male counterpart also hatches. However, as roosters do not produce eggs, they are typically culled, or euthanized, at hatch. However, the culling of these day-old male chicks raises ethical concerns.
Europeans have battled avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) since the 1980s. Today, live and inactivated vaccines keep aMPV under control in Europe and most of the world except in the US, according to Aris Malo, DVM, Royal Dutch Veterinary Association.
Increased attention on animal welfare is driving the US poultry industry to innovate and work collaboratively to meet rising expectations of caring for laying hens.
Hens can positively influence the skin and respiratory tract microbiota of newly hatched chicks, according to a study published in Poultry Science.
USDA has authorized Boehringer Ingelheim to import two of the company’s live-virus vaccines for emergency use to help protect US poultry against avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) — a highly contagious respiratory viral infection that can result in severe respiratory symptoms and increased mortality in poultry.
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