Focus On - Page 3 of 35 - Modern Poultry

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.

Local feed for local birds: How extruded-expelled soybean meal could reshape poultry supply chains

By Tanner Thornton, MS
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee

Tabler: Precision livestock farming can improve poultry production, address welfare concerns

In the highly automated world of poultry production, precision livestock farming (PLF) technology to monitor birds in real time can be used to improve their health, welfare and efficiency. But there are limitations to this technology.

Branched-chain amino acid interactions influence performance, feather quality and egg quality of laying hens

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.

Calcium tests in poultry offer chance for improved feed efficiency

Calcium plays a key role in poultry feed conversion. In addition to bone density, muscle contraction and other critical functions, calcium affects the efficiency of turning food into weight gain. But in broilers, it’s not just the amount of calcium that matters. What really counts is bioavailability: how much of that nutrient the bird can actually use.

Zhao: Novel ammonia-capturing technology provides a win-win scenario

Maintaining indoor air quality is a constant concern for poultry producers. In particular, ammonia levels within houses are a health concern for poultry and workers. But what about the ammonia in exhausted air? Researchers from the University of Georgia are using a novel approach to remove and recover ammonia from large layer-poultry facilities.

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.

Three core competency expectations for the cage-free poultry workforce

By Alexander W. Strauch, DVM
Poultry Veterinarian
Four Star Veterinary Service, LLC
Minton Veterinary Service Office
Chickasaw, Ohio, USA

Water consumption increases with age in heavy broilers raised to 9 weeks

Regular monitoring of broiler drinking-water consumption helps track flock health and performance. A sudden dip or downward trend can alert the producer to potentially serious health or production problems.

Koltes: Quality matters for pelleted, mash turkey diets

Producing the best feed for turkey production takes more than choosing a mash or pelleted version. It also includes maintaining quality from processing to the feeder.

Airborne antimicrobial-resistance threat revealed through DNA sequencing from layer houses

Studying genetic material from the air in layer poultry-production facilities has shed new light on potential opportunistic pathogens with antibiotic-resistance genes.

Why measuring emotion in poultry matters

As animal welfare science has evolved, the importance of using animal-based measures to study welfare has become apparent. Birds may have needs and feelings that aren’t immediately obvious to humans, and their priorities are influenced by an evolutionary history that is vastly different than our own.

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