Routine surveillance of poultry flocks for avian metapneumovirus offers a path forward for poultry farms to control outbreaks of the fast-moving respiratory disease. Reshma Ramachandran, DVM, PhD, recommends using a combination of serology and molecular tools to accurately diagnose the disease and maintain healthy flocks.
Scott Kenney, PhD, associate professor and researcher at The Ohio State University, investigated the connection between highly pathogenic avian influenza, dairy cattle and poultry operations.
A visit to a backyard turkey operation infected with Histomonas meleagridis led to a research trial testing the ability of dietary pine bark to reduce the incidence of histomoniasis.
Research on Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) identified the pathogen as a frequent secondary coinfection during respiratory outbreaks in poultry, with a higher incidence in turkeys, according to Sara Abdel-Mawgod, DVM, PhD, Iowa State University.
To address the challenges of live-haul turkey handling, Allison Pullin, PhD, and her team at Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University developed a training tool to standardize procedures and best practices.
Research from the University of Arkansas suggests that giving turkey poults feed cues with green, moisture-rich feed attractants may help them find feed sooner, forage earlier and gain more weight during the first 10 days after placement.
The Turkey Industry Annual Report, which gathers perspectives from producers and veterinarians working in the US industry, ranked aMPV, lack of efficacious drugs and HPAI as the top three management concerns among 39 reported issues. Report author Steven Clark, DVM, said he was not surprised by the trends.
Industry experts, Steven Clark, DVM, Huvepharma’s veterinary technical services manager and Elizabeth Beilke, DVM, West Liberty Foods’ corporate veterinarian, were featured on the Iowa Turkey Federation’s Turkey Talkshow podcast to discuss the role of vaccines in coccidiosis management.
According to Steven Clark, DVM, Huvepharma’s veterinary technical services manager, paying attention to changes in turkey barns is key to successfully using ionophores, which remain the industry’s most common option for controlling coccidiosis.
Research on broilers is often applied to commercial turkeys, as is the case with many studies on photoperiod lengths. At the 2025 Poultry Science Association annual meeting, Karen Schwean-Lardner, PhD, University of Saskatchewan, presented results of her study that were specific to turkeys.
The International Poultry Welfare Alliance brings together expertise from across the value chain to develop Key Welfare Indicator Reference Guides for broilers, turkeys and layers, which align measurements and communications of welfare outcomes.
Turkey producers should not avoid using chemical anticoccidial products for fear of resistance, but they do need to use them strategically. In an appearance on the Iowa Turkey Federation’s Turkey Talkshow podcast, Steven Clark, DVM, Huvepharma’s veterinary technical services manager, said new evidence suggests there is “minimal risk” with common products, providing farmers rotate when necessary.
