In some regions, the threat of infectious bronchitis virus flare-ups has shaped a long-held industry mindset: when bronchitis pressure rises, it may be safer to pull back on live Newcastle disease vaccination to avoid “stacking” respiratory vaccines. However, Roy Jacob, DVM, PhD, senior key account veterinarian at Boehringer Ingelheim, says this need not be the case.
Broiler welfare assessment has moved beyond a framework based solely on minimizing harm to one that incorporates opportunities for positive affect. Jenna Boewe, graduate student, and Marisa Erasmus, PhD, Purdue University, explore this new paradigm in animal welfare as it applies to today’s broilers.
Manuel Da Costa, DVM, PhD, Director of strategy and innovation, Cargill, takes an interesting look at coccidiosis programs and how the company’s feed additive, Biostrong™ Dual, can impact broilers’ gut health to defend against this disease.
Research from Ceva Animal Health suggests that eggshell rinses may be a viable, accessible way to detect infectious bronchitis virus infection in layer flocks experiencing egg quality abnormalities.
One Newcastle vaccine strain drawing renewed attention is VG/GA. Long valued for being gentle on young chicks, VG/GA works differently from traditional respiratory Newcastle vaccines. And according to Chuck Hofacre, DVM, PhD president of the Southern Poultry Research Group and a longtime consultant to the broiler industry, that difference is worth a closer look.
The composition and functionality of the gut microbiota are increasingly recognized as critical determinants of poultry performance. The Galleon™ microbiome intelligence platform was developed to help identify the most important gut biomarkers linked to performance and health.
Lameness in poultry, characterized by impaired mobility or abnormal gait, is a major concern in fast-growing birds such as broilers and turkeys. Intensive genetic selection for rapid body weight gain and increased breast muscle mass can result in disproportionate growth between the muscular and skeletal systems, predisposing birds to locomotor problems. Stephanie Kulbacki, University of Georgia, provides an overview of lameness and ways to assess gait.
A new rapid testing method is helping poultry producers detect Salmonella faster and more efficiently than ever before. The method, developed by Ceva Animal Health, dramatically shortens turnaround time while reducing testing costs by nearly two-thirds, according to James Mills, scientist at Ceva Animal Health.
Commercial trials have demonstrated the efficacy of Avert® NE from Huvepharma against necrotic enteritis in commercial broiler facilities. David Smith, DVM, MS, director of poultry technical services at Huvepharma discussed these trials, which evaluated livability and zootechnical performance of birds given the vaccine, pointing to improvements in vaccinated flocks compared to unvaccinated birds.
A layered IBD vaccine strategy that combines recombinant vaccines with targeted live vaccines can build a more robust and adaptable line of defense, according to Alexandra Mendoza-Reilley, DVM, technical services poultry veterinarian at Merck Animal Health.
Jose Linares, DVM, a diagnostician and technical services veterinarian at Ceva Animal Health, said pre-winter surveillance – including reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) testing, sequencing and processing-age serology – can help veterinarians and producers validate current IBV immunization strategies and ensure they are relevant and effective.
Behind every successful poultry operation is a dependable vaccine supply chain. But producing vaccines is no small feat — it requires precision, foresight and the ability to adapt to biological and regulatory challenges. Daniel Hamby, senior associate director of manufacturing science and technology at Boehringer Ingelheim, gives a behind-the-scenes look at vaccine production and explains what it takes to deliver consistent, high-quality products to the industry.
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