It has been a busy week of events for the St David’s Team. Layer Commercial Manager, Charles Macleod, and South West Lead Vet Ben Crisp attended the South West Chicken Association Conference this week, of which St David’s are proudly a key sponsor. Packed programme of speakers and great to see so many people there. Meanwhile, our Clinical Director Richard Jackson, headed over to Co Cavan, Ireland to join our Irish Vet team at a new conference, organised in conjunction with Teagasc and the IFA, for pullet and layer farmers. Speaking ahead of the event, St David’s Ireland Director Liam Walsh sa ..read more

Plans have been announced to lift the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone housing measures for poultry and captive birds in England and Wales from 00:01 on Tuesday 18 April 2023. However, the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone mandatory biosecurity measures will remain in place for all birds.  Birds thrive when they follow the same routine every day, so changing this can be stressful. Below are some things you can do to prepare and interventions you can make, that will help minimise the stress of ranging once again. If you have any questions or concerns, please do give our team a call ..read more

This Salmonella article was first published in Farmers Weekly, December 2022 Salmonella has generally become less prevalent in broilers over the past few years, although there are localised pockets in the South West of England. “We have found exotic types, like Salmonella montevideo, in poultry houses and these are historically associated with high-oil raw feed material,” says poultry vet Ben Crisp of St David’s vet practice. “But reportable salmonella has seen a decline due to the National Control Programme [NCP].” The NCP is an initiative aimed at reducing and controlling the prevalence of s ..read more

Kathryn Stewart BVM BVS (Hons) BVMedSci (Hons) CertAVP MRCVS, St David’s Poultry Team The egg shell is an impressive structure, designed to provide protection to the growing chick: strong enough to be sat on by mother hen, yet pliable enough to provide calcium for bones, exchange gases and break through to hatch. Shell ‘defects’ are mostly thought of as a financial loss, with consumers wanting a uniform, aesthetically pleasing egg; but the shell should more be looked at as a window to the health, management and productivity of your flock. A sudden, or early increase in seconds should always be ..read more

Our Christmas Opening times for Head Office and Dispensary are as follows:  Christmas Eve: Closed Christmas Day: Closed Boxing Day: Closed Tuesday 27th: Closed Wednesday 28th: Open 8.30am until 5:00pm Thursday 29th: Open 8.30am until 5:00pm Friday 30th: Open 8.30am until 12.30pm Monday 2nd January: Closed Tuesday 3rd January: Open as normal An out of hours emergency service will be run by the vets during the periods we are closed. We can be contacted at any time by calling 01392 872932 during the festive season.   Please note that opening times for branches may vary betwee ..read more

Nathan Hiom BVSc MRCVS Rejects across the broiler industry have been increasing year-on-year and are often down to cellulitis. The reasons for the cellulitis can include disease challenge such as gumboro, water sanitation and high bacterial loading. The benefits of promoting a healthy gut bacterial population is well documented. However, trials into the use of organic acids specifically to reduce cellulitis rejects, as well as to promote growth have been limited. This trial looked specifically at the use of organic acids to reduce the number of rejected birds in the abattoir as well as to pro ..read more

Following the announcement of the introduction of a mandatory housing order for England, due to the increased risk of avian influenza that will be introduced from 00:01 on Monday 7th November, producers are encouraged to prepare, in order to maintain animal health and welfare. There is some guidance below, together with information on how our team has been, and will continue to work, to safeguard your flock and those of others. We will of course continue to update you throughout however if you have any queries, or would like further advice as you prepare, please do not hesitate to contact your ..read more

26th September Unfortunately, we are experiencing some issues with our phone system at the moment. If you have tried to call our main office or dispensary number, you will get a busy dialling tone. We are trying to resolve this as soon as we can, but in the meantime please can you contact your regional vet or office directly.   The regional office numbers are below: Northleach: 01285 720516 Leominster: 01568 615967 Wem: 01939 555025 Newark: 01636 360005 Yorkshire: 01609 749155 Edinburgh: 0131 5107322 Or alternatively please email us on dispensary ..read more

Our offices will be closed on Monday 19th September to allow our colleagues to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.   Our vets, as always, will continue to provide emergency veterinary care over the bank holiday weekend. If you require our veterinary services or advice, please contact the office on 01392 872932 and you will be put through to our out of hours answering service who will redirect your call to your regional vet.   We will also be unable to send any orders on Monday 19th September and any orders sent on Friday 16th will be delivered on Tuesday 20th&nbs ..read more

Dana Simpson DVM MRCVS Within the current global economic and environmental situation and the associated challenges, the development of ‘longer life’ laying hens becomes much more of a priority. A decline in egg numbers combined with a deterioration in shell quality are the main reasons for currently replacing flocks at around 74-77 weeks of age. These birds are essentially healthy, and if their egg production cycle can be lengthened without loss of shell quality there are significant welfare, as well as economic benefits, to be gained. There are obvious benefits such as more efficient us ..read more