Poultry Health Today
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Poultry Health Today presents news, interviews, in-depth features, videos and expert advice that affect industry producers, growers and veterinarians.
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
More than 20 billion eggs are injected each year using Embrex®in ovo vaccine technology, a tool that has enabled producers to streamline operations, save costs and provide protection against viruses like Marek’s disease from hatch.
As the technology reaches its 30th anniversary, Zoetis experts explain how in ovo technology has changed the face of intensive poultry production by helping producers reduce losses, drive efficiencies and produce healthier birds:
The post How in ovo technology has changed the face of poultry health and production appeared first on Poultry Health Today ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
The post Managing protozoal diseases in turkeys: There’s a lot we need to learn appeared first on Poultry Health Today ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
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Poultry producers with cage-free pullet systems should go back to the basics of bird management to keep their flocks healthy and productive, reported Darrin Eckard, Hy-Line North America cage-free specialist. This is a change from flocks kept in cages that may face less disease and fewer parasites.
“The one big thing I deal with is talking to people [to help them] understand this is what we used to deal with and it’s coming back now because birds are accessing the floor,” he told Poultry Health Today.
Handling parasitic disease
Eckard sees more coccidiosis, ro ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
By John Brown, DVM
Senior technical services veterinarian, Zoetis
The number of cage-free egg layers has soared in recent years, raising questions about the impact the production system might have on the prevalence of foodborne Salmonella.
Between 2017 and 2022, cage-free layer production increased nearly 200%. By January 2022, there were 111 million cage-free layers.1 The predominant foodborne pathogen in layers that’s of concern is Salmonella Enteritidis; Salmonella Typhimurium can also occur, though to a lesser extent.2
Studies comparing the prevalence of Salmonella among diff ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
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Lesions created by footpad dermatitis are significantly reduced when broilers are raised in poultry houses with circulation fans, scientists have discovered.
Researchers at the University of Maryland found birds raised in houses with fans suffered from less severe cases of footpad dermatitis, which adversely affects bird welfare and the market for broiler paws.
“Footpad dermatitis causes painful ulcers and lesions on the ventral footpads of broilers,” graduate research assistant Zoie McMillian told Poultry Health Today. “This is a threat to poultry welfare as ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
The frequency of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks is on the increase in the US with 6 of the past 8 years experiencing some form of HPAI.
Unfortunately, increased frequency paired with an unusually wide range of hosts creates a difficult combination for the US poultry industry, reported Erica Spackman, DVM, US National Poultry Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
“Avian influenza is a virus that keeps changing, and variants emerge with different genetic and biological properties that cross to different animals,” Spackman said.
“If influenza has a mission state ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
The US egg industry is in the process of transitioning to cage-free egg production, but many questions remain about the best practices and facilities for these types of production systems. Researchers like Janice Swanson, PhD, Michigan State University, are working with the egg industry to find the answers.
“Scientists often walk this tightrope,” Swanson said. “New technologies develop at faster rates than we can do the science. Therefore, it is very important to have connections with industry and the producers…so we can work at a faster pace and get information that’s coming in from the groun ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
An interview with Manuel Da Costa, DVM, PhD, Associate Director, Outcomes Research, Zoetis
Q: Why is testing for infectious bronchitis (IB) vaccine take important?
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MD: Testing for vaccine take can lead to identification of problems that can interfere with disease protection and, ultimately, flock performance. It can help ensure you’re getting the most from your vaccines.
Q: How do you test for IB vaccine take?
MD: We collect either tracheal swabs or tracheal tissue samples and test them for IB vaccine presence using real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-P ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
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A disease commonly seen in turkey and broiler flocks can also affect layers, meaning that producers should look out for its distinctive signs.
Clostridium septicum dermatitis was recently found across multiple sites of a single company, Michaela Olson, DVM, of Wilson Veterinary Care, told Poultry Health Today. The diagnosis began with a mortality spike and unusual feedback when dead birds were sent for further analysis.
“The farm sent in whole birds to the lab, and they came back with the lab saying ‘these birds are just too decomposed to even look at; please ..read more
Poultry Health Today
7M ago
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Producers should play close attention to insect control in their poultry houses to avoid cases of turkey coronavirus enteritis (TCE).
That’s the view of Eric Orozco, DVM, a veterinarian at Butterball in North Carolina, based on his recent experiences with the disease.
The most recent outbreak he dealt with began in June 2021, with previous breaks in 2018-19, he told Poultry Health Today. The disease was detected in 8-week-old finishers on two farms through routine polymerase chain reaction testing.
“This is a first break for me in this company, but from what o ..read more