aviNews International December 2022

Michael Czarick & Brian Fairchild

p. 11

If you know where to look you can see the future taking shape. Get a first peek at IPPE Booth B4209.

Professional production in agriculture is based on productivity and efficiency. I once heard this saying by a professor of the Wageningen University in my home country The Netherlands. Of course he was right and this also holds true for poultry production. I also know this from my childhood when I grew up on a broiler breeder farm. My father in those days did his utmost to manage the farm and obtain the best possible results from the flock. And he managed, because he had the knowledge and knew what he was doing.

In recent years I paid visits to developing countries, initially in my role as the editor of poultry magazines. More recently also as a consultant on behalf of a volunteer organization.

During those travels it became clear to me time and time again, that there’s still much to gain in such countries. Small farmers in a country like Bangladesh for example, simply don’t have the knowledge and skills to manage their farms properly. They are even a threat to the large, professional integrations in the country because of biosecurity matters.

Yet, both these small and large producers play an important role to produce food for the ever growing world population. In this context, the poultry industry also plays an important part to reducing the carbon footprint and as such carries responsibility. It doesn’t need much explication that the world is in jeopardy because of the global climate change.

Closing the gap and further professionalize poultry production therefore, is only possible if poultry producers have the knowledge on how to properly run their business. This knowledge can only be obtained from scientific sources and in-depth research, always be based on the facts.

+31 629791019 avinewsmagazine@grupoagrinews.com avinews.com

For this edition of aviNews, I had an interview with international poultry management consultant Dr. Ron Meijerhof, specialized in parent stock -, incubationand chick management. We discussed the pros and cons of early chick feeding and where the knowledge on this topic originates from. “The best practice is a good theory”, Ron stated. “So always base your findings on logical thinking, in-depth research and above all on the laws of mother nature!” It was a clarifying discussion which you can read in this edition of aviNews.

Another article from the University of Georgia, USA, discusses how to manage drinking water temperature, an instrument to properly manage a broiler flock. Again, a report based on in-depth research and a good theory.

At the end of this coming January, the annual international IPPE poultry trade show will take place again in Atlanta, GA USA. Concurrently with the show, the International Poultry Scientific Forum will be held. Here, scientists will gather and share their research findings. All with the objective to gaining knowledge and eventually improve poultry production around the globe.

Much knowledge of course is also available from the many international companies that are on display at IPPE. Visit the show and meet there with aviNews, also a reliable source of knowledge!

If you stay home, study this interesting edition of aviNews from which you will also gain knowledge about the fascinating international world of poultry

Enjoy and learn!

Ad Bal

Management and maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

Francisco Castellanos1 and José Antonio Quintana López 2

1Poultry Consultant

2DMZA FMVZ UNAM

Poultry equipment is of great importance since birds entirely depend on the management provided by man, first of all, to survive, second, for body maintenance and third and most important is that the birds grow well and develop their genetic potential.

16

Bernardo Rocha Franco Nogueira1 , José Guilherme Morschel Barbosa2 and Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón 3

1Animal Nutrition Coordinator, Agri Stats, Brazil, Chapecó, SC. bnogueira@agristats.com

2International Broiler Director, Agri Stats, Brazil, Chapecó, SC. gmorschel@agristats.com

Brazil is the major broiler meat exporter and the second producer in the world. Industrial organization, marketing, personnel, weather, and decisions about nutrition are pivotal for the current success and faster growth of Brazilian poultry production compared to other countries.

3Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. 24

The importance of assessing internal hatching egg quality

11

Controlling water temperature during brooding

Changes and challenges in Brazilian broiler nutrition in the last five years 04 29

Michael Czarick and Brian Fairchild

Department of Poultry Science University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

Successfully growing a broiler flock starts with providing optimal housing conditions. That includes good quality and temperature of drinking water. Amongst other factors, this is influenced by length of the drinking line and house temperatures.

Hatching egg quality has a significant impact on hatchability and chick quality. By making egg quality control a part of the routine procedures in the hatchery, you will be able to improve your hatch results.

Creating the right climate for poultry

van de Braak Product Manager Hendrix Genetics Layers

The climate inside the poultry house influences health and wellbeing of a chicken flock. When suboptimal climatic conditions are common, it is more likely to have disorders related to the respiratory and digestive system.

Gamie Gundran Petersime Incubation Consultant

Teun

Most

frequent respiratory diseases in turkeys 42

Cristina Caballero

Pavo y Derivados SA

In recent years, there have been significant advances in genetics, management, and facilities in producing broiler turkeys. This, together with progress in vaccine prophylaxis and diagnostic techniques, has allowed a decrease in respiratory pathologies in the field.

52

Manuel Contreras

DVM. MS. Dipl. ACPV. Special Nutrients/Agrimprove, Miami, FL., USA

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the top three mycotoxins contaminating finished feed and grains. Many worldwide reports, from different institutions, indicate that more than half of the samples evaluated show some level of contamination with this toxin.

58 70

Innovations for the Poultry Industry to be presented at IPPE 2023

Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón

North Carolina State University, Prestage Department of Poultry Science, Raleigh, NC

IPPE’s educational and networking activities are focused on bringing together the latest Innovation in technologies of products and services to make the poultry and feed industry more successful.

Avian Coccidiosis: An interview with Dr. Héctor Cervantes

Dr. Héctor Cervantes1 Dr. Gustavo Quintana-Ospina2

1DVM. MS. DACPV. Hon. MAM. Postgraduate Adjunct Professor of Avian Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, USA.

2DVM. MS. Poultry Nutritionist, North Carolina State University, USA.

During this interview, we will focus on the plans to successfully control coccidia and current challenges in the poultry industry. A good coccidiosis prevention plan must have a good scientific foundation and consider numerous aspects.

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Interview with Ron Meijerhof

International Poultry Management Consultant

Successful broiler production starts with creating optimal growth conditions from the moment of hatch. In recent years, early feeding was developed and was believed to be the “golden egg”.

Farm report: Duck products to the corners of the world

Synopsis of the 3rd Latin American PSA Conference 89

Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón

North Carolina State University, Prestage Department of Poultry Science, Raleigh, NC

The Latin American section of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) met in Iguazu Falls, Paraná, Brazil, on October 4 to 6. This third event has been held every two years in Brazil since 2016. But, after getting postponed twice due to the pandemic, this event was a success.

The responsibility for the articles, reports, press releases and communications falls exclusively on the authors. The editor is only responsible for his articles or editorials. Neither the publisher nor the authors assume any responsibility for the damages that may be generated, whatever their nature, as a consequence of the use of the data and information contained in this magazine.

TECHNICAL direction TECHNICAL partner

EDITOR

Edgar Oviedo Professor, Extension poultry specialist Technical Direction Ad Bal

Editor avinews International

Eduardo Cervantes International Poutry Processing Consultant Technical Direction

Importance of Zearalenona in Commercial Poultry

MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF AUTOMATIC EQUIPMENT IN POULTRY HOUSES: FEEDERS

Francisco Castellanos Guzmán1 and José Antonio Quintana López2 1 Poultry Consultant 2 DMZA FMVZ UNAM

Poultry equipment is of great importance since birds entirely depend on the management provided by man:

First of all, to survive,

Second, for body maintenance and

Third and most important is that the birds grow well and develop their genetic potential so that poultry farming is profitable.

In this way, feeding plays the most critical role for birds to convert their feed into meat; this is called the feed conversion ratio.

If a broiler has the correct access to the feed it can consume, the feed conversion will be better. The height, the design of the feeder, and the space play a fundamental role.

maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

Save on labor

Control of feed consumption and waste,

Improve production rates.

Particle size

Check the quality of the feed, mainly the size and compaction of the particles (mash, crumbles, pellets) that corresponds to the productive purpose and stage of the birds (broiler, laying, breeders) housed in the farms.

On the contrary, if the product is not the proper one from the physical point of view, it will cause problems in the quality and performance of the flocks, mainly in the rearing phases.

Suppose the size and compaction are not the desired ones. In that case, nutritional problems arise because of low consumption and deterioration of the flock due to not reaching the appropriate weights for their age.

the bottom of the pans and feeder lines. If this occurs:

This situation is the cause of weight deterioration due to low intake and;

In addition, when it gets to the phase where they have to consume pigment, it will result in a poor pigmentation of the flocks.

When this situation is detected early, the flock will be kept on the farm longer to achieve good pigmentation, which affects the performance parameters, cost, and the next placement would be delayed.

maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

SILOS

Silos must be well anchored to the ground and isolated from any moisture. Likewise, the supply pipes to the poultry houses must be adequate and as straight as possible so that the conveyor (endless screw) works in perfect conditions. In that way, there is no wear on the pipes, and they cannot break.

If the feed becomes wet, it can form caking. With humidity and temperature, fungi and mycotoxins are produced, causing damage to the flock, such as lesions in the digestive

Discharge tubes

The caliber of the discharge tubes that come out of the silo to the internal hoppers of the feeder lines (Photo 1).

For 2 feeder lines, a 75 mm caliber PVC tube is used. Red Arrow.

For 3 to 4 lines, a PVC tube with a caliber of 90 mm is used. Blue Arrow.

Photo 1. Discharge tubes

and maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

tube

These must be suspended from the ceiling and avoid curvatures (Photo 2).

The flow controllers of the feed must be adjusted (Photo 3) so that they cut the feed flow to where it is required.

In the first days of the flock’s age, the plates are filled to the brim so that all the birds can access feed. It can also be supported with starter feeders, preferably with mini hoppers, only for the first week.

Early feeding in birds is crucial (Photo 4), for the proper development of the digestive system and the use of nutrients.

Photo 2. Telescopic tube. Red arrow.

Photo 3. Internal hopper with filling control. Blue arrow

Photo 4. Plates to control the passage of feed (Red arrow). There are also intermediate control plates.

maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

STARTER FEEDERS

Plastic mats or paper trays can be used as feeders, but the mini hoppers, together with the plates full of lines, are the best.

Maintenance

At the beginning of the flock, check the empty equipment operation to avoid surprises. A Check list of all equipment must also be prepared.

It is very common to see this mismatch in the height of the hoppers and motors, as seen in (Photos 6 and 7), and this situation deteriorates the equipment and lowers its life span.

Photo 5. Mini hoppers.

Three types of maintenance are known:

Autonomous. This must be done every day. Specialized personnel is not required since it is done with farm personnel.

Preventive. Every time the flock ends with the maintenance staff.

Corrective. When necessary, with specialized maintenance personnel.

8 and 9. Facilities with good maintenance.

Photos 6 and 7. Inadequate facilities without maintenance.

Photos

equipment

and maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

LINEAR FEEDERS WITH PLATES

Each plate is for a certain number of birds according to the supplier and the production function.

Broilers according to their weight:

Rotisserie type: 60 chickens per plate.

Light 2.8 kgs.: 50 to 55 per plate.

Weight of 3 or more kg: 47 to 50 per plate.

Broiler breeder pullets: 14 birds per plate.

Broiler breeders in the laying phase: 10 birds per plate.

Usually, it is suggested that the entire circuit must be filled in 3 minutes. Still, to measure the speed, if it is correct, it is recommended that the feed be distributed at a speed of 30 meters/minute so that all the birds can access the feed simultaneously and improve uniformity.

In this type of feeder, a 15 cm/bird space is needed, both in rearing and production.

CHAIN FEEDERS

These feeders must work at a certain speed so that all birds eat the feed they need, and the best way is to check the travel time of the feed.

How to measure feeder speed

Mark the chain and the chute closest to the hopper.

Remove the restriction grid from the males between 30 and 40 meters.

Start the engine manually.

Keep it working for one minute and stop the engine.

Measure the distance the feed traveled.

Photo 10. Good distribution of broiler breeder pullets.

and maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders

At the end of each flock, measuring the amperage of the line motors is advisable since the motor may be working forcefully because something is obstructing the free passage of feed.

If this happens, energy consumption increases and the life span of the motor is reduced.

Recommendation: Make a final review of all the equipment in general for proper operation. Feed constitutes the highest item, more than 60% of the production cost.

CONCLUSION

It is advisable to make a checklist, which includes all the points to consider, and make a final review of all the equipment in general for proper operation.

Feed constitutes the highest amount, around two-thirds of the production cost of a kilogram of meat.

Management and maintenance of automatic equipment in poultry houses: Feeders DOWNLOAD THE PDF

CONTROLLING

WATER TEMPERATURE DURING BROODING

Michael Czarick and Brian Fairchild Department of Poultry Science - UGA, Athens, GA USA

Successfully growing a broiler flock starts with providing optimal housing conditions. That includes good quality and temperature of drinking water. Amongst other factors, this is influenced by length of the drinking line and house temperatures. Proper management of the drinking lines is needed.

Though there is a wide range of opinions on the optimal drinking water temperature for young chicks, the fact is farm managers actually have a very limited ability to control the temperature of the water their chicks are drinking because, for all practical purposes, it is determined by house air temperature.

If the air temperature is 90°F, the water will be around 90°F.

If the air temperature is 80°F, the water temperature will be around 80°F, regardless of what temperature the water enters the house.

This is the result that due to very low consumption rates, the water within a drinker line moves incredibly slowly, on average less than one foot per minute, which means that it can take over an hour for the water to simply travel the first 50’ of a 200’ - 300’ drinker line!

Since the water in a drinker line is almost stationary, and drinker lines are not insulated, the water doesn’t have to travel far before it warms up, or in some rare cases cools down, to room temperature....typically within 40’ to 60’ of entering a drinker line.

The temperature of the water entering the house’s control room from the ground was approximately 55°F.

During the 30’ trip from control room to the first nipple on the drinker line, the water warmed from 55°F to between 70°F and 80°F, depending on house air temperature at the time.

Figure 1 illustrates water temperatures along the length of a 230’ drinker line during the first week of a wintertime flock in a 40’ X 500’ broiler house.

By the time the water reached the nipples 64’ from the beginning of the drinker line, it had warmed to essentially air temperature.

Previously conducted farm studies in which the incoming water temperate was in the high forties or low sixties documented a similar trend.

Figure 1. Water temperatures along the length of a 230’ drinker line.

Age (Days)

It may be of interest to note the fact that it typically takes between forty to sixty feet for the water within a drinker to warm to air temperature,

It is the reason that litter beneath the beginning of a drinker line tends to get wetter during cold weather than other areas of a house.

Temperature (F)

As warm, moist air comes in contact with the cool drinker line, moisture in the air condenses upon the drinker line and drips onto the floor.

The colder the drinker line, the more likely condensation will form on the drinker line and the wetter the litter beneath the drinker line will become.

Once the water within a drinker line warms to room temperature, condensation formation ceases and the litter beneath the drinker line becomes drier

Since the water flows so very slowly along the length of the drinker line, water in a drinker line will actually heat up or cool down depending upon the environmental conditions along the length of the drinker line. Figure 2 illustrates the water temperatures beginning the day before the chicks were placed.

Bird Age (Days)

Figure 2. Water temperatures prior to chick placement

House air and drinker line water temperatures were approximately 70°F, 36 hours prior to chick placement.

Twenty-four hours prior to chick placement (Day -0.8) house air temperature was increased to 90°F and drinker line water temperatures followed, increasing to between 85°F and 90°F, with a notable exception of those near the end of the drinker line, where they only increased to approximately 75°F.

The lower water temperatures recorded near the end of the drinker line were due to the fact that the air temperature near the end of the drinker line was only in the mid-seventies as a result of loose-fitting tunnel fan shutters.

When the house’s circulation fans were turned on (Day 0.3) and the air near the tunnel fans warmed to near 90°F, the drinker line water temperatures increased similarly (Figure 3).

64 66

Water Temperature (F) 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00

56

The fact that the water within a drinker line is essentially stationary during brooding and drinker lines are not insulated, also means that flushing water lines has a very short-lived effect on temperature of the water the birds are drinking.

14 aviNews International December 2022 | Controlling water temperature during brooding management

That being said, regardless of location along the length of the drinker line, water temperatures returned to within five degrees of their pre-flush levels within 30 minutes.

Temperature

The relatively quick recovery of water temperatures after flushing illustrates that even if the drinker lines are filled within 30 minutes of chick arrival, the water will achieve room temperature by the time the chicks take their first drink.

In addition, if water lines are periodically flushed during brooding to assure water freshness/cleanliness, the accompanying short-lived decrease in water temperature would not likely adversely affect young chicks.

11:00 am 11:05 am 11:10 am 11:15 am 11:20 am 11:25 am 11:30 am 11:35 am 11:40 am 11:45 am 11:50 am 11:55 am 12:00 pm 12:05 pm 12:10 pm 12:15 pm 12:20 pm 12:25 pm 12:30 pm 12:35 pm 12:40 pm 12:45 pm 12:50 pm 12:55 pm 1:00pm 1:05pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 1:20pm 1:25pm 1:30pm 1:35pm 1:40pm 1:45pm 1:50pm 1:55pm 2:00pm

Bird Age (Days)

Figure 4. Water line temperatures prior to, during, and after flushing (day 5)

CONCLUSIONS

Though it may be potentially beneficial to be able to precisely control the temperature of the water the birds are drinking during brooding, the fact is that house air temperature will tend to determine this temperature.

Whether the incoming water temperature is “hot” or “cold” it will tend to assume house air temperature within 40’ - 60’ of entering a drinker line.

Though flushing drinker lines can decrease water temperatures, the effect is very transitory.

This doesn’t mean that there may not be benefits to flushing water lines during brooding (i.e., flushing stagnate water from the line), but controlling water temperature is not one of them.

Controlling water temperature during brooding DOWNLOAD THE PDF

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES IN BRAZILIAN BROILER NUTRITION IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Bernardo Rocha Franco Nogueira1, José Guilherme Morschel Barbosa2 and Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón3

1Animal Nutrition Coordinator, Agri Stats, Brazil, Chapecó, SC. bnogueira@agristats.com

2International Broiler Director, Agri Stats, Brazil, Chapecó, SC gmorschel@agristats.com

3Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Brazil is the major broiler meat exporter and the second producer in the world. Industrial organization, marketing, personnel, weather, and decisions about nutrition are pivotal for the current success and faster growth of Brazilian poultry production compared to other countries.

Present grain market conditions are challenging worldwide. Understanding how feedstuffs have been used, observing the variability in dietary energy and nutritional levels in the whole Brazilian broiler industry, and connecting this information with the live performance results can aid in visualizing the nutritional decisions made to face these economic challenges and the efficacy of their implementation.

In the last five years, the cost of live chicken production increased by approximately 135%, mainly due to the higher price of grains.

Feeding broilers represent about 70% of the total production cost in Brazil; however, little can be done about grain prices at the time of negotiations, and it is necessary to keep the focus on operational efficiency to control expenses through zootechnical and nutritional efficiency.

This article will present data analytics results looking at total feed ingredient use, diet nutritional composition, and average annual performance from Brazilian broiler companies participating in Agri Stats from 2017 to 2021.

The data indicated that increasing dietary energy proved an effective strategy to reduce feed intake and improve feed conversion. Brazilian broiler companies maintained Metabolizable Energy at around 3,140 kcal/kg averaging all diets used in a productive cycle (Figure 1)

At the same time, there was a 160% spike in the utilization of full-fat soybean and a 44% reduction in the consumption of soybean oil from 2017 to 2021.

Full-fat soybean with higher energy levels than soybean meals allowed to maintain the energy level of these diets without using soybean oil.

The price per ton of soybean oil escalated by approximately 150% from R$ 2,035.00 in 2017 to R$ 5,166.00 in 2021, a price that in Dec 2022 is equivalent to approximately US$981.

The tight supply of the oilseed in the USA and the delay in the harvest in Brazil caused this market price.

trends

Tons consumed

Soybean prices have risen over the years, reaching 2022 with a record value of R$200.00 per bag (60/kg) or R$3,333 per metric ton, which is approximately US$632. Consequently, the tendency in the industry was to decrease the consumption of soybeans and their co-products in broiler chicken feed since 2021. 500000 400000 300000 2017

200000 100000 0 3132 3133 3134 3135 3136 3137 3138 3139 3140 3141 2018

2019 2020 2021

Full fat soya Soy oil Dietary energy Year

Figure 1. Mean dietary metabolizable energy and consumption of full-fat soybean and soy oil in broiler chicken diets over 2017 to 2021.

In the feed industry worldwide, there is a trend to reduce crude protein in broiler diets to mitigate the economic and environmental impacts of amino acid excess.

Balanced amino acid profiles to meet optimum levels improve broiler efficiency of nitrogen utilization for protein synthesis and diminish the energy expenditure to excrete excess nitrogen.

Thus, it was observed that the Brazilian broiler industry brought down the average crude protein levels in the diets by up to 3% (Figure 2)

However, since current broiler genetics demand higher amino acid levels due to their better protein deposition rate, the inclusion of crystalline amino acids in broiler diets slightly increased in the Brazilian industry.

Metabolizable energy (kcal/kg)

Even with the bigger US dollar to Brazilian real exchange rate boosting the prices of crystalline amino acid sources, greater inclusion of lysine, methionine, and threonine was observed in recent years.

Inclusion crystalline amino acids, %

0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 20.1 20.1 20.2 20.2 20.3 20.3 20.4 20.4 20.5 20.5 20.6

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Year

Crude protein Lysine 78% Methionine 100% Threonine 100%

Figure 2. Average crude protein level and inclusion of crystalline amino acids in broiler chicken diets in Brazil.

and challenges in Brazilian broiler nutrition in the last five years

Crude protein, %

the cost of phosphorus sources, mainly in their inorganic form, has led to a decline in dietary levels of this mineral.

In the same context, trying to mitigate the anti-nutritional effects of phytate and enhance the availability of phosphorus using superdoses of phytase or enzymatic blends has become popular over the past five years.

The consumption of exogenous enzymes in the Brazilian industry went up by 18% at the end of the period evaluated (Figure 3)

The zootechnical performance is directly related to the digestive and absorptive capacity of the animals. Thus, ensuring intestinal health is essential to reduce productive and financial losses.

For many years, the search for balance in gut microbiota was based on using antibiotics to control pathogenic agents.

Nevertheless, in the current market scenario, using these additives

2000

1500

1000

2500 Tons of enzyme consumed

500

0

Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Figure 3. Consumption of exogenous enzymes between 2017 and 2021.

The data exposed a 30% reduction in the use of antibiotics (Figure 4) from 2017 to the present day. This drop is mainly motivated by: consumers’ growing concern with antibiotics in animal nutrition, bans of several growth-promotants molecules in Brazil, and several other countries where Brazil exports.

There is a possibility that the indiscriminate use of antibiotic growth-promotants

antibiotics used in human medicine.

could contribute to the cross-resistance of microorganisms to

In the same sense, the usage of some substances, such as anticoccidial ionophores, diminished by 9%, although these drugs were replaced by synthetic anticoccidials in the same period evaluated.

On the other hand, the dietary supplementation of other feed additives that may help the broiler’s intestinal health has expanded. Among these additives, the main alternatives to antibiotic growth-promotants are: prebiotics, probiotics, and organic and phytogenic acids.

The use of these classes of feed additives spiked 475% over the past five years. The total volume consumed was divided into: 39.17% organic acids, 38.68% phytogenics, and 22.14% pre and probiotics.

The variety of feed additives available on the market has become more prominent over the years.

A rise in the adoption of other intestinal health enhancers and enzymes goes together with the inclusion of antioxidants, anti-salmonella additives, and mycotoxin adsorbents (Figure 5)

All these products also attempt to eliminate bacteria and fungi, or their metabolites, from feedstuffs, avoiding damage to animal and human health. These new technologies may aid in achieving high zootechnical indices.

But poultry nutritionists should understand and evaluate the real impact of each technology adopted and the synergistic or antagonistic effects of the different feed additive associations under each broiler production condition. In these valuations, animal performance and the economic return of the strategies chosen must be considered.

Figure 4. Consumption of antibiotic growth-promotants, intestinal health promoters, and anticoccidials in Brazil from 2017 to 2021.

Feed additives consumed (Ton)

Antioxidants Adsorbents Year

Figure 5. Utilization of antioxidants and mycotoxin adsorbents in Brazil in the past five years.

When we evaluated the data of broiler live performance over this period, we observed an improvement of 7% in the average daily body weight gain (Figure 6)

These values went from 63.5 g to 68.1 g/day, while the feed conversion decreased by about 3%, reducing feed consumption per kilo of finished live chicken by up to 50 grams.

These results considered a gross national average of 3.04 kg at 44.68 days at slaughter age in 2021.

ratio (kg/kg)

Figure 6. Average daily body weight gain and feed conversion of broiler chickens in Brazil from 2017 to 2021. In 2021, the average body weight was 3.04 kg at 44.68 days at slaughter age.

Historically, the cost of broiler nutrition in Brazil is higher than in other parts of the world due to the high nutrient levels and extra feed ingredients used.

10

5

0

-5

-10

15 Year

Cent per bird slaughtered (R$/kg) 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 E ect of feed conversion ratio E ect of formulation

Figure 7. Effects of feed conversion and feed formulation cost on chicken cost in Brazil from 2017 to 2021.

These feed ingredients include animal byproduct meals, soy oil, synthetic amino acids, and alternative feed additives that have significantly raised in price over the years.

These higher feedstuff and feed additive costs made formulations more expensive, resulting in 9 cents (R$) more per kilo of feed compared to other important poultry industries like the USA.

In the current scenario, where feed ingredients such as corn and soybean are at the highest point of historical prices, the gains in feed conversion often do not bring back the return on investment made in broiler nutrition.

Likewise, when we compared the effect of the cost of feed conversion and the effect of the cost of the formulation on the kilogram of live chicken (Figure 7), we detected that the feed conversion of Brazilian broiler producers has improved over the years.

The current feed conversion provides a gain of nine cents (R$) per kilogram of chicken compared to the global average.

Currently, the Brazilian broiler industry has kept these factors in balance; however, to achieve more global competitiveness, feed conversion must improve more to minimize the impact of the higher feed costs on the total cost of production, or poultry nutritionists have to formulate more cost-efficient diets.

Considering all these data, it is possible to conclude that even facing all these adversities, the Brazilian broiler sector has managed to adapt nutrition to market-challenging conditions and optimize the real needs of the new genetic lines, allowing them to express their maximum potential.

Indeed, for chicken production to continue to grow in the coming years in Brazil, those responsible for broiler nutrition must seek innovations that can bring economic, socio-environmental, and zootechnical benefits to the production chain.

Changes and challenges in Brazilian broiler nutrition in the last five years DOWNLOAD THE PDF

THE IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSING INTERNAL HATCHING EGG QUALITY

Gamie Gundran Petersime Incubation Consultant

Hatching egg quality has a significant impact on hatchability and chick quality. By making egg quality control a part of the routine procedures in the hatchery, you will be able to improve your hatch results. Although it is fairly easy to evaluate external egg quality by checking the egg’s exterior, it can be more challenging to perform deeper checks on a regular basis.

A hatching egg is a protected space for the chicken embryo to develop in. Inside the egg are all the essential nutrients and mechanisms to support an optimal development and growth of the embryo. However, while the egg is formed in the reproductive tract of the hen, various events can occur that cause irregularities in eggs.

An overview of the most important interior quality factors is given below.

Some of these irregularities affect the internal quality of the egg, which is why it is important to perform both external and internal quality controls. 1

EGG FERTILITY

A first parameter is whether the egg has been fertilised or not. Hatching eggs can be analysed before incubation on arrival at the hatchery to distinguish fertile eggs from infertile eggs.

This requires a specific technique that needs to be built up by practice. When applied, however, a disadvantage of the technique is the loss of valuable hatching eggs due to the destructive procedure.

A fertile egg is characterised by a blastoderm that has a clearly defined ring-shaped appearance (seen as a white symmetrical ring with a clear area in the centre).

If for whatever reason the egg is infertile, a blastodisc is visible with a ruffled, irregular shape. A blastodisc is also lighter in colour and smaller in size compared to a blastoderm (Figure 1)

Having said that, it is important to ensure a correct handling and storage of hatching eggs, so good-quality embryos can remain in perfect condition. An embryo’s cell division begins from the moment the egg is fertilised.

After point of lay, the blastoderm consists of approximately 60,000 cells. Inappropriate handling and storage at the breeder farm, during transportation or at the hatchery will dramatically reduce the chances of producing a healthy day-old chick from that same egg.

It is a well-known fact that the fertility goes down as flock age increases, but a sudden drop in fertility could be an indication of a breeder problem and a reason to perform deeper analysis.

Figure 1. A fertile egg with blastoderm on the left; an infertile egg with blastodisc on the right

YOLK QUALITY

The yolk is an essential part of the hatching egg and constitutes an important food source for the developing embryo. The yolk’s condition can be investigated by performing a fresh egg breakout analysis. The yolk must be clear and not mottled (Figure 2).

Mottled yolk is an indicator of stress at the breeder farm. Bad yolk increases the risk of early embryonic mortality during incubation.

Figure 2. An example of mottled yolk with cloud-like spots underneath the vitelline membrane

ALBUMEN QUALITY

The albumen (egg white) provides essential proteins for the developing embryo. It also protects the embryo from any bacteria that could get into the egg. The most common test for albumen quality - conducted during a fresh egg breakout analysis - was invented by Raymond Haugh.

After weighing, an egg is broken onto a flat surface.

A micrometer caliper is used to determine the height of the albumen surrounding the yolk.

The height (Figure 3), correlated with the weight, determines the Haugh Unit.

The higher the number, the better the albumen quality of the egg.

H

Thin albumen Thick albumen

Figure 3. Height (H) of the albumen

The Haugh Unit can be calculated by using below formula:

HU = 100*Log10(H-1.7W0.37+7.6) incubation

HU: Haugh Unit

H: Observed height of albumen (in millimetres)

4

VITELLINE MEMBRANE STRENGTH

The vitelline membrane encloses the yolk and keeps it separate from the albumen. Keeping this protective membrane intact throughout embryo development in the egg is crucial to its survival.

This membrane should not be wrinkledcharacterized by small scratches on the membrane surrounding the yolk.

If the vitelline membrane is damaged or broken, the yolk can mix with the albumen, ultimately leading to embryonic mortality (Figure 4).

PATHOGEN-FREE EGGS

There are some important groups of pathogens that can be problematic: bacteria, Escherichia coli (E.coli), Salmonella, Pseudomonas and Aspergillus (Figure 5 and 6).

They hinder the development of the embryo and can even destroy the egg during incubation. That is why it is extremely important that hatching eggs are free from pathogens.

Although it is impossible to check an egg for pathogens when it is fresh (unless a laboratory analysis is undertaken), their presence will be clearly revealed after hatch.

Flocks with contamination records higher than 0.5% should get special attention with regard to egg handling and sanitation procedures.

The contamination level can vary between 0-0.5% for young to middle-aged flocks (25-35 weeks) and

between 1-2% for flocks older than 36 weeks (depending on the breeder farm management).

By conducting a post-hatch breakout analysis, the level of contamination can be determined. A sudden increase in contamination characterised by exploders

IN CONCLUSION

It is necessary to evaluate internal egg quality on a routine basis. Ensuring that there are procedures in place to evaluate the internal quality of incoming hatching eggs will greatly assist in

Figure 5. An egg contaminated with Pseudomonas

Figure 6. An egg contaminated with Aspergillus

CREATING THE RIGHT CLIMATE FOR POULTRY

Teun van de Braak Product Manager Hendrix Genetics Layers

The climate inside the poultry house influences health and wellbeing of a chicken flock. When suboptimal climatic conditions are common, it is more likely to have disorders related to the respiratory and digestive system. Next to that behavioral troubles can occur with the flock. Growth and productivity can also be negatively impacted when the climatic conditions are not met according to the standard.

laying hens

The best way to measure the climate is by having a look at the chickens and the way they behave, are they active, do they eat and drink normal levels, are egg production and mortality in line with the expectations, are they visibly panting, i.e. suffering from heat stress?

The climate is defined by several factors:

House temperature

The relative humidity

Air movement and it’s speed

Air composition Light

Always monitor and measure the climate at bird level! It can be very well possible that the climate inside the house is acceptable, but that it is unsuitable at bird level.

For example: CO₂ is a heavy gas, therefore the CO₂ levels can be much higher at floor level (bird level) compared to eye level (human level).

Another example is the temperature within the brooding rings, in the brooding rings, heat is trapped as there is less movement of ground air. This can save energy costs for heating as less energy is needed to heat up the entire house. On the other hand, material, time, and effort is needed to install these temporarily rings.

The climate of the house can be influenced via: insulating the roofs, walls and the flooring, installing ventilation, heating or cooling, and even via the lighting.

TEMPERATURE

The critical temperature for adult laying hens is 18°C. For every 1°C lower than 18°C, the birds require an extra 1 g of feed per day. The critical temperature for chicks in rearing depends heavily on the age of the chicks. Measuring the temperature is one of the most common ways to assess the climate inside the poultry house. It is easy to measure the temperature, and it does not come at a high cost.

Different types of thermometers can be used, it is wise to have multiple thermometers inside the house so you can have a better view of possible temperature differences inside the house, and it is easier to find out if one got broken.

Where to place the thermometers?

First of all, place them on locations where you can easily read the temperature, i.e. do not place them too high.

As the temperature inside the house is not uniform, it is advised not to place them close to the walls, as on these locations the airflow is often the lowest.

they experience. Place them in such way that the fresh air passes the thermometer prior reaching to the birds.

Heat loss in adult birds

There are two measures of temperature: The actual air temperature measured by the thermometer. The effective temperature, i.e. the temperature that the bird feels. The effective temperature increases when humidity increases, but it decreases with increased air movement.

Take into account: the air inlets (when you have closed houses), the location of the ventilation, and the location of the heaters (for brooding).

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0.0

Heatloss in % Temperature

5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

Latent heat Sensible heat

Figure 1. Relation between temperature and heat loss in birds

Temperature zones

The thermal neutral zone (also called comfort zone) is defined as the temperature zone in which the birds are able to keep their body temperature constant with just minimum efforts. This comfort zone depends on the environmental conditions, so always take the relative humidity into account next to temperature!

The opposite is also true, when temperatures are below the birds comfort zone, they will try to keep warm: feed intake can go up as energy from the feed can be used to keep the birds warm, and you’ll see birds huddle together to keep each other warm (Figure 2)

From Figure 1 it can be seen that the behavior of the birds will change when barn temperatures go up. Birds will become less active, reduce their feed intake, and become fluffy whilst hanging their wings to expand the movement of air in contact with their body.

As a result of the reduced feed intake, egg production and egg size can go down. If temperatures even rise further the birds will further reduce their feed intake, and they start panting in order to reduce their body temperature.

The thermoneutral zone is not fixed, it depends on several factors:

Age Body weight Health status of the birds

Climate in the house (temperature + relative humidity (RH) + ventilation (air velocity)

Housing system Feed and feed strategies

Increase in feed intake & reduction in activity to stay warm <18ºC

Ideal temperature range

Slight reduction in feed intake

Further drop in feed intake, drop in egg producciton

Heat stress is possible Heat stress is probable Heat stress

18 - 24oC 24 - 29oC 29 - 33oC 33 - 35oC 35 - 38oC >38ºC

Figure 2. Temperature zones and wellbeing of birds

In the thermal neutral zone, the water to feed ratio is approximately 2:1. With increasing temperatures, the birds will reduce their feed intake whilst increasing their water intake to stay cool, but also they will increase their water intake as a result of panting, panting creates even more heat through the muscle activity.

When heat stress occurs, the water to feed ratio can even go up to 5:1! Not the entire increase in water usage is directly consumed, part of it is spilled as they “play” with the water and spread it over their wattles and comb in order to improve their cooling function.

When severe heat stress occurs, the birds are not able to increase their water intake sufficiently, i.e. they are not able to compensate for the losses through respiration and urine excretion. Without any climatic interventions the condition may worsen, and the birds may die!

RELATIVE HUMIDITY (RH)

The relative humidity describes the level of water present in the air, i.e. if the air is holding 20% of its capacity to hold water, the humidity is 20%.

When the humidity is reaching 100%, it means that the air is fully saturated. Like temperature, the relative humidity is not fixed, it can change and therefore it varies during the day. Air expands as the result of rising temperatures, therefor its moisture holding capacity increases.

As a result of lower temperatures at night, the RH is generally higher during nighttime, as the colder temperature has a lower moisture holding capacity.

Increasing the water intake, whilst lowering the birds feed intake, will highly likely result in more wet manure with reduced quality and consistency. Large piles of wet manure can cause the relative humidity in the barn to go up, even worsening the climate in the barn.

It is advised to remove the manure more often and dry it elsewhere. When keeping birds on the floor, keep in mind that the litter can produce heat as when it gets moist it starts to decompose. Caked litter should always be removed to improve the climate in the poultry house.

The most dangerous period for laying hens is during the summer periods, or the hot season, and especially the late afternoon (3-6 pm). During that time, the temperature starts to decrease, but the RH is on the increase, which makes it harder for the birds to get rid of their heat. Most losses due to heat stress occur during this time of the day.

The

In many cases, egg producers are focused too much on the barn temperatures. The Relative Humidity is often overlooked. But the climate inside the barn, which defines if the bird feels comfortable or not, is the result of the interaction between the temperature and the relative humidity (Table 1)

THE POTENTIAL OF COOLING

From Table 2 it can be seen that there are large differences in the potential for cooling for the same temperature, but for different levels of RH.

It clearly demonstrates that the interaction between temperature and RH should be taken into account when you want to optimize the climate inside the house via management.

The impact of high relative humidity should not be neglected, as this has a direct impact on the effect of the birds’ panting.

laying hens

State Heat Stress Index Actions

Comfort State 63 - 69

No special actions are required. Make use of this opportunity to check if all systems are working properly.

Alert State 70-75

Be prepared to take necessary cooling measures, increase the ventilation rate, and turn on the cooling fans where applicable. When the humidity levels allow, you can consider using the foggers. Monitor the bird behavior for signs of heat stress such as panting, decreased activity and wings hanging. Make sure that plenty of fresh drinking water is available to the flock.

Danger State 76-81

Immediate action is needed to safeguard the health and welfare of the flock. Increase the ventilation rate to increase the movement of air over the birds. When humidity levels allow, use evaporative cooling pads and tunnel ventilation when possible. Monitor daily water and feed consumption carefully when feed intake is dropping adjust the nutrient density of the poultry diets. Flush the water lines periodically to allow the birds to cool via drinking fresh and cold drinking water. Closely monitor the behavior of the birds if they respond to the action.

Emergency State >81

All the alarm bells should ring now, implement all the advices, and avoid any handling and transfer of the birds during daytime (as this causes stress and therefor extra heat). You can reduce the birds’ activity by dimming the lights. Mid-night feeding will help to avoid eating during the hottest parts of the day.

CONTROLLING THE CLIMATE

In most countries with modern laying houses, the climate can be relatively easy controlled. It has already been taken care of in the design, i.e. insulation to prevent the heat from getting in our out, or mechanical ventilation or cooling systems that have been added. However, there are still many laying houses that lack proper climate control.

The lower temperature will allow the birds to recover from the heat stress experienced during the day. It is important that during nighttime the temperature does not drop too much, as huge changes in temperature within a short period of time can negatively influence the health and wellbeing of the birds, i.e. they can easily get a cold.

The objectives of climate control can be defined in several stages:

To remove excess heat in the hot season

To remove excess moisture to lower the effective temperature

To limit the build-up of harmful gasses whilst safeguarding the supply of oxygen and fresh air

The reduction in effective temperature (so the temperature felt by the bird) is called the “wind chill” factor. The birds have to deal with 2 sources of heat: the heat derived from the environment, and the heat produced internally because of their metabolism.

The objectives that have been stated above can be achieved using several principles. Tunnel ventilation can be very effective, to increase the flow of air, or via evaporative cooling, through fogging, or pad and fan systems.

To enable the birds to get rid of the excess of heat produced during daytime, try to lower the nighttime temperatures by 12-16°C.

The excess heat must be eliminated. As mentioned earlier, most of this can be lost by evaporation via panting. But panting negatively impacts the RH in the laying house. The higher the RH gets, the less effective panting becomes.

Heat starts to build up in the body of the birds, and may result in birds dying because of the heat stress.

Try to block the sunlight as much as possible from entering the house, i.e.

PRACTICAL AND COST-EFFECTIVE TIPS

Renovating and refurbishing poultry houses to make them more resistant to heat stress can be a very costly exercise, as we understand that it can be hard to finance, we have listed several practical tips that come at low investment costs.

The location of the house matters when we are talking about naturally ventilated houses.

It is advised to construct them in an east-west direction, this will prevent the sun from shining directly into the house. Besides, this location utilizes the wind the best.

Insulation can be a very cost-effective tool in hot climates, it will prevent the heat from entering the house during daytime (radiation and conduction of solar heat), and it will prevent the heat from escaping during nighttime.

Adding insulation will allow the birds to be longer in their thermal neutral zone.

Bubble foil, which is covered on both sides with layers of aluminum has proven to be extremely effective in tropical conditions. Next to being effective, it is cheap to buy and easy to install.

Roofs can also be covered with thatching material, like sugarcane tops, palm tree leaves, paddy straw, etc., to reduce the solar heating of the roof.

Try to block the sunlight as much as possible from entering the house, i.e. sunlight should never shine directly on the birds.

Use window shades, or roof overhangs to block the sunlight from directly entering the house.

It is recommended to use porous window shades, as they will effectively block the sunlight, but allowing the air to pass through.

Well maintained grass around houses will result in cooler conditions inside compared to bare ground, rocks or concrete. Grass will radiate less heat compared to concrete or ground.

When you have installed cages, always make sure the feed bins are connected to the cages at the sides where the corridors are located.

The coldest air can often be found in the corridors, and this will help the birds to get rid of their heat more easily.

A light-colored roof is better able to reflect the heat. Roofs could be painted white to allow for better reflection (hydrated lime, or white cement could be used to whitewash the roofs), for naturally ventilated houses, an open ridge allows the rising hot air to escape the house via the roof.

Planting tall trees close to the house will create shade, as moisture from the trees will evaporate, the surrounding air will cool down, resulting in a more comfortable climate inside the poultry house.

Try to plant them in such way, that they do not block the air flow.

Do keep the biosecurity in mind, as trees are likely to attract wild birds and rodents.

Make sure you have an effective biosecurity program in place to protect the health and wellbeing of your birds.

The water tank should preferably be stored inside, as inside it will have a lower chance to heat up via direct sunlight.

When placed outside, try to protect it with wet blankets or wet jute, as the evaporation of the wet blanket/ jute will always require heat.

As this heat is coming from the water tank, it will keep the water inside the tank cooler.

Painting your water tank white will allow better cooling of the water, as heat is reflected instead of absorbed.

Allow for a backup power system, as the event of power outage is in general higher during hot weather/hot seasons.

The impact of a power outbreak is much more detrimental in the hot season, when ventilation stops, heat stress arises, and quickly becomes fatal.

Open sided houses can be transformed into power ventilated houses by installing curtains to the open walls.

It is often cost effective and you can benefit from the advantages of both systems.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

When heat stress occurs, focus should be mostly on management, less on nutrition

Climate is defined by the interaction between temperature and relative humidity

Evaporative cooling is a GO for hot and dry climates, a NO GO for hot and humid climates

Be cautious when applying maximum ventilation for young birds as they lose heat quicker

Adjusting the house to create a better climate for the birds can already be done on a tight budget

Creating the right climate for poultry

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MOST FREQUENT RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN TURKEYS

Cristina Caballero Pavo y Derivados SA

In recent years, there have been significant advances in genetics, management, and facilities in producing broiler turkeys. This, together with progress in vaccine prophylaxis and diagnostic techniques, has allowed a decrease in respiratory pathologies in the field. Still, even so, we should not underestimate the economic consequences of worsening production rates and slaughterhouse seizures.

Pathogens associated with clinical symptoms can be viruses, bacteria, and fungus. In addition, multifactorial respiratory complications are frequent and aggravated by poor management and biosecurity conditions.

This article highlights the most frequent respiratory infections in field pathology.

Respiratory infections can affect turkeys throughout their production cycle, although it is true that depending on age, there is more susceptibility to specific pathogens than others.

pathology

MOST CHARACTERISTIC CLINICAL SYMPTOMS OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Disease Causal agent Common clinical signs

Turkey rhinotracheitis virus

aMPV, metapneumovirus aviar

Mycoplasmosis Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Cough, nasal discharge, sinusitis, periorbital edema, sneezing

Age at which it occurs Morbidity Mortality

Any age, susceptible from 5 to 8 weeks of age

30-100% 1-5%

Slow evolution. Periorbital sinusitis Serofibrinous inflammation: air sacs, lungs

Ornithobacteriosis

Ornithobacterium rinotracheale

Crackling cough Infraorbital sinusitis Exudative pneumonia: edema and fibrin Joint disorders: arthritis, tendinitis, synovitis

Bordetellosis Bordetella avium

Conjunctivitis Tracheitis with deformation of the tracheal rings

Pasteurellosis Pasteurella multocida

Acute clinical signs Petechial hemorrhage: heart, abdominal fat, gizzard foci of necrosis in the liver and spleen Enteritis and diarrhea

From 4 weeks of age Variable Variable

Any age, susceptible from 2 to 8 weeks of age High 1-15%, >50% in adult turkey

Greater incidence from 2 to 6 weeks of life, until slaughter

More frequent in adult turkeys, from 12 weeks of age (stress factors affect)

80-100% between 2 to 6 weeks <10%

Aspergillus

Aspergillus spp.

Dyspnoea Exudative tracheitis Multiple gray-yellow nodules: lungs, air sacs

Table 2. Most characteristic clinical symptoms of respiratory infections.

>50% in acute cases >50% in acute cases

From the first days of life High >12% de 5-15 days

The main upper respiratory tract diseases in turkeys are Infectious Rhinotracheitis of Turkey and Bordetellosis

TRT OR TURKEY RHINOTRACHEITIS VIRUS

The TRT virus is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family of the Metapneumovirus genus.

With an incubation period of 3 to 7 days. It causes an acute infection of the upper respiratory tract with symptoms of cough, nasal and ocular discharge, and infraorbital sinusitis.

In a study in early 2021, 13 TRT outbreaks were monitored in flocks between 4-12 weeks of age.

In those outbreaks, mortalities ranged from 8% to 60%

The highest mortalities were due to bacterial complications derived from management failures.

In the reamining of the outbreaks, it was concluded that the high mortality was due to deficient immunity from errors in the selection of vaccines and failures in the vaccination procedure.

The importance of a good vaccination plan relies more in its correct application than in the number of vaccines applied during the life cycle.

Photo 1. Infraorbital sinusitis.

Photos 2 and 3. Nasal discharge and infraorbital sinusitis.

respiratory infections in turkeys

pathology

BORDETELLA AVIUM

It is a gram-negative bacterium belonging to the Alcaligenaceae family, genus Bordetella. It is the cause of Bordetellosis, or the formerly known turkey coryza.

This is another infection of the upper respiratory tract whose most characteristic symptoms are submandibular edema, tracheal collapse due to distortion of the tracheal rings (softening), and oculo-nasal secretions and sneezing.

The incubation period is 7 to 10 days.

Treatment

In three clinical cases diagnosed in the field, the animals exhibited prostration, symptoms of the upper respiratory tract with oculonasal discharges, and submandibular edema with brownish ocular exudate in one of them.

Weekly mortality ranged from 0.7% to 1.5%,

The outbreaks appeared in flocks with ages between 2 to 7 weeks.

Antibiotic treatments administered by water, injection, or spray have been reported to produce minimal clinical improvement. However, the application of tetracyclines, particularly long-acting because of their high bioavailability in tissues and fluids, has been shown to reduce morbidity and duration of the process.

There are doubts if its performance comes from direct action against Bordetella or indirectly from the secondary infections added to the process.

Photo 4. Submandibular edema. Stains of brownish exudate are observed

Upper respiratory tract infections...

They generally heal on their own in two weeks. Still, secondary bacterial infections (E.coli, Bordetella avium, ORT, Pasteurella multocida...) are common due to poor environmental management, aggravating the clinical signs with pericarditis, airsacculitis, perihepatitis, and pneumonia.

To confirm the clinical diagnosis with laboratory tests, the technique of choice is PCR of tracheal and choanal swabs.

3

PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA

This gram-negative bacterium from the Pastereullaceae family and Pasteurella genus can cause acute clinical cases due to its rapid contagion and systemic dissemination, leading to high morbidity and mortality.

The infection can occur in young turkeys from three weeks of age, but it can occur in adult flocks of male turkeys up to slaughter age (18 weeks).

Sudden-onset disease which causes an increase in losses due to sudden death without apparent reason; sometimes, it can be accompanied by a cough.

Necropsy

At necropsy, hyperemia is observed mainly at the level of the abdominal viscera and associated veins, petechial lesions, and foci of ecchymosis at the level of the heart, gizzard, and intestinal mucosa.

The chronicity of the disease is possible depending on the strain. In these cases, the lesions are more localized, being able to find sternal bursitis, unilateral or bilateral cuprous pleuropneumonia, and joint synovitis.

It has been demonstrated that changes in environmental and nutritional conditions and changes in vessels

Diagnosis

Pasteurella multocida can be diagnosed from their isolation from visceral swabs, especially lung or bone marrow, from freshly dead or diseased animals slaughtered for sample collection.

Treatment

Treatment with antibiotics from the tetracycline family reduces the morbidity and mortality of the affected batch.

To guarantee the reasonable use of antibiotics, it is essential to carry out antibiograms. These can be useful for future outbreaks of the same flock.

It is recommended to implement vaccine prophylaxis through

Photo 5. Pulmonary hemorrhage.

Symptoms

Animals infected with Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale exhibit coughing, sneezing, sinusitis, dyspnea, prostration, and decreased feed and water intake.

Necropsy

The most frequent necropsy findings are pneumonia and polyserositis.

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of the disease, it is essential to use laboratory techniques, PCR of tracheal and choanal swabs, or bacterial isolation from the heart and liver because the symptoms and lesions described above are non-specific and compatible with other bacterial infections (Pasteurella y E. coli).

Treatment

Regarding curative or prophylactic treatments, it should be noted that sensitivity to antibiotics by ORT has been documented as inconsistent, with multiple inconclusive studies, depending on the strains and geographical areas. (Wafaa A. Abd El-Ghany, 2021) and that there are currently no commercial vaccines

Photos 7 and 8. Pneumonia with fibrinous pleural involvement.

turkeys

MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM 5

Mycoplasmas are bacteria that lack a cell wall and are classified within the Mollicutes class, Mycoplasmataceae family.

Its incubation period can vary from 6 to 21 days depending on age, stress factors, the virulence of the strain, and other concomitant factors.

MG infection is also known as chronic respiratory disease in chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys.

The main path of infection is the conjunctiva and the upper respiratory tract.

The clinical signs usually develop slowly, and the infection or disease can become chronic.

Diagnosis

Its diagnosis is made from swabs of nasal, tracheal, and choanal exudates through isolation and identification methods or rapid methods such as PCR.

It is necessary to differentiate MG from other respiratory infections.

In the case of lung and air sac lesions, they can be confused with colibacillosis.

Symptoms

Outbreaks in broiler turkeys usually appear between 8 and 15 weeks of age.

At the beginning of the infection, very mild respiratory signs are observed. Over weeks, they progress to severe, characterized by severe cough, sinusitis, and runny nose. In chronic cases, air sacculitis and pneumonia are observed at necropsy.

In the case of sinusitis without complications, the differential diagnosis should be established with Mycoplasma synoviae, pasteurellosis, and TRT mainly.

Notifiable diseases such as Avian Influenza and Newcastle are not to be left out.

Treatment

MG has no treatment, and infected birds are infected for life.

Some antibiotics, such as tetracyclines or tylosin, can reduce symptoms, but their use should only be limited to avoid havoc in flocks.

Control programs should also focus on breeders to prevent and cut off transmission by eggs in subsequent flocks.

Treatments must be based on prophylactic biosafety measures and vaccination plans.

ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS 6

Aspergillus is a filamentous fungus of the Trichocomaceae frequently found causal agent in respiratory lesions with a fungal cause.

Its origin usually comes from the inhalation of litter dust contaminated with spores. However, contamination due to the inhalation of large numbers of spores during the incubation must also be considered.

Symptoms

From the first days, symptoms can be observed with prostrate animals, ruffled feathers, respiratory distress, and sometimes exudative secretions at the periorbital level.

Necropsy and diagnosis

The lesions usually observed are graywhite miliary nodules of 1 mm or more at the level of the lung tissue.

Necropsy and lesions found are adequate for diagnosis, but isolation and identification of affected lung samples and litter may be requested.

Treatment

Although different antifungal treatments have been proposed for avian aspergillosis, there is no effective therapy.

Its treatment goes through a good disinfection program in the incubation processes and the acquired litter.

Disinfection of drinking water and litter with antifungals minimizes the clinical course.

CONCLUSIONS

Preventive therapy, such as vaccination plans and the supervision of their correct application, are the treatments to be taken into account to minimize regular antibiotic therapies.

Biosafety and management continue to be understood as fundamental elements of prevention.

Any deficiency in these parameters can cause significant economic losses. Most frequent respiratory infections in turkeys

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Photo 13. Miliary lesions in turkey lung, 4 days

IMPORTANCE OF ZEARALENONE IN COMMERCIAL POULTRY

Manuel Contreras, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACPV Agrimprove/Special Nutrients Miami, FL, USA.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the top three mycotoxins contaminating finished feed and grains. Many worldwide reports, from different institutions, indicate that more than half of the samples evaluated show some level of contamination with this toxin.

ZEN has been used as a marker for decades, indicative of the presence of other mycotoxins produced by the genus Fusarium, such as Vomitoxin (DON) and Fumonisin.

Fungi belonging to the genus Fusarium are very abundant and regularly contaminate growing plants and grains during storage.

Plants alter the chemical structure of mycotoxins as part of their defense mechanism against xenobiotic substances (foreign to the ecological system where they grow).

Fusarium graminareum and F. culmorum, besides producing ZEN, also generate DON, which emphasizes the importance of synergism among mycotoxins, once ingested by animals.

ZEN is heat-stable during storage, grinding, processing, and distribution, and can stand temperatures of 150°C for about 44 hours.

ZEN and its metabolites

ZEN and its metabolites are very potent estrogens, of the non-steroidal type. So far, it is the only mycotoxin identified that causes primary estrogenic effects in animal production, especially in sows and dairy cows.

For more than 50 years, a metabolite of ZEN, called zearalanol, marketed as Zeranol, has been sold in several countries.  This is an anabolic agent capable of accelerating body weight gain in weaned calves, steers and animals raised in confinement (feed lots).

Mechanism of absorption and formation of metabolites

Once ZEN is ingested, a portion is excreted through urine and feces without absorption through the blood, representing a rapid elimination mechanism.

Another portion of ZEN is rapidly absorbed through the epithelial cells of the small intestine, thereby passing into the bloodstream to subsequently be metabolized in the liver into other metabolites that can be excreted within the: intestines, via bile and then returned to the liver via enterohepatic circulation.

Mycotoxins with enterohepatic recirculation are secreted through the bile into the intestinal lumen, increasing their exposure time and once again exerting their toxicity on the epithelial tissue.

Pigs are considered the most sensitive domestic species, followed by ruminants.  Commercial birds are the most resistant.  Within this latter group: Broilers are the hardiest, Turkeys the most susceptible.

Leghorn (white) layers have proven to be very resistant, in scientific tests conducted with high levels of contamination with ZEN.

Susceptibility Liver Bile Intestinal lumen

Figure 1. Enterohepatic recirculation system.

In the liver, its transformation occurs because of the enzyme 3 α/β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 HSE) convert it into two isomers:

Alpha zearalenol (α ZAL) and

Beta zearalenol (β ZAL).

This enzyme causes the hydroxylation of ZEN, a process that detoxifies it.   As far as estrogenic effects, α ZAL is 500 times more potent than ZEN, while β ZAL is 16 times less potent.

In other words, the production of α ZAL increases the toxicity of ZEN while the production of β ZAL convert it into a less toxic metabolite.

Low

Below, we mention three probable causes that seem to explain this phenomenon:

The bioavailability, which is the proportion of the mycotoxin or metabolites that can be absorbed and cause damage to the animal, is 80-85% in the case of porcine. On the other hand, in poultry and rats, it is less than 10%. The lower the availability of these metabolites in body uids, the lower the harmful e ects caused to the body.

2The excretion capacity of ZEN and its metabolites in Elevated levels of

Why are birds less susceptible to ZEN than pigs?

1bioavailability of ZEN metabolites in birds/ Activity of the enzyme 3-HSE

Natural estrogens, circulating in the blood streams, have a greater affinity with blood receptors than with ZEN and its metabolites.

Under natural conditions, the blood estrogen levels in commercial poultry is 1.3 to 3.0 times higher than in pigs.

This factor could help birds adapt to and resist ZEA interference with estrogen in the presence of low concentrations.

What are the macroscopic (gross) lesions associated with ZEN?

In some technical-commercial publications, the following lesions are described:  Cyst formation in the oviduct, prolapse of the rectum, broken eggs due to shell weakness, and reduction of the testicles weight in breeding males.

A scientific publication from 1986 (Avian Pathology, Bock and collaborators), among others, already reports the presence of some of these lesions in breeding hens and males.  According to the paper, the commercial ration evaluated had 5 ppm of ZEN.

It is important to point out that under commercial conditions, it is very rare to detect such a high level of contamination with ZEN.

In the case of breeding hens and commercial layers, most of the lesions already described are frequently reported in many flocks.

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM Genital tract (Oviduct) nutrition aviNews International December 2022 | Importance of Zearalenone in Commercial Poultry

Cysts formation:

In 2011, a new viral strain of IBV was identified in the Delmarva Peninsula, US, called DMV/1639. This virus has spread to various regions of North America and the world, and causes ovarian cysts.

To establish a reliable differential diagnosis, ELISA titers should be evaluated as well as PCR, and/or viral isolation.

Of course, ZEN concentrations in feed should always be measured to rule it out.

As far as management, If males  are feed restricted in excess, the testicles will show atrophy.  This is a quite common condition where feed consumption is strictly controlled to avoid low fertility (broiler breeders).

Prolapse of the rectum,  this injury is frequent in commercial layers and the list of factors that can cause it is very extensive, including the lightning program (light intensity), nutritional deficiencies, management practices, etc.

Shell weakness, regularly appears after a certain age in commercial hens and can be caused by viral agents and nutritional deficiencies.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the identification of ZEN in feed or its metabolites in blood or other corporal fluids, does not necessarily indicate that the lesions observed in the reproductive tract or other organs are caused by this mycotoxin.

Even though we consider that the effect of ZEN on the reproductive tract is exaggerated, the damage that it could cause on the immune system, combined with others such as Aflatoxin, Vomitoxin, T2 toxin, Fumonisin, and others, should not be underestimated.

Importance of Zearalenone in Commercial Poultry

POULTRY INDUSTRY

INNOVATIONS FOR THE TO BE PRESENTED AT IPPE 2023

Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón North Carolina State University

The International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE), held annually at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA (USA), is the world’s largest poultry, feed, and meat technology exposition.

IPPE’s educational and networking activities are focused on bringing together the latest Innovation in technologies of products and services to make the poultry and feed industry more successful.

This article highlights some technologies that a few companies will present in Atlanta between January 24 and 26, 2023. We’ll discuss these innovations alphabetically according to the company’s name. The author of this article contacted several companies to look for this information, and this is just a summary of the plans for IPPE.

Due to the article’s space, we cannot include more innovations, but we call our readers to pay attention because many more companies bring the newest products and services to IPPE.

The net energy system is well known and used in swine nutrition, but is has not been developed in poultry yet.

Led by Pierre-Andre Geraert and Pierre Cozannet, the Adisseo research team combined this cost advantage and the consistent technical advantages of net energy to develop this very important tool to achieve the best zootechnical and economic performance.

ADISSEO

Since 1996, when the Poultry Show was started in this format, Adisseo is often present in IPPE. Adisseo will talk about two newly launched services: NESTOR and Arabinoxylan analysis by NIRS.

NESTOR is a tool available on the internet. It allows nutritionists to consult Adisseo’s nutrition recommendations (including Energy, AA, Ca, and P) and full nutritional values of raw materials, including Net Energy and the main antinutritional factors content, for poultry species and swine in the different diets.

Net Energy values allow us to more precisely rank the raw materials, better evaluating the energy and the protein sources, demonstrated by the difference in the NE/ME ratio depending on the raw material.

Thanks to this application, Net Energy is a more accurate method to correct for the heat increment and to better predict the animal performance.

When you can better predict the performance, you can better define the feed program.

Besides NESTOR, Adisseo is also presenting the new NIRS prediction curves for Arabinoxylan content in the main cereals These predictions are now available in PNE (Adisseo service on NIR analysis).

Thanks to this service, Adisseo can now provide customers with the values of Total Arabinoxylan content and their soluble and insoluble fractions for their main cereals and co-products.

These analyses are key to better evaluating the potential uplift for carbohydrases in each type of diet.

A-SYSTEMS CORPORATION

Dedicated to comprehensive feed formulation software introduces at the IPPE the multi-objectives optimization in Allix, taking into account the environmental impact in:

A single formulation. This new optimization allows formulators to minimize the environmental impacts of feed formulation while still controlling the price of the diet.

It is also possible to know what overcost can be accepted to minimize the feed production’s environmental impact.

Based on the factory and market context, the formulator can choose the weight to put on each criterion, as well as the cost of the feed.

Multi-formulation. A second method is to minimize the environmental impact of the overall feed production of the factory.

It is possible to calculate a multiformulation of all factory formulas, each weighed by the tonnage planned to be produced.

Environmental impact constraints will measure and limit the impact of all raw materials on pre-selected criteria.

The Feeding Plan. Working on the entire life cycle of the animal than on individual feeds will allow the minimizing not only of the impact of a single feed but of the complete rearing cycle, at least from a feeding perspective.

A-Systems now suggest optimizing “feeding plans” with the multiobjectives formulation.

It will be possible to minimize the economic costs of the diets while finding the environmental optimum.

It is also possible to distribute the impact in a measured and optimal fashion through the rearing cycle.

Evolution of [Climate change (ecoalim)]

0.29 0.28 0.27 0.26 0.25 0.24 0.23 400

[Climate change (ecoalim)] [Price] 410

CJ

421.269 - 0.27 431.84 - 0.26

432.373 - 0.26 452.625 - 0.25 499.606 - 0.23 503.295 - 0.23

412.504 - 0.28 409.56 - 0.28 420 430 440 450 460 470 480 490 500 510 520

Figure 1. Evolution of climate change

These three new methods of optimization developed by the A-Systems teams are innovative and considerably broaden the feed formulation scope.

410.013 - 0.28 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.3 0 Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4 Goal 5 Goal 6

Goal Value

BIO

CJ BIO will announce the plans to produce Threonine Pro in Brazil. Based on the wide commercial acceptance by US customers of Threonine Pro, an 80% active granular source of L-threonine with residual biomass, CJ BIO announced the production of Threonine Pro in Brazil for the 2nd semester of 2023, which is the result of CJ´s innovative fermentation technology.

Acidi cation (ecoalim) Energy (ecoalim) Eutrophication (ecoalim) Climate change (ecoalim)

Threonine Pro features: Granular for easy flow through micro-systems Dust and caking-free

Nutritive value of Corynbacterum Glutamicum L-Threonine content not less than 80%

Remainder of product is biomass from fermentation

Threonine Pro 80% (Thr Pro) reduces mixer coefficient of variation by 30% in the diets compared to granular Thr L-98.5% (Figure 1).

Thr Pro is more precise on the dosage rate in both diets resulting in less product volume use

CV = 13 133% of target dose

Thr 98.5%

Mixer Profile-Broiler WD

CV = 9 103% of target dose

Thr Pro 80

0,11 0,11 0,11 0,11 0,12 0,10 0,10 0,09 0,09 0,09 0,08

0,12 0,11 0,10 0,09 0,08 0,07 0,06 0,05 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0,12 0,11 0,10 0,09 0,08 0,07 0,06 0,05 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0,08 0,08 0,08 0,08

0,07 0,07 0,07 0,07 0,07 0,07

Analyzed Result

Figure 2. Threonine Pro 80% vs Granular Thr L-98.5 mixer uniformity - 4-ton mixer; Granular Thr L-98.5%; Broiler withdrawal feed with same formulations

CUMBERLAND

Cumberland and AGCO will discuss advances on its monitoring solution for more innovative poultry management called Scout. Scout is a robot with multiple electronic sensors that helps farmers monitor different aspects of their flocks in real-time.

Average / Mean Eutrophication (ecoalim)

Scout uses temperature, relative humidity, and airspeed sensors to measure thermal comfort. Additionally, it can evaluate air quality using carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3).

Sound levels are measured to allow the broiler grower to determine what is making the excessive noise.

Cameras provide an idea of bird distribution and activity.

Scout gauges bird mortality and analyze excreta for early disease detection.

All this information helps to provide organized reports of thermal comfort, air quality, animal welfare, and alerts in case of the need to fine-tune the house environment. These reports are streamed to the user in easy-to-understand dashboards using the internet for secure data management.

DSM ANIMAL NUTRITION AND HEALTH

This fall, DSM announced FDA approval of a novel enzyme, fumonisin esterase, to help poultry producers manage mycotoxins in feed.

This is the first mycotoxin-degrading ingredient to go through FDA’s Food Additive Petition (FAP) process and is the first product ever to be approved for degrading fumonisins in feed in the U.S. market. Biofix® Plus with FUMzyme® and Biofix® Select with FUMzyme® is now available to US poultry and swine producers.

DSM announced the release of its secondgeneration protease, ProAct 360, for poultry producers. It is a new market standard in protease technology for poultry on three key fronts:

Feed efficiency Affordability Sustainability

ProAct 360 offers faster protein breakdown, higher digestibility of all amino acids, and better degradation of antinutritional factors — leading to an improved feed conversion ratio and higher cost savings.

DSM has recently released the update of its OVN Optimum Vitamin Nutrition® guidelines to deliver more sustainable animal production practices. These guidelines help producers improve animal health and welfare by providing animals with high-quality vitamins in the optimal amount. The first OVN book will be launched at IPPE. View the latest guidelines here.

EVONIK EW NUTRITION

As an ongoing effort to maintain its position as a science-based and customer-oriented company, Evonik continues to bring innovative solutions to support the poultry industry. Under the slogan “Sciencing the global food challenge”, Evonik will be present at IPPE 2023, introducing new services and concepts that fit into its system solutions approach.

One of the highlights this year will be the promotion of Evonik`s new sustainability brand, inoSust®.

This consulting service is intended to help customers address sustainability challenges and counts with Evonik`s precision nutrition services (AMINONIR®, AMINODat®, and AMINOBatch®) and Opteinics™.

This tool evaluates the environmental impact of feed and meat production.

Other important updates are the inclusion of standardized ileal digestibility (SID) correction for amino acids when evaluating the processing quality of feed ingredients using AMINORED® and the promotion of a gut health solutions concept that combines the use of low crude protein diets and probiotics (Ecobiol® and GutCare®)

The animal production industry has long attempted to reduce its need for antibiotic drugs to a necessary minimum. As a result, more natural and nature-identical feed additives are used for preventive health maintenance.

EW Nutrition explained how they had developed their recently launched product, Ventar D, which will be presented at IPPE. Starting from a database of more than 1000 GRAS phytogenic compounds and making several screenings for desired activities, the best formulation was yielded.

A novel delivery system was designed to ensure the stability of the active compounds during feed processing and the ability to be released through the intestine of animals consuming them.

Ventar D has anti-microbial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, giving overall gut health benefits, as it impairs the growth of harmful bacteria and spares the beneficial ones.

Results of broiler trials confirm that Ventar D delivers benefits to operations in different countries and conditions (Figure 3).

16.0% 14.0% 12.0% 10.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% USA - high

% of EPEF improvement

9,8%

13,4%

3,1% 3,2% 4,5% 4,2% 5,0% 7,0%

JP - high MEA - high UK - mid UK - mid EU - mid UK - mid USA - low

Figure 3. Improvement in EPEF of Ventar D fed broilers against a non-supplemented control group with low (<300), mid (300 – 400), and high (>400) EPEF levels. Summary of 8 trials performed in different countries. The European Poultry Efficiency Factor is an index to compare broiler performance between different operations. EPEF combines daily gain, livability and FCR. The higher the index, the better the performance.

MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH

Merck AH presents its latest innovations in Hatchery Subcutaneous and Spray Vaccination Devices at IPPE.

The development and introduction of rHVT construct vaccines against Newcastle disease, infectious bursal disease, infectious laryngotracheitis, and avian influenza is redefining poultry vaccination programs and processes.

One of Merck’s objectives is to empower the hatchery with adequate tools to ensure success and industry leadership.

Merck Animal Health has partnered with leading manufacturers to optimize the vaccination processes through accurate and efficient vaccine application.

Device for subcutaneous vaccination in the hatchery:

For a more advanced and modern method of vaccination of day-old chicks by subcutaneous injection in the hatchery, the company offers its customers the Innoject Pro™, a subcutaneous and nasal-ocular spray vaccination device.

Innoject Pro™ Vaccination of dayold chicks

The Innoject Pro™ was specially designed to provide safety for animals and users while achieving the best vaccination accuracy (up to 100%) and respecting the Animal Welfare.

It applies simultaneously and automatically a subcutaneous injection in the back portion of the neck of 2 birds per cycle.

The machine can also be equipped with an optional spray nozzle to apply the vaccine directly in the eye or the nasal cavity of each one of the birds.

Some of the innovative features included in the machine:

Network connectivity (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) for vaccination and performance monitoring

Especially designed syringes

Needles disinfection system

Vaccine bag “massager” to gently keep a uniform suspension of the cells.

Device for spray/gel vaccination in the hatchery:

Fundamentally, the sprayer used in the hatchery must be designed to avoid mechanical destruction of the vaccines with a controlled flow rate to ensure appropriate droplet sizes and complete coverage of the chick box. Merck Animal Health has brought to the market the MIDHAS™ sprayer, the Gold Standard for hatchery spray vaccination.

The MIDHAS™ assures the accuracy of vaccination with the complete preservation of the integrity of the vaccines. The equipment is flexible and can easily and automatically be adapted to existing conveyors in the hatchery or used as a stand-alone system.

MIDHAS™

Vaccination with gel solvent

Vaccination by spray

Main features included in MIDHAS™:

Patented Constant Pressure Technology

Automatic mixer integrated into the coccidiosis vaccine tank

Easy-to-set exchangeable spray and gel bars

Adjustable droplet size (simply change pressure set and nozzle type)

Built-in cleaning system

Operation and performance data collection

ZINPRO

Zinpro® will feature an innovative tool at IPPE to measure eggshell translucency for the poultry industry.

The Zinpro® BlueBox™ is a unique eggshell quality evaluation tool developed with a specific measuring system to assess the structure of eggs. The powerful results from it help address opportunities for improvement in production and nutrition towards stronger ROI impacting:

objectively evaluate the performance of bird groups, significantly helping decisionmaking and addressing opportunities in the fields of nutrition, sanitation, environment, management, and several variables that impact egg quality.

Through this Zinpro® tool, producers can visually and precisely identify egg translucency levels and how compromised the eggshell structure is.

Zinpro® explained to us how their minerals are essential to eggshell formation. Zinpro® Performance Minerals, including zinc, manganese, copper, selenium, and others, play a critical role in structuring the inner egg membrane.

Poorly formed membranes will lead to weak shells.

In this case, supplementation with macro minerals such as calcium and phosphorus cannot solve the problem since the deficiency happens at the time when the calcification process starts.

commercial layers,

shelf life and less commercial value.

Their research results indicate that the use of Zinpro® Performance Minerals® improves the ultra-structural organization of the shell membrane, resulting in:

less translucency shown by the Zinpro BlueBox tool higher hatchability, better progeny quality higher internal and external quality of commercial eggs.

These and many other innovations will be at IPPE 2023. We at AviNews International look forward to meeting you all at IPPE in Atlanta and enjoying this enlightening Exposition. Visit us at booth B6550

Innovations for the Poultry Industry to be presented at IPPE 2023 DOWNLOAD THE PDF

This can have a high impact on hatcheries’ performance since high levels of translucency lead to high contamination, and reduced hatchability due to embryonic mortality. For

high translucency leads to reduced

AVIAN COCCIDIOSIS: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. HÉCTOR CERVANTES

Dr. Héctor Cervantes1

Dr. Gustavo Quintana-Ospina2

1DVM | MS |DACPV | Hon. MAM| Postgraduate Adjunct Professor of Avian Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, USA.

2DVM | MS | Poultry Nutritionist, North Carolina State University, USA.

During this interview, we will focus on the plans to successfully control coccidia and current challenges in the poultry industry.

A good coccidiosis prevention plan must have a good scientific foundation and consider numerous aspects, including management, such as the type of housing, litter, ventilation, population density, the season of the year, etc.

It is a complicated life cycle involving 3 stages,

The “sporogony” stage is the only one that takes place outside the chicken, on the litter of the chicken house.

The other two life cycle stages take place inside the chicken, specifically in the intestinal tract. They are known as schizogony and gametogony.

It is important to remember that each round of parasite multiplication results in the destruction of numerous intestinal epithelial cells which serves to explain the adverse effect of coccidiosis on nutrient absorption and performance.

What are the current challenges of coccidia in poultry production?

The most recent estimate on the global cost of coccidiosis published in 2020 puts it at 11,000 million dollars.

My experience comes primarily from practicing in the U.S., so although my comments may apply to other countries, they are reflective of the U.S. situation. We currently have many challenges in the U.S. due to our unique circumstances:

There is an erroneous perception by consumers that chickens or poultry raised without antibiotics are healthier, more nutritious or safer to eat because antibiotics were not used in their production. The reality is that by preventing the use of ionophore anticoccidials that are of no medical importance in humans, cannot create cross-resistance to antibiotics of human importance or leave residues in edible tissues.

What this means is that coccidiosis can only be prevented by chemically synthetized anticoccidials, the so called “chemicals” or live coccidiosis vaccines.

With perhaps only one or two exceptions, synthetic anticoccidials are more prone to development of resistance so they must be rotated and rested in order to prevent or delay the development of resistance.

Anticoccidial vaccines are a good alternative to rest the synthetic anticoccidials and re-seed the houses with anticoccidial-sensitive parasites However, for live vaccines to induce active immunity, replication in the intestinal tract is required and this sometimes predisposes birds to necrotic enteritis.

The prevention of coccidiosis, and therefore also of necrotic enteritis, becomes much more difficult.

Unfortunately, in the U.S., ionophore anticoccidials, which have been the main means of preventing coccidiosis in poultry world-wide, cannot be used in NAE (“no antibiotics ever” and RWA production (“raised without antibiotics).

Additionally, NAE & RWA production has grown drastically, from only 3% of all chickens being raised without antibiotics in 2014 to 58% in 2019 and probably around that same level today.

During the decades when antibiotic feed additives with good anticlostridial activity were used as “growth promoters”, Necrotic Enteritis (N.E) was kept in check, and vaccinated flocks did not develop N.E.

What are the current methods to detect/ diagnose coccidiosis?

Today, there are many methods available to detect coccidiosis, for example, molecular techniques can be used to identify the Eimeria species present in a sample, however, these techniques are still not simple enough to be applied in daily practice.

Therefore, the most common method used to monitor the prevalence of coccidiosis in commercial flocks is through periodic postmortem examination of “clinically healthy” birds representative of the flock.

Since all producers use some form of

coccidiosis prevention (i.e. anticoccidial drugs or live vaccines) clinical coccidiosis is rarely seen but subclinical infections are common and the most difficult to diagnose and evaluate since the flocks appear normal.

Therefore, the need for periodic “cocci checks” to evaluate the status of coccidiosis control.

How to create a successful plan to control coccidia?

The creation of a successful plan to control coccidiosis is of the utmost importance. A good coccidiosis prevention plan must have a good scientific rational and consider numerous aspects, including managerial ones, like:

Type of housing, Litter, Ventilation, Stocking density, Season of the year, etc.

All of these factors can influence the ability of anticoccidials to prevent the disease.

prevent the development of anticoccidial resistance. For example, rotations between an ionophore program and a synthetic chemical or vaccine program.

Among the synthetic chemicals, not all modes of action have been elucidated, however, the mode of action of some has been determined and rotations should be made based on mode of action rather than active principle.

(anticoccidial sensitivity tests), these tests are designed to predict the efficacy of anticoccidial drugs by submitting litter or droppings from a number of flocks from a production complex to isolate the coccidia species present and conduct a challenge study under controlled conditions.

preferred method to prevent coccidiosis in broiler chickens, live vaccines were only used in long-lived birds like broiler breeders and layers. However, with the heavier broiler chicken weights yand the new restrictions on the use of anticoccidial drugs brought about by marketing programs, the use of vaccines has become very common in broiler chickens.

4,500 millions interview aviNews International December 2022 | Avian Coccidiosis: An interview with Dr. Héctor Cervantes

To monitor the efficacy of live anticoccidial vaccines it is highly recommended to measure oocyst production (OPGs) in chicken droppings or litter at various time periods following vaccination to ensure the Eimeria spp. present in the vaccine are cycling as expected and stimulating the development of active immunity Proper coccidia cycling is critical when live anticoccidial vaccines are used.

breeders and layers.

In addition to E. acervulina, E. maxima and E. tenella, long-lived chickens like broiler breeders and layers require protection against E. brunetti and E. necatrix so all commercial vaccines for use in broiler breeders and layers contain these 5 species.

producers to make rational anticoccidial drug rotations that will aid in preserving the efficacy of anticoccidial drugs.

What to expect in terms of local and international regulations?

Local and international regulations are subject to constant change, the changes at both, the local or international level can be due to pressure from consumer advocate groups, international organizations like the WHO or the FAO.

What should we consider to prevent coccidiosis outbreaks?

Outbreaks of clinical coccidiosis are rare because most producers are using some means of preventions, i.e. anticoccidial drugs in the feed or vaccinating flocks to prevent the disease. Outbreaks of coccidiosis have and can occur when a high level of drug resistance has developed to an anticoccidial drug, this is usually the result of staying on anticoccidial drug too long without rotating to another anticoccidial drug with a different mode of action.

Producers of poultry around the world must be attentive to trends in poultry production that develop in first-world countries because sooner or later those trends are likely to impact their own markets.

Listen to the full interview here on agriNews FM

Avian Coccidiosis: An interview with Dr. Héctor Cervantes

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

An interview

interview

interview

DR. RON MEIJERHOF INTERNATIONAL POULTRY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

By Ad Bal

“Mother nature leads the way”

Successful broiler production starts with creating optimal growth conditions from the moment of hatch. In recent years, early feeding was developed and was believed to be the “golden egg”. “By everything humans invent however, we must bear in mind that mother nature always has the final word”, says international poultry consultant Ron Meijerhof “The entire day old chick management, demands more than just early feeding.”

Ron Meijerhof

Dr. Ron Meijerhof is well known in the international poultry business. As a consultant, he is serving and advising poultry integrations across the world, with: parent stock, incubation and chick management as his specialism.

As such, early feeding of day old chicks is also much his field of interest and knowledge.

“The best practice is a good theory. In other words, developing new systems should fully be based on in depth scientific research, logical thinking and as a result on a welldocumented theory”, says Ron.

“This also holds true for early feeding”, he continues. “Early feeding is a superb condition for chicks to start their young life. Yet, we must stick to the facts. The hatch window in a commercial hatchery usually takes about 36 hours, and with processing and transport time the period between first chick hatching and finding feed and water might easily be 48 hours.

When feeding chicks already during hatching, they will on average start eating 24 hours earlier, compared to a traditional system.

In theory they should then end up by around 80 grams heavier at slaughter weight, as they grow one day longer. This is not the case however.

The entire crop ends up at the similar slaughter weight compared to if they had not had received feed and water in an early stage. If there is a difference in slaughter weight, it is relatively small”

That’s why in nature chicks stay underneath the wings of mother hen. There, they don’t have access to feed and water. But what they do have, is warmth! Mother hen is keeping them close together under her wings. That’s much more important than providing feed and water.

“But then which is the real advantage of early feeding?”, Ron continues. “Why should we make this effort and invest in quite a costly system? EU legislation defines that young animals must receive their first feed within a defined number of hours or period of time.

Although from a welfare point of view, it’s of course very attractive for young chicks to start their early life with something to eat and drink.

Compare this with youngsters who go out, have fun and take a couple of drinks together. Of course they do like that! But do they need it? Perhaps not.

This depends on the type of animal. Chicks are excluded from this legislation however, as they possess a yolk sac which provides nutrition for the early days of their life.

And where do they stay during these days in nature? Right, underneath mother hen! Chickens exist for millions of years already. There’s a reason for their natural behavior. They have behaved so over this long period of time and will keep doing so in the future.

In other words, perhaps it is not just early feeding that determines the development of newly hatched chicks. There are more factors to be considered. And we don’t know everything yet.

Early feeding requires a different kind of hatcher environment with a lower density, more ventilation etc. This might have an influence on the performance and wellbeing of the chicks as well.

The complexity of early feeding should also not be underestimated”, Ron continues. “Nice systems have been developed, for sure.

One solution is providing feed and water in the hatcher. Here, specially formulated feed is provided to chicks in precise quantities. On average they eat 1 gram in the hatcher, which is about 2.5 percent of their birthweight.

From then, chicks who have eaten, start developing warmth. As a result, temperature inside the truck that onwards takes them to the grower farm, must be lowered accordingly in order to avoid overheating.

Also it is recommended to not transport these chicks over too long distances, as a long period of fasting after starting with feed seems to work negatively.

In all these systems, the growing period will take 3 days longer compared to the traditional system of taking day-old chicks to the grower farm.

As a result:

the house will be occupied for 3 more days and this must be paid back in some way.

Also, additional expenses are made for heating.

And last but not least, the logistics of on-farm hatching should be taken into account, as the racks / trays in which the eggs were delivered, must be taken out of the house immediately after hatching.

That’s quite an effort and causes turmoil in the house. “

In case these distances are yet too long, “on-farm hatching” is certainly a good alternative. Here, incubated eggs usually at day 18, are taken into pre-heated grower houses, either in automated systems or simply on floor litter.

“ To conclude, early feeding is a very useful instrument to create ultimate growth conditions for day old broiler chicks”, Ron Meijerhof summarizes.

“Chicks seem to be more stable. However, as I mentioned earlier, not everything is known yet. Perhaps this is partly the result of a much more relaxed hatching environment.

Further research will give the answer. Based on the facts and on the laws of mother nature. And remember: “The best practice is a good theory”.

About Poultry Performance Plus

Poultry Performance Plus (PP+) is a private consultancy company in the Netherlands, founded and managed by Dr. Ron Meijerhof.

PP+ provides comprehensive advisory services for: poultry integrators, breeding companies, pharmaceutical companies, equipment producers, construction companies and feed companies

In the area of broilers and layers, active in all areas of life production but especially specialized in broiler production, reproduction and incubation.

PP+ has a track record in increasing bottom line performance for broiler integrators by focusing on broiler breeder management, incubation and broiler production, through structural training and developing and improving the management on the farms and hatcheries, and by addressing problem area’s with specific, field driven practical solutions.

Dr. Ron Meijerhof gained and BSc degree in agriculture, after which he started working in scientific research and in the meantime gained his PhD at the Wageningen University in The Netherlands. Also he was employed in private companies which are active in the international poultry business. As a scientist, Dr. Meijerhof contributed to various international scientific papers and publications.

Information: poultryperformanceplus.com

Interview Dr. Ron Meijerhof / International poultry management consultant DOWNLOAD ON PDF

interview

DUCK PRODUCTS

TO THE CORNERS OF THE WORLD

Ad Bal

Near the village of Ermelo in the central part of The Netherlands, the BR-Tomassen duck processing plant is located. Here, ducks are slaughtered, partly processed and shipped to customers across the globe.

That’s not without reason. The plant is one of the best and highly certified in the world, guaranteeing top quality duck products. It is part of a professional, fully integrated Pekin duck business.

farm report

The BR-Tomassen business and other duck operations are located nearby the former Zuiderzee shore (Southern Sea) and seaports in The Netherlands.

“These enterprises were mostly founded by fisherman in the time the new polder land was reclaimed from this sea and thus had no income anymore”, says COO and Deputy Managing Director Jeroen IJzerman of BR-Tomassen.

“As a result, these fisherman needed to start with “something new”, which turned out to be duck raising and slaughtering. Some of them also kept ducks for egg production.“

Also the Tomassen (Duck-To) duck company was founded by such an entrepreneur, named Aart Tomassen in the year 1964. In those days he started as a poultry slaughterman. Later his son Gertjan Tomassen took over the company and over the course of years Tomassen expanded his business to the fully integrated operation it is up till today. This includes: parent stock farms, a hatchery, grower farms and the processing plant.

Also Tomassen owns the “Duck-To Convenience” further processing operation in Uden, The Netherlands and a plant in Kosovo.

In the year 2007 Tomassen went into a strategic alliance with Thai based Bangkok Ranch (BR) Group, a public company, listed at the Bangkok Stock Exchange. Their combined powers opened up opportunities to further improve their mutual businesses and to act on a global scale.

BR-Tomassen nowadays works closely with all partners in the chain, allowing the company to maintain quality standards throughout the process, from production up to and including delivery of the end product. Gertjan Tomassen is a major stakeholder in the BR-Group.

OWN FARMS AND HATCHERY

BR-Tomassen imports Pekin parent stock ducklings from Cherry Valley in the UK. “We have good experiences with this breed”, says Jeroen.

“ Incidentally we test another breed as a check. But so far we are satisfied with the Cherry Valley results.

We always search for the best breed. We rear the parent stock on our own farms, after which laying starts at an age of about 26 weeks.

On average we keep by around 50,000 parent stock. The eggs are collected manually on a daily basis.

Photo 1. BR-Tomassen duck integration.

IMPORT OF PARENT STOCK DUCKLINGS COMMERCIAL AND CONTRACT FARMS SLAUGHTERHOUSE AND MEAT PROCESSING PLANT

GLOBAL COSTUMER DISTRIBUTION

PARENT STOCK FARMS

HATCHERY

For that purpose we are using traditional floor based, wooden duck laying nests. These have proven to be the best working, but we are also going to test automatic nests. The females lay about 240 eggs during their productive life.

After checking and stamping:

The eggs are taken to our own hatchery in which we are using duck hatchers from Pas Reform.

Also these have proved to work well and hatching results 83%.

Ducklings hatch at 28 days of incubation after which they are taken to the grower farms.

We have a number of our own grower farms and we hire contract growers in The Netherlands and nearby located in Germany. Altogether there are about 60 grower farms.

For taking the ducklings to these farms, we are using our own conditioned transport trucks. This is important, as a correct temperature inside the truck is essential for the wellbeing of the ducklings and as a result for a good start of the growing period.

We pay much attention to welfare conditions for the ducks and that starts with proper transport conditions. On average 6 to 7 ducks are kept on a square meter, equaling 25 kgs / m2.

A good feed conversion ratio is also of great importance for a obtaining a good quality duck. For that reason Tomassen formulates its own feed.

“We aim to be in close contact with the farmers who raise our ducks, enabling us to act as quickly as possible to maintain our high quality standards, also in terms of welfare. Taking feed to the grower farms by ourselves is a useful way of meeting with this goal.”

In terms of sustainability:

The company doesn’t have its own feed plant, but instead is contracting with nearby based feed mixers who produce according to the Tomassen feed formulation specifications.

For that reason the company also has its own trucks to take feed to the farms. “ That’s another important argument”, Jeroen adds to say.

the own Tomassen grower houses are covered with 13.000 solar panels, lowering energy consumption to a major extent.

In 2016 BR-Tomassen was the biggest solar panel on existing rooftops in the Netherlands.

SLAUGHTERING AT 43 DAYS

Once the ducks have reached slaughter weight, “the end is there” and they are taken to the slaughterhouse.

Usually this is at 43 days of age and 3.2 kgs of slaughter weight.

Some customers prefer to use heavier ducks however and for those, they are kept till 52 days of and a slaughter weight of 4.3 kgs.

The ducks are then taken to the slaughter - and processing plant, again with the company’s own trucks.

Inside the plant a PMJ processing line is running. PMJ is specialized producer of duck processing equipment.

On arrival, the ducks are stunned electrically in a water bath, after which they are killed and trimmed step by step along the processing line.

The plant meets with the highest safety and hygiene standards.

Each carcass is inspected individually and in case of a suspect discarded and taken of the line.

An officer of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is inspecting the plant daily. This authority approves that the plant operates according to the highest hygiene and quality standards and is certified according to the Global Standard for Food Safety.

The plant can operate in one shift of 8 hours and process 40,000 ducks per day, or 10 million annually.

The entire duck carcass is used, from feathers to paws. The latter are mostly shipped to customers in Asia. Even the grease from the carcasses is retrieved from the flushing water and turned into bio fuel.

farm report

Also the plant is fully energy neutral because of the vast area of solar panels which are fully covering the roof of the building.

At the end of the process, freshly frozen or fresh ducks and duck parts leave the Ermelo facilities. Convenience food products such as cooked and ready-to-eat meal components are produced in their Duck-To Convenience plant in Uden, The Netherlands and in their Kosovo plant.

Customers are primarily Food Services in the Netherlands and abroad, as well as retail services abroad. Although working globally, most of the customers of BRTomassen are based in Europe.

Duck products to the corners of the world

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

SYNOPSIS OF THE 3RD LATIN AMERICAN PSA CONFERENCE

Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón North Carolina State University

The Latin American section of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) met in Iguazu Falls, Paraná, Brazil, on October 4 to 6. This third event was held at the beautiful Bourbon Cataratas do Iguaçu Thermas Eco Resort. The Latin American Scientific Conference of the PSA has been held every two years in Brazil since 2016. But, after getting postponed twice due to the pandemic, this event was a success.

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Synopsis of the 3rd Latin American

The Program Chair was Professor Alexandre Rosa, and Vice Chair was Dr. Nei Arruda Barbosa. With their direction, the Organizing Committee did an excellent job coordinating the event and overcoming the challenges during the past three years.

These participants came from 23 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Holland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the USA.

The Organizing Committee included colleagues from universities and multinational companies related to the Poultry Industry.

More than 600 people participated in this meeting, including students, researchers, professors, and professionals related to poultry science and production.

This diversity

become a global event and is not limited to Latin America.

The PSA LATAM is an opportunity to assemble Universities and Industries producing innovations that may benefit the poultry industry in Latin America and worldwide.

Undergraduate and graduate student presentations were on competition as it is a tradition for PSA Meetings. A total of 210 short scientific reports and ten symposia with 49 talks were presented. From all papers presented, ten papers received Student Awards for their scientific quality and presentation.

of origin indicates that this meeting has

The following is a small summary of the contents of these short symposiums.

Salmonella and other pathogens with zoonotic implications always bring a lot of attention. This time Vetanco explored in a couple of talks the new technologies to control and reduce the prevalence of these pathogens Dr. Shery Layton discussed these topics.

Dr. Roberto Jardim Filho reviewed the critical control points in the whole production system. Practices to minimize pathogen contamination in the production chain from farm to processing plant

Antibiotic-free production is growing in Latin America and worldwide. Growth-promotant antibiotics impact birds’ immune systems, and the feed additives used as alternatives to antibiotics can help immunomodulate responses to gut microorganisms.

ICC Brazil organized a Symposium with talks focused on the One-Health approach, considering the possible impacts of this production system in all aspects of: live production, food safety, control of zoonoses, reducing antibiotic resistance, and public health.

The theory, scientific evidence, and Brazilian experience were debated. A perspective of Brazilian public policies was presented to illustrate the regulations to prevent and control antimicrobial resistance.

Proteinaceous feedstuffs have high costs and significant variability in composition and quality, affecting the consistency of poultry performance. Adisseo had a symposium to review the impact of protein from the feedstuffs to meat.

The use of NIRS as a methodology to accurately and timely measure composition, digestibility, and energy content was discussed by Dr. Pascal Thiery.

Dr. Mike Kidd revised the formulation of low crude protein diets, its limitations, and areas that require more research.

Strategies to improve digestibility were reviewed by Dr. Vieira, and the impacts of undigestible protein on gut health by Dr. Richard Ducatelle.

Finally, Dr. Francesca Soglia discussed the current myopathies observed in broilers worldwide and strategies to minimize their incidence and severity

Poultry intestinal health is a widespread topic in all meetings with extraordinary relevance and implications in many production areas, including:

sustainability, food safety, and health.

Several symposiums discussed this topic. Evonik included topics on quality control of raw materials and feed processing presented by Dr. Everton Krabbe and Dr. Wilmer Pachecho.

Dr. Gonzalo Mateos talked about the effects of fiber on intestinal health.

Dr. Juliano Dorigam discussed amino acid nutrition to improve gut health, welfare, and production.

Dr. Steven Ricke and Dr. Eduardo Butolo presented the use of feed additives and other strategies.

Sustainability related to environmental impact was addressed in Tectron’s Symposium. This Symposium included talks reviewing: digestibility, intestinal health, use of proteases to improve digestibility and minimize the impact of anti-nutritional factors.

The panelists included Dr. Jose Henrique Stringhini, Dr. Antonio Bertechini, Dr. Horacio Rostagno, Dr. Andréia Massuqueto, and Dr. Lúcio Araújo.

In a parallel Symposium, NOVUS presented a concept related to balance in nutrition by Dr. Hugo Romero.

Dr. Antonio Froilano debated the current challenges and options for intestinal integrity control in the broiler industry.

Dr. Luiz Caron illustrated the relation of immunology with gut health.

Dr. Edgar O Oviedo-Rondón discussed the methodologies to measure microbiota response using examples across the production cycle. Dr. Oviedo went from the breeder hen intestinal health, the impact of egg disinfection on microbiota, and the early development of hatchling microbiome, until the processing plant.

Finally, to conclude this discussion on all agents that impact optimum gut function, Dr. Anderson Cunha explored the impact of microbiota metabolites in animals.

Jefo explored intestinal health from the impact of enzymes protease and xylanase. Dr. Roselina Angel examined the opportunities that protease and xylanase bring to minimize the variation in feed ingredient quality. Dr. Elizabeth Santin reviewed the applications of enzymes to improve nutritional precision and contribute to gut health and meat quality. Finally, Dr. Krabbe discussed using enzymes to meet consumers’ demands.

Intestinal health was also the main focus of a symposium organized by Alltech Inc and MSD. This included an overview of health challenges for the Latin-American poultry industry shown by Dr. Aristóteles Malo Vergara.

Dr. Matthew Jones and Dr. Francisco Rios discussed necrotic enteritis or coccidiosis solutions in antibiotic-free production systems.

Finally, Dr. Caron talked about early nutrition and immunity in broilers.

The Symposium hosted by DSM Nutritional Products also addressed feed ingredient quality. In this meeting, the main topic was sustainability.

Dr. Carlos Saviani started presenting the environmental footprint of grain production in different regions of the world and potential differences in sustainability. Corn and soybean meals were the main focus of the discussion.

Dr. Aaron Cowieson continued this debate with a virtual talk on optimizing the nutritional value of soybean meals. Starch digestibility has tremendous interest in poultry.

Dr. Sebastian Kaczmarek presented the variation in starch digestibility between animals.

Dr. Layi Adeola talked about the dynamics of starch digestibility in four growing phases of broiler chickens.

Dr. Sergio Vieira showed the differences in nutrient content and quality of corn depending on production areas in Brazil.

talked about

Image 1. Jon Cole (PSA), Dr. Nei Arruda Barbosa, Dr. Alexandre Rosa, and Dr. Tom E. Porter (PSA Presdient)

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The end-to-end concept was a symposium hosted by BTA Aditivos. This meeting included a variety of topics in diverse production aspects, from reproduction, flock health and processing plant aspects.

Dr. Liris Kindlein talked about inspection systems in processing plants and their impacts on productivity and food safety.

Dr. Tiago Goulart Petrolli debated the reproductive issues in broiler breeders and how to improve these parameters.

Dr. Caroline Facchi discussed the diverse options of feed additives and their impact on flock health.

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Synopsis of the 3rd Latin American PSA Conference DOWNLOAD THE PDF

The fourth PSA LATAM meeting will be held again in October 2024 in Iguazu Falls, probably in the same hotel. The exact date will be announced soon.

Dr. Nei Arruda Barbosa is the Chair of the Organizing Committee.

We encourage all our readers to participate in presenting or attending this event that provides exciting and valuable information for developing our sector. Additionally, the Iguazu Falls have several touristic attractions that make the location very attractive for this professional and scientific gathering. We hope to see you in PSA LATAM 2024.

Image 2. PSA LATAM 2022 student awardees. Dr. Alexandre Rosa on the left and Dr. Tom E. Porter (PSA President) on the right.

It still takes a lot to crack a LOHMANN egg –

now more than ever!

lpncongress.com

MIAMI

THE

The Latin American Poultry and Nutrition Congress is back