Strategies for improving broiler feed conversion.

Studies carried out on broilers and finishing pigs have allowed the identification of feeding strategies that improve Feed Conversion Efficiency (FCE) in monogastrics. That was reported in a recent press release by the Catalan research institute dedicated to agri-food research & development (IRTA), headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. Efficient use of nutrients;regarding nutritional conditioning, tests in broiler chickens revealed that the use of diets that are limiting in specific nutrients during the first days of life improves the efficiency of use of such nutrients later in life. In the case of phosphorus, it has been observed that conditioning for this nutrient has a positive effect on bone mineralisation, while conditioning for methionine improves feed efficiency in subsequent stages. Preliminary tests were also out with a wide range of combinations of exogenous enzymes with the purpose of identifying those with a higher potential of improving FCE to be studied in the future. This work will further contribute to improved knowledge on how to optimise feeding strategies for pigs and broiler chickens such that feed efficiency is maximised and ecological footprint minimised. FCE is one of the key factors in cost-efficiency of production. For this reason European scientists are working on the ECO-FCE project, aimed at proposing strategies to optimise feed efficiency in monogastrics, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen and phosphorus excretion story credit; world poultry.

Link between eggshell colour and disease resistance.

Selection for a recently discovered immune characteristic is a potential strategy to improve general disease resistance in laying hens and thus to breed for a more robust chicken, conclude researchers of Wageningen University in PLOS ONE and Poultry Science. In addition, selection for this immune characteristic has minimal negative consequences on production, but surprisingly might have an effect on eggshell colour. The current housings systems in the poultry industry increase the spread of diseases by housing large flocks of chickens on sand. These circumstances require a robust laying hen. In 2012, housing of chicken in individual cages was banned in the EU, because of welfare issues. Nowadays, chickens are group housed on sand with space to move around freely. New challenges to keeping poultry;However, this new system also brings new challenges to keeping poultry: in this new system chickens get more easily infected through sick flock mates, or through the dirtier environment. Preventing or treating these infections is becoming more difficult, due to stringent legislations and limitations set on the use of antibiotics.There is an increased need for a robust laying hen: a chicken that maintains egg production and health, under varying and challenging environments. Breeding for improved general disease resistance could be that strategy to get this robust chicken. Breeding for disease resistance;To investigate the potential of selection for increased general disease resistance, the researchers measured NAb levels of almost 3,700 purebred ISA laying chickens. They measured total NAb levels, and NAb levels for different forms of antibodies. Heritabilities were estimated to be 0.12 for total NAb levels, and between 0.07 and 0.14 for the different NAb forms.In addition, relations between the different forms of antibodies were very high. Tom Berghof, involved in the studies, explains: "This show that there is genetic potential for selection on NAb levels. Also, it is possible to select for different forms of NAb simultaneously, because they seem to be mainly regulated by the same genes." Effect on production;Relations between immune characteristics and production characteristics have been described before in several species, and are often negative. This is in line with the resource allocation theory, which states that energy spend on immunity cannot be spend on, for example, growth. Relations between NAb and production characteristics of almost 2,400 hens were studied.Most production characteristics were found not to be regulated by the same genes as NAb. However, a small negative relation was found between egg production efficiency and one NAb form. Berghof and colleagues conclude that selection for NAb might have some negative effects on production, but these negative effects seem to be small. Eggshell colour;Remarkably, one form of NAb was found to be associated to the mother's eggshell colour and egg breaking strength. Additional analyses were done in order to get more insight in the origin of these maternal effects. Berghof states: "If eggs had a whiter eggshell, than NAb levels in the offspring were higher. If eggs had a stronger eggshell, than NAb levels in the offspring were lower. So it seems that there is some kind of relation between the eggshell and the immune system, especially for the eggshell colour." At this moment the researchers are investigating this relation, since this was never described in chickens before. Read more ; World poultry. http://www.worldpoultry.net/Broilers/Health/2015/12/Link-between-eggshell-colour-and-disease-resistance-2727330W/

Melon based antioxidant for poultry drinking water.

Antioxidant supplementation is highly recommended during growth and key stages of production involving increased stress (weaning, vaccination, transport, heat stress and reproduction among others). Lallemand Animal Nutrition has developed a product based on melon extract and It is now also available for drinking water. We already know Mother Nature knows best and the best solutions often come from nature. Think of the powerful plant extracts and essential oils that are often used as feed additives. But also the juice extract from some specific kinds of melons (with an extremely long shelf-life) posses great characteristics and thus potential for animal diets. It was found that some types of melons have extremely high level of antioxidant enzymes, known as superoxyde dismutase (SOD). This acts as an antioxidant; an ingredient that has great demand in modern livestock breeding conditions. Improved zootechnical performance;Lallemand Animal Nutrition has used this knowledge to develop a novel feed additive Melofeed and together with Bionov released it to the animal feed market. Trials (at INRA among others) have showed great results in different animal species. For example, it can reduce the level of somatic cells count in the milk of dairy cows. In combination with organic selenium and Vitamin E, the melon additive decreased the number of downgraded eggs at farm level, improving the number of hatching eggs and raising the number of pullet sold, as shown in a hatchery trial in France. Also in combination with organic selenium the melon additive reduced piglet mortality. Drinking water;Initially only available as solid feed additive, Lallemand Animal Nutrition has now added a water-dispersible form of the antioxidant solution for use in the drinking water of all animal species (Melofeed Drink). According to Lallemand, this product is tested in farm trials with poultry, piglets and rabbits. Because this liquid version is stable in water for 24 hours, it ensures homogenous concentration of SOD. "This new solution facilitates a flexible application of the antioxidant source, allowing rapid intervention at times of high oxidative challenges such as heat stress, vaccination, pathogen challenges and more", explains Lallemand. Story credit;World poultry.

Improving genetic resources through gene bank management.

The European Commission has selected the IMAGE project (Innovative Management of Animal Genetic Resources) for grant preparation and funding by the Horizon-2020 programme. The aim of IMAGE is to upgrade animal gene bank management and to enhance the use of genetic collections. IMAGE will enhance the accessibility of collection information and will improve the quality of gene bank collections. Genetic diversity in gene bank collections and live populations will be analysed using dense SNP marker and sequence information. Cryoconservation and reproduction technologies; Methods and software for better conservation and use of genetic diversity will be further improved making use of dense marker information. Besides genetic aspects, IMAGE will also further improve cryoconservation and reproduction technologies for different farm animal species. Strengthening of gene bank infrastructure; A variety of stakeholders (gene banks, breeding organisations, science, NGOs) participate in IMAGE. The IMAGE project is very important for strengthening of the gene bank infrastructure in Europe and for the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources at European level. The importance of gene banks and gene pools cannot be overemphasized; it plays a key role in food security as very proven strains and traits are passed down to subsequent generations.Genetic engineering, gene typing, artificial insemination and synchronization of estrus all are vital to the food security drive. Read more here;http://www.pigprogress.net/Breeding/Genetics-Al/2015/12/Improving-genetic-resources-through-gene-bank-management-2732874W/

CALF BORN WITH HEART IN THE NECK!!!.

The year has been filled with spectacular breakthroughs in science especially in animal health and production,also strange discoveries were uncovered.One of the strange occurrence is the calf born with heart in the neck. This rare case was reported by the Observer-reporter Washington Co.;Tom Leech had never seen anything like it in his 15 years living at Longview Farms in Amwell Township. There was something unusual about the newborn Shorthorn bull he brought in from the frigid air one Saturday in March.He warmed up the calf with a blow dryer and electric blanket, which warded off hypothermia. But when he touched his neck, he felt a pulsation. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.It was his heart.!!!.“No one has ever seen it, never heard of it,” said Leech, who owns the family farm with his wife, Debbie. The calf’s mother, G.I. Jane, has birthed healthy calves in the past, and so has the father. None of the calves born at Longview, a cattle-breeding farm, has had any genetic disorders or abnormalities.But the 6-week-old youngster, dubbed Cardio Brisket, is a “unique calf,” Debbie said. Dr. Todd Moores of Wheeling Veterinary Associates has seen two-headed calves before, but never one with a heart in its neck.“I could tell by looking at it. You can see the heart beating right there,” Moores said. “It even makes a noise because there’s fluid around it, so it makes a sloshing noise.”He said Brisket appears to have a defect in his thoracic inlet, and he suspects that his sternum never developed properly. Several ribs may be missing, as well. The opening allowed the heart to prolapse into the neck region, and while it can be pushed down, it just “flops out” again, Tom said. Researchers at the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine offered to take Brisket for testing, but they couldn’t guarantee his survival, so the Leeches declined. Besides, they were starting to consider Brisket a valuable member of their farm family. Brisket stays in the barn, apart from the other 20-some cattle. He is taken out separately during the day to get exercise.“They’re like kids,” Tom said. “They start playing, they start butting, and I’m afraid they’ll butt his chest and could possibly injure his heart.”Moores said it’s hard to tell how long Brisket could live. He has a heart murmur, which could lead to complications when he grows bigger. The Leeches said they will keep him as long as they can, though. They don’t want to take him to the fair and display him like a “circus attraction,” Debbie said, but they wanted to document the case for future reference. Despite the complications, Brisket appears to be getting by. He just started eating grain and has no problem swallowing the food.“He’s healthy, but all the people I’ve talked to said, ‘You’ve got to put him down,’” Tom said. “If he was suffering, we would probably do something with him, but he’s not.” There has been 2 other documented cases of such abnormality ;one in Kentucky in 1903, and another in Turkey, but the date was unknown.

Preventing infection, dehydration helps ensure good chick quality.

It’s well established that good chick quality is a prerequisite for broilers to perform well throughout grow-out. Too often, however, poor chick quality goes unnoticed until excessive first-week mortality is reported. Fortunately, this is a scenario that can be avoided with careful attention to key factors that can impair chick health. We all know that healthy breeder flocks are more likely to produce healthy chicks. So, if the breeder flock is healthy but chick quality is poor or chick mortality is elevated, what’s the reason? In my experience, one common but often-overlooked cause is the way eggs are handled at the hen farm and hatchery. A bacterial infection is usually at the root of poor chick quality and elevated chick mortality, but chicks rarely get infected at the farm — at least during the first week. The infection almost always starts at the hatchery. As long as eggs are not delivered by Cesarean section, they will harbor bacteria, at least on the shell surface. Eggs that are allowed to sweat before hatch, that have a lot of feathers or are left in litter too long or on dirty floor mats can become contaminated with bacteria. Problems at transfer Another source of bacterial contamination — and a common one — occurs during transfer. This is usually due to improper sanitation of either transfer machines or hatcher trays. Transfer from setters to hatchers is more problematic nowadays because it often involves punching a hole in the shell for in ovo vaccine injection. Transfer machines touch every egg hatched in the hatchery and have been associated with poor chick quality if improperly maintained. Antibiotics administered at transfer have been shown to improve flock livability because no hatchery-sanitation program is perfect. However, with mounting pressure to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics that are also needed in human medicine, many broiler operations have elected to discontinue using an antibiotic in the hatchery. Poor sanitation and other mis-management practices become more evident as untreated bacteria compromise egg quality and chick health. Regardless of whether an antibiotic is used, there should be procedures in place to ensure that routine maintenance and sanitation of trays are up to par. When bacterial contamination is identified, transfer-equipment suppliers should also be intimately involved in resolving the problem. Animal-health companies provide support services that include evaluation of sanitation practices and preventive parts replacement. Excessive time between transfer from setters to hatchers needs to be avoided. This delay may, in turn, delay embryonic development, leading to “green chicks” being placed before they are physically able to endure environmental stresses. Clean hatcher trays are critical to good chick quality because they are the first surface touched by newly hatched, wet chicks. Most hatcheries realize there is benefit to using a disinfectant in the hatcher during the hatching process. Airflow, humidity control and temperature can either help or hurt chicks. A lot of organic matter is released when chicks hatch. In a warm, moist environment, it becomes an ideal incubator for all types of bacteria and fungi. If the water used to increase humidity is contaminated, chicks can become infected. story credit; poultry health today.

German study links red meat to strokes.

German study links red meat to strokes