How to use alum to reduce odor in poultry house.

A research team is working on how adding alum as an amendment to poultry litter. This reduces ammonia and greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions, specifically carbon dioxide, in poultry houses.
 

 The University of Delaware's Hong Li is part of a research team looking at how alum can reduce green house emissions in poultry. Acid-based chemical compounds, alum and PLT -- another amendment -- that are added to the bedding material in poultry houses prior to the birds entering have proven to be a very effective tool in controlling ammonia emissions.

 In the poultry industry, ammonia build up is a major concern and ammonia concentration is usually high during the growth period .

  Ammonia can do a lot of damage to the animal, especially the respiratory system, and can effect overall animal health and welfare.There is a need to control the ammonia, not only for the animal health but also for the public health implication.

 Adding alum to poultry litter is known to reduce ammonia concentration in poultry houses, its effects on greenhouse gas emissions had been unknown.

 MODE OF ACTION; The carbon dioxide was reduced in two ways.First, because alum is an acidic product, it reduces microbial activity in the litter and reduces the ammonia emissions.

.Ammonia comes from uric acid being broken down by bacteria and enzymes. Once the uric acid is broken down, two products are created -- one is ammonia and one is carbon dioxide..By reducing the bacterial activity, the ammonia concentration and also the carbon dioxide reduce.

 Second: by using acid-based litter amendments in poultry litter, growers can reduce the ventilation rate and reduce fuel used for heating the poultry houses, especially during the winter.

 In the broiler industry, there is a need to control ammonia to improve animal health and welfare. They have to keep the bird comfortable with optimum temperatures.

 However, if you want to have lower ammonia level you have to bring in more fresh air to remove more of the ammonia-laden air. This will result in over ventilation of the house,resulting in more cost to keep the house warm.

 The use of the acid-based litter amendments, will reduce the ventilation rate and the rate of fuel used, which reduces the carbon dioxide emission from the house through the heating process.

 Thus if the microbial activity is reduced and also reduce the heating, there will be lower carbon dioxide emissions.
 Story source; papers from university of Delaware.

Lassa fever .

Rats are carriers of both the spirochete bacteria responsible for Leptospirosis in man and animals and also the Lassa fever virus which affects man. The rat spread both infection by contamination with urine, when rats urine contaminate food and water, they spread these diseases. The consumption of rats have also been fingered in the spread of Lassa fever. The signs of Lassa infection occurs 1-3 weeks after exposure to the virus. The signs could be mild or severe and these are 1) slight fever 2) general malaise 3) weakness 4) headache. The severe signs include 1) bleeding/hemorrhaging in gums, eyes and nose. 2) respiratory distress 3)repeated vomiting 4) facial swelling 5) pain in chest ,back, abdomen and neck. Lassa fever infection also show neurological signs such as tremors, encephalitis and deafness. The treatment is supportive therapy of fluids and vitamins and Ribavirin, an antiviral drug. The prognosis is hinged on early treatment. Death usually occurs within 2 weeks after onset of symptoms. The major form of prevention is pest control; ensure your house, farms and factories are rodent proof. The proper disposal of waste is advised, remove all unfinished food and store food material on rodent-proof containers. Regular de-ratization in premises is advised. Do not eat rats. Stay safe # kill rats don’t eat them

RATS AND LEPTOSPIROSIS.

Leptospirosis a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be similar to other diseases and some infected persons, however, may have mild to severe symptoms. Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis,liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death. The risk of infection with Leptospirosis is high with people close to animals such as dogs, cattle, horses, and pigs. These animals get infected when they are exposed to urine of infected rats, or have contact with contaminated drinking water or swimming/paddling through water inhabited by rats or contaminated by rat’s urine. When these animals are infected, they may show no signs of the disease. Infected animals may continue to excrete the bacteria into the environment continuously or every once in a while for a few months up to several years. Humans can become infected through; 1) Contact with urine (or other body fluids, except saliva) from infected animals. 2) Contact with water, soil, or food contaminated with the urine of infected animals. 3) The bacteria can enter the body through skin or mucous membranes of eyes, nose and mouth, especially if the skin is broken from a cut or scratch. 4) Drinking contaminated water can also cause infection. Outbreaks of Leptospirosis are caused by exposure to contaminated water, such as floodwaters and person to person transmission is rare. Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but is most common in temperate or tropical climates. It is an occupational hazard for many people who work outdoors or with animals, such as: Farmers, Mine workers, Sewer workers, Slaughterhouse workers,(abattoir),Veterinarians and animal handlers, Fish farmers, and Dairy farmers. The time between a person's exposure to a contaminated source and becoming sick is 2 days to 4 weeks. Illness usually begins abruptly with fever and other symptoms. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS; In humans, Leptospirosis can cause mild or severe signs this include; 1) High fever 2) Headache 3) Chills 4) Muscle aches. The Severe signs include; 1) Vomiting 2) Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes) 3) Red eyes 4) Abdominal pain 5) Diarrhea and 6)Rash.

RATS AND LASSA FEVER!!!!

The role of pests in transmission of diseases cannot be overemphasized and thus steps must be taken to prevent entry of such pests in the food industry.The major pest to contend with in the food industry is rat.Rats cause severe economic losses along side transmission of diseases.Rats in the food industry can be excluded by blocking any cracks/openings in the building.Food can be stored in crates in stores away from rats. Rat baits can be used outside the food holding area while traps can be used in the food processing/packaging area. Hazard of rats in the food industry; 1) fecal contamination of food. 2) urine contamination of food products. 3) food waste due to consumption by rats. Rat urine has been linked to Lassa fever,thus contamination of food with urine is a risk to man.The infection in man manifests with fever,muscular pain,generalized weakness.Vomiting and diarrhea are also observed in affected patients.

HOW CHICKEN MOVEMENT IS USED TO DETECT CAMPYLOBACTER-INFECTED FLOCK.

An Oxford team tested the hypothesis that flocks colonized with Campylobacter might be distinguishable by their behavior.This is based on suggestions that infection could have an impact on chickens' welfare. Professor Marian Dawkins, of Animal Behaviour at Oxford and corresponding author on the paper, said: "We used a novel and non-invasive way of monitoring the behavior of chickens throughout their lives that involved analyzing the optical flow patterns from cameras inside broiler houses. What is optical flow and how is it measured? Optical flow works by detecting the patterns formed by changes in brightness in moving images, both temporally and spatially.It is computationally simple and does not require tagging or marking individual animals, making it ideal for long-term continuous monitoring of large groups of similar animals such as egg-laying hens and broiler chickens, where optical flow is predictive of key welfare measures such as mortality rate. To test the hypothesis that optical flow analysis might also be able to detect when flocks become infected with Campylobacter, the researchers collected data for 31 commercial broiler flocks.They also collected faecal samples from those same flocks and tested them for the presence of Campylobacter at different ages (21 days, 28 days and 35 days) using standard laboratory methods. This gave a direct comparison between optical flow and testing from fecal samples. Campylobacter-positive flocks showed lower mean optical flow (less average movement) and higher kurtosis (less uniform movement) than flocks without the bacteria - as early as the first 10 days of life. Additionally, this link was independent of external temperature. Professor Dawkins said: "Our results provide statistical evidence of a link between broiler chicken flock behavior and Campylobacter status. excerpts from journal proceedings from Royal society B

Chicken Movements Help Combat Campylobacter.

A new technique that monitors the movement of chickens can be used to predict which flocks are at risk of becoming infected with Campylobacter - the most common bacterial source of food poisoning in humans in the UK. Research by scientists at Oxford University has found that by using a camera system to analyse the 'optical flow' of chickens, at-risk flocks can be detected when the birds are only seven to 10 days old - much earlier than is usually possible with conventional on-farm sampling methods.Despite efforts to improve bio security, Campylobacter - which can reach humans through raw or undercooked chicken - has so far been persistently difficult to eliminate from the food chain. This new early warning system has the potential to transform the way Campylobacter is controlled, benefiting producers, consumers and the birds themselves. Source ;Royal society B/ POULTRY SITE.

Avian Flu Found in Hong Kong Wild Bird.

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been discovered in Hong Kong's Diamond Hill area.The virus was found in a dead Great Egret, as part of an intensive surveillance effort. Laboratory tests confirmed the bird was infected with the H5N6 strain of the virus.The dead bird was found and collected from a non-public area near Spring Hill in the Nan Lian Garden, Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin, last Thursday (December 31). The great egret is a common resident of Hong Kong and some are winter visitors. The spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said cleaning and disinfection have been stepped up at the venue, adding that there are no poultry farms within 3 kilometres of where the dead bird was found. In view of the case, the AFCD has phoned poultry farmers to remind them to strengthen precautionary and biosecurity measures against avian influenza. Letters have been issued to farmers, pet bird shop owners and licence holders of pet poultry and racing pigeons reminding them that proper precautions must be taken. The spokesman said the department would conduct frequent inspections of poultry farms and the wholesale market to ensure that proper precautions against avian influenza have been implemented. The department will continue its wild bird monitoring and surveillance."People should avoid contact with wild birds and live poultry and their droppings. They should clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them. story source; poultry site.