Raising hens with intact beaks to produce cage-free eggs.

Egg producers serving the German market have kept the beaks of their hens intact to meet the beak trimming ban that went into effect for pullets placed after January 1, 2017.A Dutch egg producer with 25 years of cage-free experience has successfully transitioned to cage-free egg production from hens with intact beaks. The practice of trimming the beaks of laying hens, broiler and turkey breeders, and turkey meat birds goes back decades. Beak trimming was instituted as a management tool to prevent injury resulting from aggressive pecking and feather pecking. In spite of advancements such as infrared beak treatment, animal welfare activists have continued to push for an end to beak trimming. The German ban on placing beak-trimmed pullets went into effect January 1, 2017. Johan Bouwhuis’ farm, Bouwhuis Agro, houses 73,000 laying hens, all of which are cage free with beaks intact. This is how they operate; when a flock is first introduced from the pullet farm to the layer house, they use a product called PICKStein (peck stone) which is a mineral block containing calcium, magnesium, sodium and trace minerals at which the hens can peck. As the mineral block wears down, so does the sharp point of the hens’ beaks. Once the mineral blocks are worn down, they place some concrete blocks in the scratch areas of the houses for the hens to peck. By the end of the lay cycle, the concrete blocks have been pulverized by the hens. Alfalfa bales are also placed in a holder that rotates as the birds peck at and eat the alfalfa. The idea is to keep the hens occupied exploring and pecking something other than their flock mates. The trick is to keep them active and occupied while ensuring health protocols and management.

Hungary hit hard as avian flu continues to spread.

Hungary hit hard as avian flu continues to spread.Hungary has so far reported the largest number of outbreaks of HPAI caused by the H5N8 variant of the HPAI virus in poultry. In the last week alone, the ministry of agriculture has informed the OIE of 84 new outbreaks, all in domestic poultry. Over the last week, countries whose veterinary authorities have reported new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) include Hungary, France, Germany and Russia. There has also been one new outbreak in the Netherlands, and HPAI viruses have been detected in chickens at a slaughterhouse in Taiwan. Focus for the latest cases are the counties of Bacs-Kiskun, Csongrad, Bekes and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, which are in the central-southern and south-eastern regions of the country. In the latter county, the three outbreaks have been in mixed backyard flocks, but in the other areas, commercial ducks and/or geese are the species most affected. Hungary has also recorded its first HPAI outbreak in a commercial broiler flock. Intensive surveillance of poultry flocks near those known to be affected has revealed other virus-positive birds. Over the last week, the number of infected birds is almost 763,000, all of which are destined for slaughter. This brings the total losses of poultry as the result of HPAI in the country to more than 952,000 through death or destruction. With a further five new outbreaks of HPAI viruses more than belonging to the H5N81 group affecting more than 51,000 poultry over the last week, France has now reported cases at 13 locations since last month to the OIE. The agriculture ministry has confirmed a total of 19 outbreaks. The latest outbreaks are in flocks of chickens and/or ducks in the south-west of the country in the departments of Tarn and Gers. According to the OIE report, the Russian veterinary authority has confirmed that a HPAI virus of the H5 group was the cause of mortality in a flock of more than 54,000 laying hens in Astrakhan oblast. There are a total of more than 667,000 poultry at the affected farm. This new outbreak is in a region that borders the Caspian Sea as well as Kalmykia oblast, where there were two outbreaks of HPAI in backyard flocks last month. In the Netherlands, the ministry of economic affairs has confirmed a fourth outbreak of HPAI in continue

Farming in the desert: Quinoa could transform agriculture in the Gulf

Farming in the desert: Quinoa could transform agriculture in the Gulf: Experts have urged Gulf states to look to an Andean super-food beloved of hipsters as a staple crop at a time when groundwater supplies are shrinking and becoming more saline.

UNICEF goes local with RUTF products in war against malnutrition

UNICEF goes local with RUTF products in war against malnutrition: Gone are the days when the supply of humanitarian nutrition products relied on just a handful of western companies.

 UNICEF is pushing its supply of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) into a more competitive future driven by local suppliers ready to help their own region. 

 The issue of malnutrition should be tackled fast and using products that are readily available,easy to transport and extremely easy to prepare.

Eggs fit this nutrition status completely and been described as a complete food.Eggs might be cumbersome to transport to areas where in dire need but not EGG POWDER.This is how to incorporate it into the programme Egg powder,the malnutrition solution in a sachet.

Nut consumption linked to lower pancreatic cancer risk in women

Nut consumption linked to lower pancreatic cancer risk in women: Frequent consumption of nuts may be associated with a lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer in women, according to new findings.

A handful of nuts a day reduces major disease risk: Review

A handful of nuts a day reduces major disease risk: Review: Eating at least 20 grams of nuts a day could cut the chances of dying from respiratory disease by about a half and diabetes by nearly 40%, researchers say.

Can magnesium protect against heart disease and diabetes?

Can magnesium protect against heart disease and diabetes?: A magnesium-rich diet could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), heart disease and stroke, according to results from a meta-analysis.