Having a robust turnaround schedule in place that uses the correct product, applied in the correct way, is the foundation to good performance. The opportunity to clean the house effectively at turnaround should not be missed and should be properly controlled. It should also be assessed with audits and TVC swabs. If a challenging microbial […]
Biostarter The scenario A rearing site looking for alternative chick starter supplementation due to the mortality rate and poor-quality chicks. The client’s preference was to avoid the use of antibiotics and therefore Biostarter was selected, as the alternative. What is Biostarter? Biostarter is a mixture of essential oils, acids, electrolytes, and sugars designed to promote […]
The egg shell is an impressive structure, designed to provide protection to the growing chick: strong enough to be sat on by mother hen, yet pliable enough to provide calcium for bones, exchange gases and break through to hatch. Shell ‘defects’ are mostly thought of as a financial loss, with consumers wanting a uniform, aesthetically […]
A typical chicken drinks over 4 litres of water in its life. This makes water the biggest input into a bird. The warm temperatures in a chicken shed means that bacteria can quickly build up in a drinker line, if a bird’s gut is bombarded with harmful bacteria from the drinking water, then this can […]
Heat stress in poultry can have huge impacts on bird health, welfare, and performance. All birds will have a given target environmental temperature depending on their age, breed and the relative humidity. Whilst birds are in their thermoneutral temperature range (i.e., their internal body temperature is maintained at a constant level and their body is […]
Most clinicians, game rearers, farmers and keepers would agree, that this is one of the questions we wrestle with when birds become sick. The intention is to have birds recover quickly and become more resilient. However, a significant challenge is how to deal with birds that do not fully recover, that results in protracted treatment […]
Within the current global economic and environmental situation and the challenges they present, the development of ‘longer life’ laying hens becomes much more of a priority. A decline in egg numbers combined with a deterioration in shell quality (Read our Understanding the Shell article) are the main reasons for currently replacing flocks at or around […]
We have always been passionate about bird health, however, with the ongoing work to reduce antibiotic use and the increasing efficiency of our broiler chickens, we are increasingly looking at ‘farm health and microbiome management’. Turnaround, disinfection and water quality are all essential areas of microbiome management. We focus here on how we can manage […]
Dermanyssus gallinae, commonly known as red mite, are recognised as the most damaging parasite of laying hens worldwide. The UK, where the majority of flocks have a red mite infestation, is no exception. An infestation will have a cascade of negative effects on bird health and welfare, as well as the economic performance of the […]
