health & disease

Poor feed quality will likely play a role in industry productivity throughout the United States in the coming months. The Poultry Science Association warns nutritionists who rely on bushel weight as a prime factor for assessing quality may be missing an important part of the quality-evaluation picture.

“Adverse growing conditions and the potential for reduced bushel weight are one component of the corn quality equation. Unfortunately, determining a precise relationship between variability in bushel weight and the nutritional value of corn is problematic,” said Dr. Mike Lilburn, a poultry nutritionist in The Ohio State University’s Department of Animal Sciences.

PoultryCast 0212 Show Notes:

• Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Executive Officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association shares the facts on antibiotic resistance in this concise overview.  Great piece to refer to when the question comes up.  Dr. DeHaven's presentation slides are available here.

It’s the biggest week of the year with the International Poultry Scientific Forum and the International Poultry Expo running Monday through Friday (January 25-29) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. PoultryCast will be uploading presentations and conversations from IPE-IPSF in the days to come.

Is Pathogen-free possible? Legislators believe so with new requirements for testing in the mix. California Senator Feinstein said, "Food producers must be obligated to produce food that is free of pathogens. It is the responsibility of the food producer, not the consumer, to make sure our food safe to eat." National Chicken Council spokesman Richard Lobb covers current industry practices.

PoultryCast 0195 Show Notes:

• Legislation proposed by California Senator Diane Feinstein will require food producers to meet additional scrutiny in an effort to further insure food safety.  A conversation with National Chicken Council spokesman Richard Lobb covers current industry practices and the impact of the legislation, should it come to pass.

PoultryCast 0194 Show Notes:

• Serious Gibberella mold mold on this year's crop puts producers in a harvest-time storage quandry.  What will you do when the 'strip test' is positive?

PoultryCast 0183 Show Notes:

• Professor Philip Lowe of the University of Newcastle, England, discusses his findings in a report to U.K.

PoultryCast 0175 Show Notes:

• ARS researches in Ames, IA have uncovered the true disease potential of Bordetella Hinzii which for years has worked undercover as Bordetella Avium.  Dr. Karen Register and Robert Kunkle share their findings.

PoultryCast 0157 Show Notes:

• First it was layer cages, now California legislation to limit use of AGPs which closely follows similar legislation in Washington.  Iowa State's Scott Hurd talks about the science side of antibiotic resistance development.