USPoultry Seminar Focused on Health & Performance
US - "LT (infectious laryngotracheitis) is a respiratory virus of chickens and pheasants that does not affect humans or other animals. LT reveals weak areas in biosecurity practice as the virus is easily transported on people and things. It is a community disease and must be approached with a community mind-set," said Dr Phil Stayer, Corporate Veterinarian for Sanderson Farms.
7 October 2011
3 minute read
Dr Stayer was speaking to live production managers and service techs from throughout the poultry industry who had gathered at the 2011 Poultry Production and Health seminar in Charlotte, North Carolina. The annual conference is sponsored by US Poultry & Egg Association's Poultry && Egg Institute.
Dr Stayer provided "one person's perspective" on attempts to control the LT outbreak in Mississippi in the first half of this year. He mentioned that initial efforts to control the outbreak were through extensive biosecurity measures. When these efforts failed, the poultry producers began using recombinant LT vaccines to protect the flocks, and these vaccines appeared to alleviate some of the effects of LT but did not fulfill the goal of eradicating LT.
The poultry producers then went to CEO vaccines, which appeared to decrease unplanned LT challenges with the last known case of LT processed in mid-June.
Dr Stayer said: "We will know if Mississippi was successful in eradicating LT in 2011 by the spring of 2012. Hot weather may have been the barrier to the spread of LT more so than the disjointed LT vaccination effort."
Dr Karen Christensen, Director of Technical Services for OK Farms, gave a presentation on Animal Welfare Audits: Lighting Programs and Gait Scoring. She described auditing as a snapshot matching observations to the audit check list and remarked that "auditing prevents bad from becoming normal." Dr Christensen's presentation provided a good framework for the basics of auditing, lighting programmes and gait scoring in relation to broiler welfare audits.
Other sessions included Disease Updates on Campylobacter and SE in Broilers and Gangrenous Dermatitis, The Economics of Windrowing, Pest Control, Environmental Concerns for Live Production, How Virus Variation in Arkansas IBV Vaccines Affects Reactions and Immunity, Brooding for Optimum Seven-Day Weights, A Case Study on Lighting Technology for Broiler Performance, and Energy Smart Improvements in Housing.
Further Reading
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