New federal regulations require most egg producers to take steps to prevent the spread of Salmonella enteritidis, reports the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The FDA rules affect the purchase of chicks and young hens, sanitation in production facilities, testing for the bacteria, and storage of eggs at farms with at least 3,000 laying hens. An FDA announcement states the rules are expected to reduce the number of S enteritidis infections by 60%, preventing about 79,000 cases of foodborne illness and 30 deaths annually.
US: new rules to reduce Salmonella from eggs
Altering poultry sex ratios
Chickens, like most animals, typically produce equal numbers of males and females. But this natural sex ratio doesn’t always work in the poultry industry’s economic favor. A University of Georgia researcher is working on ways to skew the chicken’s sex ratio to help the industry streamline production and make more money.
Chickens are big business in Georgia, worth $4.9 bln in 2008, or 41% of the state’s total agricultural value. For the broiler sector of the poultry industry, the females are less profitable. On average, male broilers weigh half a pound more than females at market age, and they eat 5% less feed. However, in the egg-laying sector, the females are prized over males, obviously, because males can’t grow up to produce eggs.
Kristen Navara, a poultry scientist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is trying to determine how to control avian sex ratios.
“In nature, it is a necessary strategy to adjust offspring sex in relation to the environment,” she said. “Humans, rodents, birds all skew sex ratios. It is clear females need the ability to adjust offspring for the environment where they will be born or hatched into.”
Navara has recently studied skewed sex ratios in hamsters and humans in relation to day length. She is now looking for the mechanism that can control the ratios in poultry and finches. She’s using hormones, particularly corticosterone, to find that mechanism.
Injecting female birds with a burst of corticosterone just before ovulation produced a sex ratio skewed toward males, or 81%. She believes she can flip the ratio to favour males or females using hormones or aggravates, which stop the secretion of corticosterone.
Sara Beth Pinson, a graduate student in Navara’s lab, is coordinating studies to determine the optimal dose of corticosterone to produce the desired result. They are also testing different durations of the hormone treatment to determine how long-term treatments affect offspring sex. Research results could be available in 6 months.
This research “is something the industry has been looking for for years,” said Mike Lacy, head of the CAES poultry science department. “The US poultry and egg industry funded Dr. Navara to do this research because it is something the industry is very interested in.”
It is important to note that no chickens used for food are given hormones. Navara’s research is only using hormones to discover the mechanism. “Broilers are not treated with hormones. “So far, the hormone injections seem to work, but what we want to do is find the mechanism the hormone is working through and then produce a non-hormonal treatment for the birds. That is the optimal way to go,” she said.
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/11/2009
SOURCE: WorldPoutry.net
Lowongan Penelitian
Tersedia materi penelitian ayam petelur. Bisa digunakan untuk penelitian skripsi bagi 2 orang mahasiswa.
Bagi yang berminat segera menghubungi Prof. Ir. Wihandoyo, MS., Ph.D. atau kepala Laboratorium Ilmu Ternak Unggas Fapet UGM.
Segera.
Brooding and rearing baby chicks
Baby chicks are really quite easy to raise. With a few pieces of equipment and a small place to put them, success in brooding and rearing is virtually assured. During this period of the bird’s life, the most important needs are for warmth, protection, feed, and water. When growing chicks of any species-chickens, turkeys, pheasants, or almost any other production bird-each of these aspects must be considered.
Natural vs. artificial brooding
In nature, chicks hatch after 2 to 4 weeks of incubation by the parents, most often the hen. The hatched chicks provide the stimulus to the hen to change her work from incubating eggs to brooding young. This form of brooding chicks is the easiest if only a few chicks are raised because the mother hen does all the work.
Hens that are “good mothers” include Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock, Cochins, and Silkies. Under natural brooding, chicks can easily be fostered under a broody hen at night, and she will raise them as her own even if they are pheasants, turkeys, quail, or waterfowl.
When broody hens are not available, or large numbers of chicks are to be raised, artificial brooding is necessary. Chicks will perform equally well under artificial or natural brooding, providing they are precocial; that is, able to walk and feed themselves within hours of hatching, as baby chickens are.
Novice growers are not advised to try artificial brooding for altricial chicks; that is, chicks such as pigeons, doves, finches, and parrots that remain in the nest to be cared for and fed by the parents. Many of these chicks are naked, blind, and unable to walk for several weeks after hatching and require around-the-clock care and feeding.
Study: Behavioural impact of cages on hens
A Clemson University animal behaviourist is researching the impact cages and other confinement has on the development and well-being of hens.
“Cages were designed to keep hens clean, safe from predators, protected from adverse weather conditions and easily medicated to prevent disease,” said Peter Skewes, the department of animal and veterinary sciences researcher leading the 3-year project. “Initially, little thought was given to how cages affected behavioural or emotional needs.”
Chicken Embryo Malpositions and Deformities
Detailed information describing the categorization and incidence of embryo malpositions and deformities in commercial poultry is not readily available. Additionally, there is often little consistency in these data among hatcheries. Any decrease in the number of usable chicks may result in substantial economic loss to poultry integrations. In a typical hatch, it is common to lose about 1-2% of the chicks due to deformities and malpositions. Deformities manifest during the process of embryo development, while malpositions occur in the last week of incubation before hatch. At a commercial hatchery over a 5 year period, more than one-half million eggs had been broken out for quality control purposes and many thousands of unhatched embryos had been examined to determine the frequency of the various deformities and malpositions. The objective of this study was to determine the relative incidences of malpositions and deformities, and their economic impacts. Major factors affecting their occurrence will be explained. Obviously, in any population it is anticipated to encounter malpositions and deformities during embryonic development. However, the incidence must be within accepted limits and changes must be made when excessive losses occur.
New Methods for Ensuring Food Safety
Researchers at ARS’s Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, have filed a patent on technology that can further protect pasteurized liquid eggs from food safety threats. These threats include both naturally occurring spoilage bacteria and pathogens such as Salmonella enteritidis, the primary cause of egg-related foodborne illness in the United States. The technology has also been successfully applied to milk.
But don’t go running for that dough just yet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still cautions against consuming any raw, unpasteurized eggs or products that contain them.
Hatching Egg Breakout: Is it Fertile?
The following can be used as a guide in determining whether eggs are fertile, infertile, or if early embryonic death has occurred. In using this guide remember that the descriptions and diagrams are of ‘typical” infertile germinal discs, and fertile and early dead embryos. However, their appearance may vary from egg to egg, and may not look exactly as shown and described. It will take some practice and experience to become comfortable with distinguishing between infertile and fertile eggs. The following information is simply a guide.
The germinal disc is the area of the egg where sperm enter into the egg (Figure 1). This is the area of the egg which will form the embryo. The disc is 2-3 mm in diameter.
Figure 1. Structure of the egg.
Avian Gout: Causes Treatment And Prevention
Today’s bird is genetically engineered for higher productivity. Selection of birds is based on production parameters. In the process, the health of the vital organs is ignored. This has resulted in increased incidence of metabolic disorders. The kidney is a vital organ of the bird with diverse metabolic and excretory function viz. maintaining the chemical composition of body fluids, removal of metabolic waste and toxic products, regulation of blood pressure and blood volume and conservation of fluids and electrolytes.
Excretion of metabolic waste products is important in poultry and this function is performed by the kidneys. The function of kidneys is affected by a number of specific diseases and disorders. One of the important disorders associated with kidney damage is GOUT. In birds uric acid is the end product of nitrogen metabolism. Uric acid is a nitrogenous waste from protein breakdown. In mammals, it is converted to less harmful substance with the help of the enzyme uricase. But in birds this enzyme is absent. Hence, uric acid is the final excretory product. Uric acid is produced mainly in the liver and is excreted by the kidneys. High blood levels of uric acid favour its precipitation in tissues. Uric acid is not toxic but precipitated crystals can cause mechanical damage to tissues like kidneys, heart, lungs, intestines and also in the joints. These crystals severely damage body tissues. So Gout is a condition in which kidney function decreases to a point where uric acid accumulates in the blood and body fluids. Avian gout is a metabolic condition where abnormal accumulation of white chalky uric acid or urates occurs in soft tissues of various organs of body. Gout is commonly observed in chicken as they are uricotelic and lack the enzyme uricase. In gout, blood levels of uric acid can be as high as 44mg/100ml as compared to 5-7mg/100ml in a normal bird.
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Detection of Campylobacter in Air Samples May Offer New Monitoring System for Broiler Flocks
New research from Denmark suggests a promising method using air samples to continuously monitor broiler flocks for the presence of the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter. The findings are reported in the April 2009 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Campylobacter is one of the most common cause of diarrheal illnesses in humans worldwide. Research estimates that about half of the cases of human Campylobacteriosis originate from livestock, with poultry considered to be the most important source of infection. The slow and complicated process of detecting Campylobacter through culture-based identification has emphasized the need for more efficient detection devices and methodologies.
In the study researchers used the PCR method to detect Campylobacter in feces, dust, and air samples during the lifetime of broiler flocks in two poultry houses. Results showed that the sensitivity of detection of Campylobacter in air samples was comparable to detection in the other sample materials. Further monitoring of airborne particles in six poultry houses suggested that aerodynamic conditions depended on the age of the chickens, but were very comparable among different poultry houses. Lastly, researchers found that Campylobacter could be detected by PCR method in air samples collected only during the hanging stage of the slaughter process.
“The exploitation of airborne dust in poultry houses as a sample material for the detection of Campylobacter and other pathogens provides an intriguing possibility, in conjunction with new detection technologies, for allowing continuous or semicontinuous monitoring of colonization status,” say the researchers.
Journal reference:
K.N. Olsen, M. Lund, J. Skov, L.S. Christensen, J. Hoorfar. 2009. Detection of Campylobacter bacteria in air samples for continuous real-time monitoring of Campylobacter colonization in broiler flocks. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75. 7: 2074-2078.
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/13/2009
SOURCE: American Society for Microbiology via EurekAlert!
Pemilihan Pengawet Produk Olahan Daging
Oleh Edi Suryanto
Untuk menghindari kerusakan, maka daging perlu diawetkan. Pengawetan daging dapat dilakukan dengan penambahan bahan pengawet yang termasuk dalam Bahan Tambahan Pangan (BTP). Namun masyarakat sekarang merasa ketakutan apabila mendengar istilah bahan pengawet atau bahan kimia yang dapat menimbulkan efek negatif bagi tubuh. Padahal, ketakutan ini tidak perlu terjadi. BTP sebenarnya adalah bahan aditif yang mengandung senyawa-senyawa kimia, misalnya natrium klorida, senyawa nitrit/nitrat, senyawa phosphate, dan lainnya yang telah diijinkan penggunaannya. Namun yang menjadi pertanyaan apa jenis pengawet yang cocok untuk produk olahan daging, bagaimana dengan keamanan dan ambang batas penggunaan, dan amankah bahan pengawet tersebut bagi kesehatan konsumen?
Bahan-bahan yang umum digunakan untuk pengawetan produk olahan daging antara lain adalah 1) garam (sodium chloride), 2) alkaline phosphates (sodium tripolyphosphate), 3) sweetener seperti dextrose, sukrosa dan sorbitol, 4) sodium atau potassium nitrite digabungkan dengan sodium atau potassium erythorbate atau ascorbate, 5) sodium laktat atau potassium lactate, 6) sodium acetate dan diacetate, 7) liquid smoke, 
antioxidan seperti butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) propyl gallate (PG), alpha tocopherols. Terdapat pula beberapa asam yang digunakan untuk menghambat pertumbuhan mikroorganisme pada karkas unggas. Karkas ayam yang dicelupkan dalam larutan asam laktat atau asam sitrat mempunyai masa simpan yang lebih lama.
Poultry Management: Composting Daily Mortality
Poultry producers in the United States have to deal with numerous issues in the day to day operation of their facilities. One important issue is the disposal of their daily mortality. Several options are available to poultry producers, including: burial, incineration, rendering, and composting. Available options are becoming more restrictive with rising processing costs and continued concerns of environmental safety. The objective of this broiler tip is to inform readers of the viability of composting daily poultry mortality, not only as a means of dead bird disposal but also as a means of maintaining good environmental stewardship.
While there are several options available for mortality disposal, issues of environmental concerns have been raised regarding some of these alternatives. The use of burial pits has been eliminated as a disposal option in much of the United States due in part to the discovery of undecomposed carcasses unearthed years after burial. The utilization of rendering facilities have been limited due to high transportation costs to these facilities and the issue of incorporation of feathers during the rendering process. The use of incineration is now popular and is used by a large number of poultry producers where pits are outlawed. While it is one of the most biologically secure methods of dead bird disposal, the rising price of fuel globally is making incineration a very expensive method of disposal. Incineration also poses concerns of air quality due to particulate emission and odors associated with the process.
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Artificial Incubation
Artificial incubation of poultry eggs is an ancient practice. Aristotle writing in the year 400 B.C. told of Egyptians incubating eggs spontaneously in dung heaps. The Chinese developed artificial incubation at least as early as 246 B.C. These early incubation methods were often practiced on a large scale, a single location perhaps having capacity of 36,000 eggs.
The application of incubation principles was a closely guarded secret, passed from one generation to the next. The proper temperature was judged by placing an incubating egg in one’s eye socket for accurate determination. Temperature changes were effected in the incubator by moving the eggs, by adding additional eggs to use the heat of embryological development of older eggs, and by regulating the flow of fresh air through the hatching area. Humidity was evidently not a problem as primitive incubators were located in highly humid areas, and the heat source, often burning materials, furnished water around the eggs. Turning was done as often as five times in a 24-hour period after the fourth day of incubation.
The construction, use, and patent of artificial incubators in the United States dates from about 1844. The Smith incubator, virtually a large room with fans for forcing heated air to all parts of the incubation chamber, was patented in 1918. It was the forerunner of today’s efficient, large-scale incubator, used for the hatching of chicken, turkey, duck, and other eggs.
Factors Causing Poor Pigmentation of Brown-Shelled Eggs
The first documented report of shell pigment loss in brown-shelled eggs was in 1944 when Steggerda and Hollander, while removing dirt from eggshells produced from a small flock of Rhode Island Red hens, made the surprising discovery that some of the brown pigment also rubbed off. This effect was even more evident when the eggs were rubbed vigorously. Most of the eggs gave up their pigment fairly easily except those possessing a glossy surface.
It is well established that no single factor is responsible for the loss of shell pigment in brown-shelled eggs. Variation in pigmentation among brown-shelled eggs is more pronounced in broiler breeders than in commercial brown egg-type layers. In flocks of broiler breeders, it is common to have a variation in eggshell pigmentation, resulting in hues ranging from dark brown to almost bleached white. This contrast occurs because genetic selection for uniform brown-colored eggs in broiler breeder flocks is of little importance compared to eggshells of commercial brown egg-type birds. Most commercial producers and university personnel serving the poultry industry understand that the loss of shell pigment from brown-shelled eggs can be caused by numerous factors. Many individuals, however, still prematurely jump to conclusions and blame shell pigment loss and variability on only a single factor. The most common scapegoat is bronchitis. Statements such as “I know my hens had bronchitis because their shells are pale” or “All you have to do to determine if your hens had bronchitis is to look at their eggshell color — if the shells are pale they had a bronchitis challenge” are still often heard in the field. Such statements are made even without knowledge of the flock’s bronchitis antibody titer, bronchitis vaccination schedule, or supporting necropsy findings.
Scientists Identify Lab-Made Proteins That Neutralize Multiple Strains of Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Viruses
Scientists have identified a small family of lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses, including the H5N1 avian virus, the 1918 pandemic influenza virus and seasonal H1N1 flu viruses. These human monoclonal antibodies, identical infection-fighting proteins derived from the same cell lineage, also were found to protect mice from illness caused by H5N1 and other influenza A viruses. Because large quantities of monoclonal antibodies can be made relatively quickly, after more testing, these influenza-specific monoclonal antibodies potentially could be used in combination with antiviral drugs to prevent or treat the flu during an influenza outbreak or pandemic.
A report describing the research, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of
Health as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appears online today in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Wayne Marasco, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston led the research team, which included collaborators from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, Calif., and the CDC in Atlanta.
“This is an elegant research finding that holds considerable promise for further development into a medical tool to treat and prevent seasonal as well as pandemic influenza,” notes NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “In the event of an influenza pandemic, human monoclonal antibodies could be an important adjunct to antiviral drugs to contain the outbreak until a vaccine becomes available.”
Using standard methods of production, initial doses of a new influenza vaccine to fight pandemic influenza would be expected to take four to six months to produce.
Key to their research, Dr. Marasco and his colleagues discovered and described the atomic structure of an obscure but genetically stable region of the influenza virus to which their monoclonal antibodies bind. The hidden part of the influenza virus is in the neck below the peanut-shaped head of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein. HA and neuraminidase are the two main surface proteins on the influenza virus.
The scientists also identified a new mechanism of antibody action against influenza: Once the antibody binds, the virus cannot change its shape, a step required before it can fuse with and enter the cell it is attempting to infect.
