Cover Stories

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  Shrewd moves: Like a chess match, anticoccidial rotation is a game of strategy at Wayne Farms - Your next move might address an immediate need, but it also could determine what pieces are still standing later in the match.
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  Coccidiosis: Why is it so difficult to manage? - With more than a dozen antimicrobials and a half dozen vaccines available for coccidiosis, why are US poultry producers still having such a difficult time managing this costly disease?

Special Report

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  Industry roundtable: Raising poultry without antibiotics - Antibiotic-free poultry production remains uncharted territory that’s yielding varied results, a few surprises and an ethical dilemma for veterinarians, poultry experts said at an industry roundtable held in July 2014.
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  Keys to successful ABF production - Poultry health experts at a recent industry roundtable offered these suggestions for successful antibiotic-free production
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  What poultry is really raised without antibiotics? - A variety of terms are used to describe poultry raised without antibiotics. Some are USDA approved and verified, but others are not. Here’s a look at what consumers are seeing in their meat cases, according to a recent industry roundtable.

Discoveries

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  Broiler chicks show less tendon swelling, weight suppression in reovirus vaccine study - A recent study showed that broiler chicks receiving higher reovirus antibody levels from conventionally vaccinated hens had a lower incidence of tendon swelling and were protected from weight suppression caused by Variant Group-1 (VG-1)
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  It’s back: Zoamix® adds flexibility to rotation plans - Zoetis Inc. has relaunched Zoamix® (zoalene), a versatile synthetic anticoccidial for the prevention and control of coccidiosis in broilers and turkeys.

Sound Science

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  Wet litter, footpad dermatitis tied to reduced broiler performance - Increased litter moisture not only led to severe footpad dermatitis (FPD) in broilers, it reduced other aspects of animal welfare and negatively affected performance and carcass yield.
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  Sericea lespedeza found ineffective for coccidiosis control in chickens - Sericea lespedeza (SL), a warm-season legume shown to help control coccidiosis in lambs, had no anticoccidial activity in chickens, according to a study conducted at the University of Arkansas.

Diagnostics

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  Reducing false positives pays in ELISA mycoplasma testing - Poultry producers should consider specificity when selecting a Mycoplasma ELISA test to avoid costs associated with false positives.
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  Got maxima? New sampling procedure aids detection in broilers - A modified sampling procedure developed by researchers at Zoetis Inc. has dramatically improved the detection of Eimeria maxima infection in broilers.

Words & Numbers

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  Memorable quotes and figures from the world of poultry health -

The Last Word

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  Editorial: The animal doctor’s dilemma - Today, some poultry veterinarians are being asked to avoid using antibiotics that have been reviewed, approved and licensed for use in poultry and other species by the US FDA.