Cover Stories

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  Striking a balance with ABF poultry production - Back in 2013, less than 5% of the chicken produced in the US was raised without antibiotics. That number could reach 25% to 30% within 5 years. How is the poultry industry adjusting?
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  Fast growth seen for ABF poultry production, but for how long? - To see how the antibiotic-free (ABF) production trend is playing out with producers’ plans, Poultry Health Today turned to Greg Rennier, PhD, a poultry-market research specialist who tracks product usage in the industry.
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  View from Europe on ABF - Striving for responsible antibiotic use may be a better strategy than going 100% antibiotic-free, according to a gut-disease specialist.

Special Report

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  Successful ABF production: Mastered technique or corporate culture? - Indiana's Miller Poultry's owner and president Galen Miller and production manager Stephen Shepard discuss their experiences, priorities, management style and business philosophy that led to 30% growth over the past year.
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  E. coli infection: Two types in broilers - While infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) remains a serious threat to broiler health, it often opens the door to costlier secondary E. coli infection.

Sound Science

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  Research: Highly pathogenic AI does not persist in wild birds - While the H5 avian influenza A virus that devastated some Midwestern poultry farms in 2014 to 2015 was initially spread by migratory waterfowl, evidence now suggests that highly pathogenic flu viruses do not persist in wild birds.
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  Early SE infection likely to stay with broilers until market age - Broilers with lung exposure to Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) on the day of hatch are very likely to be positive for the pathogen at market age, say investigators.

Discoveries

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  New lasalocid MRLs relieve export restrictions for broilers - Broiler producers who want more diversity in their anticoccidial-rotation plan can now consider the ionophore lasalocid without worrying about it putting a damper on exports, says Jon Schaeffer, DVM, director of poultry veterinary services, Zoetis.

Expert Advice

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  Exploring the cause of condemnations can reduce losses - When carcasses are rejected at processing, all the time and money that went into production is lost. Couple that with even slight increases in the condemnation rate, and the losses really mount.

Food Safety

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  Hofacre: There’s always room for improvement with Salmonella - Most US poultry companies are doing an “outstanding job” controlling Salmonella, but there's always room for improvement.

On the Record

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  Interpreting the language of the new VFD rule - In a candid 90-minute interview, William Flynn, DVM, MS, deputy director for science and policy for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, clarified some hazy points of the new veterinary feed directive (VFD) regulations.

Words & Numbers

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  Memorable quotes and figures from the world of poultry health -

The Last Word