Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to cause substantial economic losses to the poultry industry and pose a significant burden on global public health systems. The increasing diversity and geographical spread of different subtypes of influenza viruses in poultry populations increases the risk for reassortment events and the emergence of novel strains. Vaccination remains a key strategy for preventing influenza infection and its complications, especially high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), as it can reduce morbidity, mortality, and viral transmission. However, vaccine effectiveness is closely tied to the antigenic match between vaccine strains and circulating viruses. In this study, we tested six commonly used commercial poultry H5 vaccines in Egypt to evaluate mortality, and virus shedding following experimental infection of specific pathogen free chickens with clade 2.3.4·4b H5N1 and H5N8 HPAI viruses. Our results showed that most of the tested vaccines provided detectable antibody titers and protected against mortality but were not able to control virus shedding. ValleyVac vaccines induced high HI titers (up to 9 log2) against recent clade 2.3.4·4b A(H5N1) and A(H5N8) strains, while Zoetis and Egy-flu R 2-in-1 induced lower HI titers (<6 log2). Although some of the commercial vaccines did not elicit considerable HI titers, vaccines provided 71
Morula kernel cake (MKC) has been used previously in poultry diets and was found to be a potential feed ingredient. This study was carried out to investigate the carcass traits, organ yield, meat quality, and sensory attributes of broiler chicken fed graded inclusion of MKC as a replacement for soybean meal (SBM) in complete diets. A total of chickens (Ross 308) were assigned randomly to four treatments, with five replicate pens having 8 chickens per pen in a completely randomized design (CRD) experiment and reared for the grower (15–28 days) and finisher phases (26–42 days). The broilers were fed a diet containing 0, 40, 80, or 120 g/kg MKC in place of SBM, and carcass traits, organ weights, meat quality, and sensory evaluation parameters were measured for 42 days. The carcass traits and organ weights were not significantly (p > 0.05) different across the treatments except for those of the thigh+drum, vertebrae, liver, and gizzard. The lightness (L*) of the breast and thigh muscles linearly decreased (p < 0.05) with MKC levels, whereas the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of the breast and thigh muscles linearly increased (p < 0.05) with the incremental level of MKC. Additionally, the meat color (L*, a*, and b*) of the breast muscle was greater (p < 0.05) than that of the thigh muscle. Meat tenderness and cooking loss in both thigh and breast muscle were similar (p > 0.05) across the treatments, with breast muscle being more tender (p < 0.05) than thigh muscle. In the breast muscle of broilers reared on the 40 g/kg inclusion diet, the crude fat content was significantly (p < 0.05) lower. Meat taste, flavor, and juiciness linearly (p < 0.05) increased with increasing MKC. The MKC could be used to partially replace (SBM) in a broiler diet at 120 g/kg without negatively affecting carcass traits, organ yield, or meat quality attributes.
Poultry require minerals in their feed for efficient poultry production. Minerals are responsible for supporting growth, bone development, and strength (e.g., Ca, P, Mg, and Cu); producing eggshells (e.g., Ca and P); activating enzymes (e.g., Zn, Cu, Mg, and Se); enhancing immunological functions of birds (e.g., Zn and Se); acting as a cofactor for digestive enzymes to efficiently digest nutrients to facilitate absorption; and promoting animal health in general. While previous studies have focused on mineral nutrition in poultry separately, this review has formulated a unified model that shows how proper mineral nutrition ensures disease resistance, heat tolerance, and environmental pollution control. Adequate mineral supplementation helps to improve resistance to infections, increase immunity, and support overall health. Balanced supplementation with minerals will also help birds that have been exposed to heat stress by helping them maintain an electrolyte balance, supporting enzyme activity, providing immunity, and preserving cell health. All these have a positive effect on the production of birds (i.e., growth rate, egg production, feed intake, etc.). Additionally, balanced minerals support improvements in both egg and meat quality and growth rate, demonstrating the advantages of mineral supplementation. However, inappropriate use of minerals in poultry feed comes with environmental issues, especially pollution from animal waste containing high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. To minimize this issue, it is important to understand poultry physiology and mineral metabolism so as to create balanced rations to meet their nutritional needs, maintain optimal health, improve production, and minimize the overall environmental effect of their operations including ammonia emissions. It has been suggested that appropriate use of minerals like Zn, Cu, Mn, and Mg can help to reduce emissions of ammonia. Therefore, supplying poultry with the appropriate amount and type of minerals is critical not only to optimize health and production but also promote sustainability, optimize nutrient digestion and feed efficiency, increase flock productivity and welfare, and increase farm economic efficiency.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of phytase supplementation in diets with reduced levels of available phosphorus, calcium, digestible amino acids, and metabolizable energy for meat-type quails on performance parameters, carcass characteristics, intestinal morphometry, and bone strength. A total of 680 European quails (Coturnix coturnix coturnix), from 1 to 45 days of age, were used in a completely randomized design with five treatments and eight replicates of 17 birds each. A reduced-nutrient basal diet was formulated below the nutritional recommendations by reducing available phosphorus (0.150
The storage of hatching eggs either with the narrow-end upwards or in a horizontal position have been identified as a practical approach in reducing the deterioration of egg quality, improving embryonic development, and hatching traits in broiler chickens. This study investigated the effect of egg storage position on egg weight, embryonic development, hatching, and chick quality traits in broiler chickens. A total of 210 hatching eggs of broiler breeders at 46 weeks (wk) of age were used. The eggs were stored with either the broad-end up, narrow-end up, or in a horizontal position. The egg weight after storage, egg weight at embryonic day 7, 14, 18, and egg weight loss at embryonic day 18 did not significantly vary among the experimental groups (P > 0.05). The egg weight loss after storage and egg weight loss at embryonic days 7 and 14 were significantly higher in the eggs stored with the broad end up and lower in the eggs stored in the horizontal position (P < 0.05). The weight of the embryo + yolk at embryonic day 14 was significantly highest in the eggs stored with the broad-end up and lowest in the eggs stored with the narrow-end up, respectively (P < 0.05). The hatchability of set eggs, hatchability of fertile eggs, embryonic mortality, chick weight at hatch, chick yield, chick length, activity, eyes, legs, navel score, and embryo traits at embryonic day 19 were similar among the groups (P > 0.05). The appearance score was poorer in the chick that hatched from eggs stored with the broad end up than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Our study suggests that the storage of hatching eggs with the narrow end up or in a horizontal position may be beneficial for reducing dehydration, egg weight loss, and hatching traits and improving chick quality score (appearance) without any negative effect on embryonic development.
The avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) affects chickens (Gallus gallus), causing respiratory disease, nephritis, and lesions in the oviduct, which can lead to weight loss and decreased egg production. IBV is classified into nine genotypes (GI–GIX), covering 41 genetic lineages (1–41), based on differences in the spike (S) gene. IBV GI-1 was the first lineage to be identified and includes the classical Massachusetts (Mass) and Connecticut (Conn) serotypes. Mass strains have been used as live attenuated vaccines for over 50 years worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of avian IBV GI-1 in Brazil. Three hundred field samples were collected from chicken flocks exhibiting clinical signs of IBV infection between 2018 and 2023. IBV detection and identification of three lineages (GI-1, −11, and −23) present in Brazil was performed using four RT-PCR assays. A partial region of the S1 gene, including hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HVR1 and HVR2), was further sequenced from the IBV GI-1 positive samples as well as four vaccines from this lineage (all Mass strains) commercialized in Brazil. Phylogenetic and nucleotide/amino acid similarities analyses were additionally performed to compare field and vaccine samples. The results demonstrated that 17 field samples and four vaccines were identified as IBV GI-1. Phylogenetic analysis, including 222 field and vaccine sequences of IBV GI-1, revealed two distinct clades: Conn (n = 16) and Mass (n = 206), the latter being subdivided into H120 (n = 148) and M41 (n = 58). The Brazilian sequences clustered within the H120 (n = 19, including three vaccines) and M41 (n = 2, including one vaccine) clades. Similarity analyses showed that 18 here sequenced samples (85.7
Salmonella remains a major foodborne pathogen associated with poultry production worldwide, with increasing concern over antimicrobial resistance driving interest in alternative control strategies. Essential oils (EOs), complex mixtures of plant-derived volatile compounds such as thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol, have gained attention due to their antimicrobial, anti-virulence, and immunomodulatory properties. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the use of EOs for pre-harvest control of Salmonella in poultry systems. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that essential oils disrupt bacterial membranes, inhibit biofilm formation, and suppress motility and virulence factors, with additional synergistic interactions reported with organic acids (OAs) and conventional antimicrobials. In vitro studies consistently show strong inhibitory activity against poultry-associated Salmonella enterica serovars. In vivo studies in broilers, layers, and breeders indicate that dietary supplementation can reduce intestinal colonization and fecal shedding while improving gut morphology, microbiota balance, immune responses, and growth performance. Applications in drinking water systems, feed decontamination, and combination strategies further support their role in integrated control programs. However, practical implementation is influenced by compositional variability, processing stability, sensory limitations, regulatory considerations, and economic feasibility. Advances in formulation technologies and field validation will be essential to improve consistency and support the integration of EOs into multi-hurdle Salmonella control strategies in poultry production. Not applicable.
Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequent cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis with poultry products the most frequent source of infection. C. jejuni can colonise the intestinal tract of the chicken and in particular the large blind caeca to a high level accompanied by faecal shedding and rapid transmission in flocks. As such, reducing transmission and intestinal colonisation in poultry meat production is considered a key target to reduce human infection. Whilst vaccines and feed-based approaches including modulation of the microbiome are considered most likely to reduce numbers in the chicken caeca, neither have yet shown the capacity to lead to significant reductions. We have previously shown that administration of a caecal microbiome transplant (CMT) at hatch acts to modify the microbiome, increasing diversity and reducing Enterobacteriacae levels associated with poor gut health and increased Campylobacter susceptibility. When challenged at 21 days old with C. jejuni M1 in a seeder bird infection model, birds in groups receiving CMT showed reduced transmission and significantly lower levels of C. jejuni at post-mortem examination at 35 days of age than control birds or birds treated with a commercial microflora competitive exclusion product (Aviguard). These data show that a microbiome-based intervention has the potential to inhibit C. jejuni transmission and decrease levels in the caeca at slaughter age. This is modelled to lead to a significant reduction in human cases. CMT offers a valuable tool to determine protective taxa in the chicken gut, aiding rational development of microbial interventions as well as a low-cost platform to help understand immunological development in the chicken gut.
Light is an important environmental factor that can influence the incubation performance in chickens. However, in commercial hatcheries, eggs are incubated without light, which differs from the principle of natural incubation. The influence of light during incubation can affect embryogenesis and the post-hatch performance in poultry. This study assessed the impact of different intensities of dichromatic light during incubation on post-hatch growth performance, behavioral changes, immune response, and welfare traits in chickens. For this, a total of 1000 eggs from broiler (Ross-308) and layer (White Bovans) breeders (age 43 weeks) were incubated under 4 different lighting intensities of Green-Red dichromatic light for 12 hours/day during the whole incubation period, i.e. Darkness, 150 lux, 250 lux, 350 lux. Results indicated that broilers that were incubated under lighting gained significantly higher body weight (p ≤ 0.05). Whereas, the bursa weight percentage was higher in broilers compared to layer birds (p = 0.001). Moreover, tonic immobility was significantly better (p = 0.033) in broilers incubated in 350 lux light intensity. However, welfare traits such as physical asymmetry and vocalization were not affected by light during incubation. Behavioral analysis of birds on the 1st, 7th, and 14th-day post-hatch showed that layers were more active and showed significantly higher activity in walking and dust bathing (p ≤ 0.05). It can be concluded that light during incubation affects the post-hatch performance, and if eggs are provided with 350 lux light during incubation, subsequent growth performance and immune response can be improved.
Poultry is the quickest-growing and expanding entry point for animal protein across the globe. But poultry production is not sustainable and cost-efficient, as it suffers from animal welfare issues and poor housing conditions. Moreover, excessive stocking density and bone health problems are other factors that harm efficiency at the poultry production level. The stress that results from keeping too many animals in an environment that cannot provide good living conditions causes harmful behaviors. It also increases the risk of disease. This includes lameness, breast blistering, trampling due to panic, and condemnation. Current research does not offer a system that combines housing design improvements, population density optimizations, and bone health solutions into a single prediction precision model. To fill this gap, we present the PhD concept. PHD integrates structural design with behavior and skeletal health prediction using AI and precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies. This review synthesizes the literature on the effects of population density, optimization of building design, behavioral response, skeletal health management, and AI-based monitoring tools in poultry. This review synthesizes evidence indicating strong associations between housing conditions, stocking density, stress-related behaviors, and skeletal health outcomes. The study also evidence suggests that an AI-based predictive system, when fed to farm animals, has the potential to detect welfare compromises that may support early intervention and disease prevention. The Precision Housing Dynamics (PHD) framework proposed in this study is intended to provide a systems-level decision-support architecture that may support the optimization of poultry welfare, skeletal health, and production performance. In addition, the framework aligns conceptually with broader sustainability objectives and emerging principles of ethical poultry production. The structural, behavioral, and physiological elements combined in PhD allow for data-based preemptive interventions that may help in the construction of poultry housing systems with a more welfare focus and dynamic population, as well as bone health prediction. The framework operates to promote worldwide food security by following SDG2 (Zero Hunger) standards, which establish fundamental conditions for developing sustainable and ethical poultry farming systems on a global scale.
Indigenous chickens serve as a source of food security, nutrition, and income for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, accounting for more than 78
Feather pecking and cannibalism are multifactorial problems that affect most laying hens in modern husbandry. As to which hens are predisposed to being pecked and suffer from feather and skin damage is still under investigation. In this retrospective study, hens’ live weight and plumage condition were each recorded and investigated for a potential relationship. Data were collected from 5,764 laying hens (various genetics) from 17 flocks (alternative housing systems) during several visits over their entire laying period. At each visit, a sample of hens was weighed and scored for plumage und skin damage. Afterwards, depending on each hen’s weight deviation from the target weights provided by the breeders (WTW), they were grouped as too light with < -10
Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a major immunosuppressive pathogen threatening global poultry production. The emergence of very virulent (vvIBDV) and novel variant strains (nVarIBDV) has increased immune escape and reduced vaccine effectiveness, underscoring the need for rapid and reliable diagnostic tools. To promote antigen detection technologies which usually time-consuming and require specialized laboratory facilities, this study developed a simple, rapid, and sensitive fluorescent microsphere immunochromatographic test strip (FM-ICTS) for semi-quantitative detection of IBDV antigen. The FM-ICTS was constructed using lanthanide fluorescent microspheres conjugated to an anti-VP2 monoclonal antibody within a double-antibody sandwich lateral flow format. Reaction conditions were optimized, and a quantitative standard curve was established using serial dilutions of inactivated IBDV (B87 strain). The assay generated stable fluorescence signals within 15 min and showed high analytical sensitivity, detecting IBDV antigen at dilutions up to 1:5120. No cross-reactivity with Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV), Avian Leukosis Virus(ALV), Avian Influenza Virus(AIV), or Marek’s Disease Virus(MDV) was observed, confirming excellent specificity. Repeatability tests demonstrated low coefficients of variation (< 10
Our objective was to test impacts of heat stress (HS) and dietary supplementation of encapsulated clove extract (ECE) on performance, ileum morphology, and meat quality of broiler chickens. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we tested thermoneutral (TN; 23 °C) and chronic cyclic HS (33 °C for 8 h/day) conditions, with or without dietary ECE (4 g/kg; 20
Calcium (Ca) digestibility is a key factor influencing growth performance and skeletal development in poultry. Barley and soybean meal (SBM) are commonly used feed ingredients, yet their true ileal Ca digestibility in quail is not well established. This study aimed to estimate the true ileal digestibility coefficient (TIDC) of Ca in barley and SBM in quail chicks using the regression method. A total of 600 Japanese quail chicks were assigned to eight experimental diets containing graded inclusion levels of barley or SBM and fed for a 5-day assay. Growth performance, feed intake (FI), weight gain (G), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded. Calcium output (CaO), ileal Ca digestibility, and bone traits (tibia/thigh dimensions and breaking strength) were evaluated. Regression analysis was applied to determine TIDC for Ca in each ingredient. Regression analysis revealed a substantially lower TIDC of Ca for barley (0.2457; R² = 0.90) compared with SBM (0.6567; R² = 0.96). Barley-fed birds showed higher CaO (4.11–5.16 g/kg DM intake) and poorer bone quality, including reduced tibia and thigh size and breaking strength. Conversely, SBM-fed birds exhibited lower CaO (0.99–1.33 g/kg DM intake) and improved bone characteristics (P < 0.001). Correlation analysis supported these trends, showing strong associations among mineral retention and skeletal integrity. Regression analysis effectively estimated Ca digestibility in quail chicks. Barley demonstrated inferior Ca utilization and poorer bone outcomes, whereas SBM provided superior digestible Ca and markedly enhanced performance and skeletal development. The TIDC of Ca was estimated as 0.2457 for barley and 0.6567 for soybean meal in growing Japanese quail chicks.
Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic in traditional poultry farming in Burkina Faso. Despite government's efforts, international organizations and farmer associations in supporting vaccination campaigns, the use of vaccines by farmers remains limited. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from August to September 2023 to understand the determinants of ND vaccination uptake in the commune of Boussouma (Kuilsé region of Burkina Faso). Structured interviews were conducted with 483 households keeping chickens from 23 villages. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were carried out to identify the factors that influence the uptake of ND vaccines by farmers. Farmers with less experience in chicken rearing (less than 10 years of experience) were more likely to adopt vaccine than others (equal or more than 10 years of experience) (OR: 6.86; CI: 2.38–19.76; p = 0.001). Similarly, farmers who kept pullets (OR: 4.24; CI: 1.74–10.35; p = 0.002) and roosters (OR: 3.86; CI: 1.76–8.46; p = 0.001) were more likely to adopt vaccination than those who did not. The lack of sensitization of farmers regarding ND disease was negatively associated with vaccine uptake (OR: 0.004; CI: 0.00–0.04; p = 0.001). Farmers who previously experienced ND in their flocks tended to have lower vaccine uptake than those who did not (OR: 0.37; CI: 0.16–0.85; p = 0.019). Biosecurity practices such as regular cleaning of the chicken house (OR: 4.46; CI: 2.17–9.16; p = 0.001) were associated with vaccine uptake, whereas disposal of dead chickens was not (OR: 0.23; CI: 0.11–0.49; p = 0.001). Sourcing poultry health services from community animal health workers (CAHWs) was positively associated with vaccine uptake (OR: 6.00; CI: 3.06–11.77; p = 0.001), whereas sourcing the same services from village poultry traders was not (OR: 0.23; CI: 0.08–0.68; p = 0.008). The findings emphasize the crucial role of farmer experience, flock structure, hygiene and the importance of health advice from CAHWs towards the uptake of vaccines against ND in chickens. To improve farmers uptake of ND vaccines, it is essential to increase awareness among farmers about the disease, build their understanding on the importance of and trust in vaccination, strengthen biosecurity measures within chicken flocks, and facilitate farmer's access to quality local animal health services through CAHWs.
The intestinal health of broilers is crucial for the efficient digestion of feed, absorption and utilization of nutrients. Synbiotics have been employed to enhance the gut health; however the optimal duration of supplementation is unclear. This study evaluated the effects of synbiotic supplementation for varying durations on broiler intestinal morphology and carcass quality. Two hundred day-old Cobb 500 broilers were randomly distributed in five treatment groups: control (fresh water) and synbiotic supplementation for 1–7, 1–14, 1–21, and 1–28 days via drinking water. Each group was replicated four times. After 42 days, four birds from each replicate were starved for 10 h and slaughtered to investigate the carcass qualities and intestinal histology. The results showed that broiler supplemented with synbiotic for 1–14 days or longer had significantly higher breast meat yield (p < 0.001) whereas thigh and drumstick weight were not affected by different durations of synbiotic supplementation. Dressing percentage was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in synbiotic supplemented groups than control. In contrast, both cooking loss (p < 0.01) and drip loss (p < 0.05) were higher in the control group. Organ weights were mostly not affected by synbiotic supplementation. There was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in pH of meat over 24 h, with probiotic supplemented broiler chicks showing lower value. Additionally, the supplemented groups have significantly long ileus villus height (p ≤ 0.01) and significantly short crypt depth (p < 0.05). Synbiotic supplementation for one or more weeks favourlaby influences meat yield, carcass quality, and intestinal morphology in Cobb 500 broilers. The findings suggest that the duration of supplementation beyond one week provides similar benefits, indicating flexibility in synbiotc application timing beyond one week.
H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are widely distributed, causing continuous outbreaks in poultry and sporadic infections in humans. This study assessed the humoral immune response induced by two inactivated vaccines largely used in poultry. Serum samples were collected from 70 specific pathogen-free chicks at days 21 and 28 post-vaccination and tested against recent avian-derived H9N2 strains from G1 and B (Y280) lineages, isolated in China, Egypt, Benin, Togo, Algeria, and Morocco. The Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test was used to measure antibody responses. In Group A (vaccinated with vaccine 1), HI titers showed a significant increase between day 21 and 28. In contrast, group B (vaccinated with vaccine 2) exhibited consistently higher HI titers at both time points but showed no statistically significant increases by day 28 for any strain (all P-values > 0.05). This suggested that vaccine 2 elicited a stronger initial immune response, but with limited further increase over time. Notably, both vaccines induced significantly lower, but still relevant, geometric mean HI titers against the China strain (A/Suzhou/GIRD01/2019) followed by the Algerian strain (A/chicken/Algeria/219/2017) compared to other isolates at both time points. The negative control group (NC) remained seronegative throughout the study. These findings highlight potential antigenic variations among different H9N2 strains and emphasize the need for careful vaccine selection to ensure optimal protection across different geographical regions.
Poultry farmers employ high stocking densities to maximize profit and meet the high demand for poultry products. This practice leads to oxidative stress and poor product quality, necessitating an investigation into optimal stocking rates, which are currently unknown for meat-type Jumbo Coturnix quail. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of different stocking density rates (SDR) on growth performance, serum biochemical indicators, internal organ morphometry, and carcass and meat quality parameters of the Jumbo quail. In a completely randomized design, 500, seven-day-old Jumbo quail (27.3 ± 0.9 g/bird initial live-weights) were randomly distributed in 25 cages (experimental units). Each cage had a floor space of 0.6 m2, including the space occupied by an oval feeder and water-fountain tube. Five replicate cages were assigned with five treatments, which were formed by different stocking densities of 10 (SD10), 15 (SD15), 20 (SD20), 25 (SD25) and 30 (SD30) birds/cage. The feeding trial lasted for 35 days, after which the birds were all slaughtered for postmortem analyses. Overall feed intake, body weight gain, final body weight, and carcass yield declined linearly with increasing SDR. Moreover, relative breast, proventriculus, drumstick, wing and thigh weights decreased linearly, while liver weights increased linearly with increasing SDR. Breast meat redness (a*) showed a linear decline, whereas hue angle increased linearly with SDR. Increasing SDR resulted in a linear increase in serum globulin and a corresponding decrease in serum phosphate. Stocking density beyond 10 birds /0.6 m2 negatively affected Jumbo quail’s growth performance, internal organ morphometry, and serum biochemical and meat quality parameters in Jumbo quail.
