Management for Disease Control. By Jon Moyle, Ph.D.

Transcription

1 Management for Disease Control By Jon Moyle, Ph.D.

2 Control, What you can Control Things you can t control Feed formulation Breed of broiler Age of breeders Chick quality Placement dates Placement numbers Weather Things you can control House management Feed management Water quality Litter Ventilation Mortality management Biosecurity (flock protection)

3 There is No Silver Bullet Keep the birds comfortable Maintain a stress free environment Concentrate on the basics

4 6 Basics 1. Pre-Placement 2. Temperature Management 3. Light Management 4. Feed Management 5. Water Management 6. Air Quality/Ventilation

5 Is the house ready Room temp Floor temp Moisture Check equipment Make sure equipment is functional Controllers set Alarms properly set On? Check them Extra pre-heat time/temp? Pre-Placement

6 Temperature Measure temp at bird high Thermometers are great for starting Check floor temp

7 Temperature Once birds are placed manage temperature based on birds Comfortable chicks Uncomfortable chicks

8 Maintain Heaters Make sure heaters are working properly and that heat is evenly distributed Clean heater so they are more efficient

9 Feed Management Make sure birds have access to plenty of feed, especially when placed

10 What About Light? Brighter light during the first week will help birds find feed and water quicker We used to say 2fc (20lux), but now we want 4-5fc (40-50lux)

11 Uniform Light

12 Clean Lights

13 Water Management Water quality Drinker management Biofilm/waterer line cleaning

14 Water Management Water quality can affect bird performance and poor quality water can increase the likelihood of disease Monitor your water quality Don t give water to your birds that you would not drink! Take steps to improve the quality of water Filters Chemicals

15 Water Analysis

16 Water Analysis

17 Water Analysis

18 Water Management Check filters and replace as needed Use a sand trap before the filter if you have sand in your water

19 Water Management Drinker management Maintain the proper height and pressure Less water on floors Flush lines just prior to the chicks arriving Sweep the lines (trigger all the nipples) Check height of the water lines at placement and then again after birds have been in for a couple of hours

20 Water Management

21 Water Management Water line cleaning Minerals often overlooked but affect many areas of water quality Bacteria can make birds sick and restrict water flow through the pipe Fungi, algae can restrict flow of water through pipe and out nipple and can harbor harmful pathogens in their voluminous membranes Two different programs Cleaning Between Flocks Daily Water Treatment

22 Water Management Clean water lines regularly between flocks 1. After birds are gone, power flush lines to remove sediment and loosen heavy soils 2. Use the proper concentration, follow product guidelines too little product can be a waste of time and money 3. Be sure the product is completely through the system look for bubbles, use test strips, look for color change, etc. 4. Trigger all the nipples 5. Be sure product sits the recommended amount of time 6. Flush lines

23 Water Management Chlorine education on the forms of chlorine is vital Liquid chlorine often misused because of ph issue Chlorine Dioxide More effective than liquid, requires mixing time and special handling Gas chlorine most effective but requires special handling Hydrogen Peroxide Acids (not to be used for long periods of time without a water treatment product with it)

24 Water Management Filters do not get rid of all the bacteria A water softener is not a method of water disinfection Reverse Osmosis and Ultra Violet light do clean the incoming water, but there is NO RESIDUAL When the water goes into the barn where the birds will be adding bacteria, viruses, molds, yeasts, etc. to the system you must have a water treatment program in conjunction with these Water lines should be flushed often

25 Litter Management Litter is like a sponge It needs to accept water to keep the birds healthy And then let that water go when dry conditions allow Litter is a living community Bacteria Fungus Viruses

26 Litter Management Wet litter has been implicated as a primary cause of contact dermatitisin poultry (Shepherd and Fairchild, 2010) Wet litter negatively affects feed conversion ratio and carcass yields(de Jong et al., 2014) Wet litter can be caused by a combination of diet/nutrition factors(collett, 2012); shed design, ventilation management and environmental factors(hermansetal., 2006); and/or flock infections with organisms such as Clostridium perfringens, the causative agent of necrotic enteritis (M'Sadeqetal., 2015). The amount of water in litter has been found to affect microbial activity(bessei, 2006; Eriksson De Rezendeetal., 2001; Himathongkhametal., 1999; Wadudetal., 2012), Dunlop, et al., 2015, 2016

27 Litter Management Water added to litter from excreta and spillage can be as much as 3.2L/m2/day (0.85 gal; ~2500 gal/house) Water holding capacity of litter increases during grow-out Water evaporation rate depends on litter moisture content and air speed Dunlop, et al., 2015, 2016

28 In-House Windrowing What it is: Partial heat treatment Pasteurization (partial sterilization) What it is not: True composting Litter sterilization

29 In-House Windrowing Windrows must be turned so that the outside can be heated as well

30 In-House Windrowing Microbial testing Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts lower in windrowed vs. un-windrowed litter Clostridium perfringens reduction >99% ILTV completely eliminated in litter after 5 days However house again positive with subsequent flock Why? House dust? Can also be affective in controlling; Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Aspergillus, coccidia and respiratory diseases

31 Windrowing on Dermatitis Mortality (%) Litter Management Competitive Ranking (0-100%) Change in pay ($/1000) Crust st Windrow 2 nd Windrow 3 rd Windrow $ $ $103 May require consecutive windrowing to break/reduce disease cycle (similar observations with NE and kinky back ). Disease may re-appear after 1 flock. Bud Malone

32 Virginia DEQ study (Flory et al., 2008) 2 house farm with history of necrotic enteritis Parameter Control (decaked) Windrowed Difference Ave.weight Total weight 145, ,498 8,553 Feed conversion Livability 92.56% 95.00% 2.44% % Condemned % Grower pay + $1,998 Achieved +135ºF (57.5C o )temperatures 99.99% reduction in E.coli and Salmonella

33 In-House Windrowing While windrowing can be an affective way of improving flock performance, it must be done correctly Need a minimum of days between flocks Ideal litter depth 4-6 inches Form windrows within 2 days after catch Ideal windrow height inches Leveling the windrows at least 4 days prior to chick placement is recommended It is critical that adequate time be devoted to cooling down and drying out the litter

34 In-House Windrowing For farms with a significant disease challenge, best to remove all litter from the sidewalls and corners and incorporate into the windrow Ventilate during the entire process Ideal time to get maximum beetle kill would be to apply insecticide to windrows within 6 hours after pile formation

35 Ventilation The most important thing to remember is to ventilate for moisture Control moisture, control ammonia Think of your fans as water pumps

36 Ventilation Use surveyor flagging tape to see airflow

37 Ventilation Use attic vents to increase ventilation Do not use them to save on heating (propane, natural gas, etc.) Don t over think their operation Michael Czarick and Brian Fairchild

38 Mortality Management

39 Properly Dispose Of Dead Birds Remove and properly dispose of dead birds Don t leave dead birds laying around Inside the houses Can spread disease Outside the houses Attracts vermin Looks bad Can spread disease Flies Unburied in the composters Attracts vermin and other pests

40 Compost Properly Avoid problems Make sure that birds are placed in the composter correctly Away from side walls Sufficient litter between layers With larger birds it may be necessary to use more than one bin at a time Divide mortality into multiple bins Make sure that storm water does not get into the composter Make sure that the birds are covered correctly 8-10 inches of litter

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42 Bury Birds Correctly Location: Located outside of the 100-yr flood plain A minimum of 100 feet from public waters, streams, ponds, wetlands, etc.) (200 feet is recommended) Located minimum 100 feet from wells & sinkholes (200 feet recommended) At least 100 feet from property lines (200 feet recommended) Away from public view

43 Bury Birds Correctly Other considerations Covered with 2-3 feet of soil At least 2 feet above bedrock At least 2 feet above seasonal high water table At least 2 feet above highly permeable soils

44 Other Options Incineration Uses fuel so can be costly Very good at destroying pathogens Can cause odor/smoke problems when starting up Freezers Use electricity Birds must be removed Usually birds are rendered

45 Be Proactive Know the history of the farm If you have a constant problem, take preventive measures before it happens Example, Necrotic Enteritis Usually seen at around 16 days of age (11-28) Be proactive to soothe the gut through this time Probiotics Copper sulfate Citric acid Apple cider vinegar

46 Protect Your Flock Biosecurity is one of the best ways to prevent disease It is important that every farm has a plan and follows it Who is in charge of making sure the plan is followed? Plans should match needs For example, breeder farms need higher levels of biosecurity than broiler farms

47 Vaccinations Biosecurity is all about disease prevention and includes vaccinations Are vaccination schedules developed for the disease challenges in your area? Are vaccines handled properly? Storage? Application?

48 Prevent Disease What's the Problem Here?

49 Prevent Disease What's the Problem Here?

50 Prevent Disease What's the Problem Here?

51 Prevent Disease What's the Problem Here?

52 Prevent Disease What's the Problem Here?

53 Conclusion Focus on what you can control Do the basics well Clean waterlines Manage litter It s all about keeping the birds comfortable, free from stress and preventing diseases from entering the farm

54 Thank You Jon Moyle, Ph.D. Poultry Specialist University of Maryland Extension Office ext. 309 The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.