Financial impact of production diseases in poultry production systems
In contrast to pig production, the poultry sector suffers from the lack of available information on the financial impact of common production diseases. This has been highlighted in a recent PROHEALTH study1. So-called “production diseases” may have infectious or physical basis (caused by e.g. genetic ...
Pig performance and welfare – why does hygiene matter?
As described in more detail in this month’s accompanying PROHEALTH review article, a recently published paper from economics work in the project[1] highlighted the importance of good hygiene for pig farm profitability. At the farm level, improved hygiene was determined as the most cost-effective intervention ...
Enhanced biosecurity benefits pig farmers and consumers financially
Production diseases can cause substantial economic losses to pig producers in the long term because they have a direct impact on the competitiveness of the pig sector. Improved control of production diseases can both enhance productivity of farming and provide opportunities for concepts which create ...
Keel bone fractures in laying hens
The extremely high frequency and severity of keel bone fractures in laying hens represent one of the greatest welfare problems in the industry1. The problem mainly manifests as fractures at the tip of the keel with distinct fracture lines and a varying amount of new ...
Risk and protective factors for neonatal mortality in piglets
As highlighted in the accompanying article, neonatal mortality in pigs continues to be one of the greatest challenges in pig farming, especially as the move has been towards larger litters, which result in smaller sized piglets at birth. Whilst the accompanying article focuses on the ...
Pamper sows to reduce piglet mortality
Neonatal piglet mortality fits well with the PROHEALTH criteria for a production disease: 1. It is a persistent problem. Losses of piglets from stillbirth and early life mortality have averaged 15-25% of all piglets born for many decades in countries all round the world. The ...
PROHEALTH demonstrates the relationship between animal health and welfare in pig farms
Animal health and animal welfare are often considered in isolation of each other. However, there is now a growing awareness of how closely they are inter-related and the importance of this in practical livestock production. Good animal welfare can only be delivered if the animals ...
Causes of mortality in Danish broiler breeders
Optimal broiler production and health are highly dependent on the health status of the parent flocks. A link between broiler quality and their parents has been investigated previously but primarily based on physical, nutritional, endocrinologic and environmental aspects. A study was performed under PROHEALTH where ...
PROHEALTH is over but its impact is just beginning!
PROHEALTH: ‘Sustainable intensive pig and poultry production’ completed in January 2019. Its conclusion culminated in a series of events that summarised the outcomes of the project and provided a starting point for the future implementation of the project outcomes. The project’s legacy is in the ...
High biosecurity and welfare standards in fattening pig farms are associated with reduced antimicrobial use
In order to reduce antimicrobial use in pig production, the consequences of insufficient biosecurity and welfare problems need to be known. This study aimed to investigate associations between the number of antimicrobial treatments per fattening pig, and biosecurity, indicators for animal welfare as well as ...
A value chain analysis of interventions to control production diseases in the intensive pig production sector
Value chain analysis (VCA) calculated the financial effects on food chain actors of interventions to improve animal health and welfare in the intensive pig sector. Two interventions to reduce production diseases were studied. A generic chain diagram of linkages between stakeholders and value-added dimensions was ...
The Productivity and Financial Impacts of Eight Types of Environmental Enrichment for Broiler Chickens
Fast growing broiler birds have an elevated risk of leg health problems throughinactivity. Increasing the complexity (enriching) of the rearing environment, e.g., adding straw bales into broiler houses, is suggested as a way of increasing activity levels. While a number of studies have examined the ...
Interactions between dietary Calcium and Phosphorus level, and vitamin D source on bone mineralization, performance, and intestinal morphology of coccidia-infected broilers
Coccidiosis penalizes calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and fat-soluble vitamin status, as well as bone mineralization in broiler chickens. We hypothesized that dietary vitamin D (VitD) supplementation in the form of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (OHD), compared to cholecalciferol (D3), would improve bone mineralization in broilers receiving marginally deficient ...
Differential immune response to Eimeria maxima infection in fast and slow growing broiler genotypes
Very little has been reported comparing resistance to coccidiosis in fast or slow growing broilers, the latter of which are becoming more prevalent in the broiler industry. We examined mRNA expression in the intestines of fast and slow growing broilers following Eimeria infection.
Correlation between footpad lesions and systemic bacterial infections in broiler breeders
Footpad lesions are an important factor in evaluation of animal welfare in broilers regulated by law; however, no legal requirements have been set for the parent birds. Nevertheless, the present study confirms that foot health in broiler breeders declines significantly with increasing age, thus potentially ...