Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

Feed Formulation: Expanding Our Horizons Beyond The Simple Provision Of Least-Cost Diets, Rick Kleyn, Mariana Ciacciariello

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Commercial feed formulation is typically based on linear programming (LP) algorithms that derive a least-cost solution for a blend of ingredients that meet specific nutrient criteria. This methodology has been effectively used for decades, but how we achieve our primary goal, which is sustainable poultry production, needs to be reconsidered in broader terms. Some of the issues that this paper will deal with are: not all parameters that we consider are linear and additive; we are still unsure of how to build the matrix required for feed formulation; dealing with the variability encountered in every batch of ingredient remains a …

Reducing Feed’S Environmental Footprint: Where Are The Opportunities?, Lara Moody

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Working with animal food industry members and stakeholders up- and down-stream in the supply chain, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) developed a ‘Sustainability Road Map’ to support the U.S. animal food industry as it pursues continuous improvement on impacts important to industry members and their customers. For IFEEDER and the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), sustainability is defined and managed by each individual organization to deliver measurable, continuous improvements on the impacts related to people, planet and governance that are most important to them and their stakeholders.

No Antibiotic Ever (Nae) Versus Conventional Broiler Production: It’S Complicated, Marcos H. Rostagno

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Broiler production has evolved significantly over the years to meet a constant growing demand for animal protein. Rooted on major advances in genetics, facilities and environmental conditions, management, and specially, in nutrition and health, the U.S. broiler industry improved tremendously in productivity and efficiency, clearly demonstrated by a marked reduction of the average market age (i.e., days to market), while significantly increasing average market weight, breast meat yield and feed efficiency (National Chicken Council, 2023). For decades, conventional broiler production was dominant, with extensive use of antibiotics to promote growth and manage disease challenges (prevention and control). However, concerns over …

Organic Trace Minerals In Environmentally Sustainable Systems, Sergio L. Vieira, Julmar C. Feijó, André Favero

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Essential trace minerals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se and I) are traditionally included as supplements through mineral premixes in poultry feeds. In comparison to other essential nutrients, as well as energy, they are scarcely studied. The essentiality of a nutrient, by definition, refers to the nutrient role in normal body function, such as growth or egg production, and considers that they cannot be synthesized by the body and, therefore, must be supplied from the feed.

Application Of New Molecular Tools To Assess Virus Viability In Production Animals, Declan C. Schroeder

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Persistent viral infections routinely impose an inconvenient, always costly but thankfully not all too often catastrophic outcome on our modern food system. Managing viruses is key for all concerned if our objective is to meet the ever-growing demand to high-value animal protein. Whether it’s the impact influenza A virus (IAV) has on the avian or swine industries, Porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) on the swine or Deformed wing virus (DWV) on honey bees in both the honey and pollinator sectors - the negative impact and damaging cost to the individual producer, country and global economy cannot be overstated.

A View Of Poultry Production In The Americas, Michael Donohue

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

The primary goal of the presentation is to share a long-term overview of how broiler production has changed over the last 35 years in areas of bird performance, production costs, particularly in the area of feed ingredient cost per lb. and illustrating how poultry nutritionists have adapted feed formulations to meet the changes in performance and cost.

Evaluation Of The Virulence Potential Of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated From Broiler Breeders With Colibacillosis In Mississippi, Jiddu Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a bacterium that is responsible for colibacillosis in birds. However, information about broiler breeder APEC isolates is limited, but the data is critical due to the transfer of this bacteria down the production pyramid to progenies resulting in high mortality. Therefore, we evaluated the phenotypic virulence characteristics of 28 isolates using embryo lethality and day-old chick challenge assays. Also, the in vitro adhesion and invasion potential of selected nine isolates were identified. Results showed more than 1/3^rd of the isolates were highly virulent and the virulence increased as the number of virulence-associated genes …

Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Common Raven Occurrence And Depredation Of Artificial Nests Within Greater Sage‐Grouse Habitat In Southern Utah, Zoë S. Moffett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Certain species of wildlife are more generalist and adaptive than others. These species often flourish when supported by human activities that provide additional food and habitat for them. The common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter raven) is one such species; their populations have risen and spread throughout the Intermountain West. As generalist scavengers and predators, ravens have been found to pose a severe threat to several threatened or sensitive species, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse). The purpose of my research was to determine the specific anthropogenic and habitat factors that may increase the threat …

Effect Of Authentic Kefir And Nigella Sativa On Broilers Challenged By Coccidia And Clostridium Perfringens, Julian E. Nixon

All Dissertations

Black seed oil concentrations of 0%, 0.1%, 1% and 5% were added to milk inoculated with kefir grains and incubated at 25°C for 22 h. The pH and microbial count indicated 1% black seed oil caused low inhibition (P > 0.05) of fermentation, but 5% black seed oil caused significant inhibition of the kefir microorganisms (P < 0.05).

Cobb 500 male chicks (n = 256) were distributed in a randomized block design and received one of four treatments: CTRL1 (Non-medicated, no kefir, no Clostridium perfringens), CTRL2 (Non-medicated, no kefir, C. perfringens inoculated), CTRL3 (BMD medicated, no kefir, C. perfringens inoculated), KTRT (Non-medicated, …

Airborne Transmission Of Pathogens Emerging In The Poultry Industry, Xuan Dung Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

Poultry houses might have high levels of airborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and avian influenza (AI), which may be transmitted through the air and pose risks of infection. The objective of the dissertation is to provide an insightful understanding the of airborne transmission of E. coli and AI which were attached to poultry dust particles.

Chapter I and VI summarized background, gap in knowledge, and discussed the limitations and implications of the study.

Chapter II compared the efficiency of Andersen six-stage impactor, all-glass impinger, and ACD-200 Bobcat, in collecting airborne E. coli carried by dust particles. The results …

A New Method For Reducing Salmonella In Poultry Meat, Regis Yizerwe

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

An important approach to decreasing the transmission of Salmonella into the food chain is to treat raw chicken after processing. This can be, and has been done, by using antibiotics and chemical disinfectants. Using antibiotics is not a viable option due to the issue of antimicrobial resistance. Although some chemical disinfectants have been used effectively, they are restricted due to the amounts that can be used safely, the acceptance of their use and resistance to implementation in various parts of the world. This study has revealed that using a naturally occurring saponin–Quillaja Saponaria– in small concentrations under certain conditions of …

Poultry Pose Estimation With Deeplabcut, Chiyou Vang

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis dives into the realm of deep learning-based pose estimation research and investigates the potential of DeepLabCut (Lauer, et al., 2021) in accurately and efficiently estimating the pose of poultry. With accurate pose estimation being a crucial aspect in understanding the behavior and movement of animals, this thesis aims to contribute to the development of more effective methods for pose estimation, especially for poultry.

To comprehensively evaluate the performance of DeepLabCut, two different types of chickens were tested in this thesis: a model toy chicken and actual live chickens. Videos were recorded for both types, and key points …

Temporal, Phenotypic, And Quantitative Characterization Of Thyroid Infiltrating Mononuclear Cells During Development Of Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis In Obese Strain Chickens, Katelyn M. Clark

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Obese strain (OS) of chickens spontaneously develops autoimmune thyroiditis and is a well-established biomedical model for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in humans. Both conditions are characterized by the infiltration of the thyroid glands with mononuclear cells resulting in destruction of the thyroid tissue and impairment of the thyroid’s endocrinological functions. Past studies have described mononuclear cell infiltration in thyroids of the OS chickens, but the time-course, cell composition, and relative amounts of the various mononuclear cells infiltrating the thyroids has not been well defined. In this project, the mononuclear cell infiltrate was characterized phenotypically and quantitatively in OS chickens over the …

Effects Of Cyclic Heat Stress On The Acute Inflammatory Response In Broilers, Alessandro J. Rocchi

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heat stress (HS) is a growing concern in broiler production due to increasing environmental temperatures. Little is known of the overall effect of HS on innate immunity. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, is commonly used to study the inflammatory response. In avian species, the local tissue and systemic inflammatory activities in response to LPS may be determined concurrently, over time, in an individual, using the growing feather (GF) pulp dermal test along with blood measurements (dual-window approach). To examine the effect of cyclic HS on the local and systemic acute inflammatory responses, Cobb 500 male broiler …

Optimum Time To Add The Feed Additive Availa-Zmc To Reduce The Incidence Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broiler Chickens, Ashley Ault

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lameness is a health condition threatening the welfare of broiler chickens in the poultry industry. It can be caused by a bacterial infection called Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO). Zinpro has created Avalia-ZMC, a feed additive that has been proven to reduce lameness by 20% in wire-flooring pens and 25% in litter-flooring pens (Alrubaye et al., 2020). This experiment focuses on the optimal time to add Availa-ZMC to the diet of the broiler chickens to help reduce the incidence of lameness. This trial took 56 days with 26 pens at the University of Arkansas Poultry Research Farm. At the start …

Enzyme-Treated Yeast Fed To Coccidia-Challenged Broiler Chickens, Emmanuel O. Alagbe, Hagen Schulze, Olayiwola Adeola

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

There is a growing search for natural feed additives to alleviate the deleterious effects of coccidia infection in poultry. Research has shown that may serve as healthier alternatives to coccidiostats.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of enzyme-treated yeast (EY) on the performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and health of coccidia-challenged broiler chickens. 480 broiler chickens were allocated to 3 corn-soybean meal-based experimental diets with increasing concentrations of EY (0, 1, or 2 g/kg). Dietary EY enhanced nutrient utilization and augmented intestinal development in broiler chickens. However, dietary EY did not completely attenuate the adverse effects of a coccidia …

The Nebraska Bird Review Annual Color Photo Section

Nebraska Bird Review

Virginia Rail and chick, Washboard Road, North Platte, Lincoln Co., 28 June 2023. Photo by Boni Edwards.

American Coot, Eagle Scout Lake, Hall Co., April 2020. Photo by Colleen Childers.

Hudsonian Godwit, Marsh Wren Community Wetlands, Lancaster Co., 21 May 2022. Photo by Kirill Belashchenko.

American Avocet, N.P. Dodge Park, Omaha, Douglas Co., 2 May 2023. Photo by Thane Dinsdale

Female Cape May Warbler, photographer's backyard, Bellevue, Sarpy Co., 10 May 2022. Photo by Loren Padelford.

Male Cape May Warbler, Ft. Niobrara NWR, Cherry Co., 13 May 2022. Photo by Gordon Warrick.

Tennessee Warbler, Fontenelle Forest Wetlands, Sarpy Co., 24 …

Annual Treasurer's Report For 2022, Jan Johnson

Nebraska Bird Review

No abstract provided.

2022-2023 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Sixteen counts were run in the 2022-2023 CBC season. Because of weather and rescheduling issues, the Crawford, Harrison, and Harlan County counts were cancelled. Eight of the counts were completed during the first week of the count period and the other eight were scattered throughout the remainder of the count period. An early December cold snap seemed to drive many of the birds south, but the weather on actual count days was fairly benign: mostly dry with an average high of 34˚F and an average low of 19˚F and with three circles reporting light snow. The total number of species …

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2022 - Feb. 2023, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Since this is a Winter Seasonal Report, it seems appropriate to lead off with notable reports of occurrences that might be considered unexpected for midwinter, of which there were several. A range of species was involved, suggesting an encompassing cause such as climate change. Of interest were northerly wintering groups of waterfowl including Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ringnecked Duck, and Hooded Merganser. Reports of wintering Tundra Swans, Whitewinged Doves, and Lesser Goldfinches continue to increase, and numerous Redwinged Blackbirds in the northeast in midwinter were unexpected. Also quite unexpected were two Sandhill Cranes wintering in the east, the state’s first …