Terrence O'KeefeTerrence O'Keefe is content director at WATT Global Media. www.wattglobalmedia.com/contact-usFrom the Author - Page 19BroilersLED bulbs can save money for poultry growersEnergy-saving bulbs can have attractive paybacks for poultry growers as long as you chose one that will hold up in a poultry house and you have the right kind of dimmer for the bulb. Dr. Brian Fairchild, professor, poultry science, University of Georgia, said that the first thing your poultry house lighting system must provide is uniformity. He told the audience of WATT Global Media's first poultry grower webinar, "Broiler house nighttime ventilation & LED Lighting," sponsored by Choretime Inc., that you want to keep the variation in light intensity from one part of the house to any to less than 20 percent.Broilers & TurkeysManaging built-up litter between broiler flocksLitter reuse in U.S. has become a common industry practice as high quality affordable bedding materials have become harder to find, phosphorous-based nutrient management plans have been implemented and well managed dry built-up litter systems have been shown to not hurt bird performance.Broilers & TurkeysMiscanthus grass a good poultry bedding alternativePine shavings have long been the gold standard for poultry house bedding in the U.S., but this byproduct of the lumber industry is sometimes in short supply. The poultry industry’s interest in a cost-effective alternative litter material can be demonstrated by the results of an audience poll taken at the “Litter management between flocks & grass bedding webinar,” part of WATT Global Media’s Poultry Grower Webinar Series, sponsored by Jones Hamilton.Egg ProductionAvian flu creates losses for some, profits for othersThe highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the upper Midwestern U.S. in the spring of 2015 resulted in the loss of over 40 million table egg layers and pullets. Some egg producers, like Rembrandt Foods, the country’s third largest with operations in Minnesota and Northern Iowa, suffered heavy losses from avian flu. For companies like this, the avian influenza outbreak has required depopulation of farms, extensive cleaning and disinfection, lost egg production and employee layoffs.Antibiotic-Free MeatVeterinary Feed Directive may help broiler producersDo poultry producers make the market for raised-without-antibiotics chicken and turkey meat or are they just responding to growing consumer demand?Egg ProductionAvian flu’s impact on poultry farm biosecurity in ChinaPoultry health experts predict that the H5 and H7 strains of avian influenza that have caused outbreaks in domesticated poultry operations on four continents may be carried by migrating birds for a number of years.Broilers & TurkeysWill antibiotic-free broiler producers be competitive?The cascade of foodservice outlet pledges to purchase only chicken from flocks that have been raised without antibiotics that started with Chick-fil-A's is causing a major shift in how broilers are raised in the U.S. Dr. Steve Davis, DVM, Colorado Quality Research, said, “In my opinion, it (raised without antibiotics broiler production in the U.S.) won’t work without ionophores.”Egg ProductionProducing cage-free eggs without falling behindI recently visited a country that has more free-range, local and “heritage breed” production of eggs, broilers and ducks than any other in the world: China. Based on how consumer perceptions have changed in Western Europe and North America, you would think that this would put the Chinese poultry industry right in line with consumer wishes, but that isn’t the case. Demand for poultry products in China is suffering right now because consumers don’t have confidence in the safety of these products due to some high-profile “scandals” and avian influenza.Hens and TrendsMcDonald’s cage-free decision is tipping point for USIt is difficult to overemphasize the significance of McDonald’s recent decision to embark on a 10-year transition to purchasing only eggs produced from cage-free hens in the U.S. and Canada.Broilers & TurkeysPoultry food safety issues on the decline globallyIn spite of real reductions in in levels of bacterial contamination of broiler carcasses, foodborne illnesses attributed to eating poultry products is still a major food safety concern, comments Frank Yiannas, vp, food safety at Walmart. He told the audience at the International Poultry Forum China, “Poultry safety is a top of mind issue in many countries around the world.”Broilers & TurkeysUS egg farmers will cheer all-day Egg McMuffinsMcDonald’s franchisees voted last week to approve a move to all-day breakfast at its 14,300 U.S. restaurants on October 6. The company has been test marketing the all-day breakfast and the results have encouraged the nation’s largest restaurant chain to serve breakfast items all day.Processing & SlaughterChina’s broiler producers challenged to be transparentThe white feather broiler industry in China is in what Christopher Langholz, president, Cargill Animal Protein China, called “a financial and consumer trust crisis.”Previous PagePage 19 of 59Next Page