Farmers who keep their chickens outdoors may want to watch the weather. A study of chicken farms in the western United States found that high winds increased the prevalence of campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in that country. Researchers found that about […] Read more
Tag Archives chickens — page 2
High winds can worsen pathogen spread from outdoor poultry
Science Notes: Researchers interviewed farmers about their management practices
Opinion: One Health approach gaining ground, and it’s about time
I don’t always agree with Sylvain Charlebois has to say, but I do agree with him on one thing — that avian influenza deserves more attention than it has been receiving. In a commentary written less than two weeks before Christmas titled “Let’s Talk Turkey”, the professor in food distribution policy and senior director of […] Read more
International joint venture buys Prairie layer hatchery
ILD, Trouw Nutrition to co-own Clark's Poultry
A Manitoba company providing day-old layer chicks to poultry producers in the three Prairie provinces is under new joint ownership. International Layer Distribution (ILD), a subsidiary of German egg layer breeding firm EW Group, and Trouw Nutrition Canada, a livestock feed arm of Nutreco, on Monday announced their joint venture has acquired Clark’s Poultry for […] Read more
U.S. seeks to protect contract chicken growers
Biden administration proposes rule to improve treatment, transparency and price guarantees
Reuters – The United States government has proposed a rule requiring meatpackers to be more transparent in their dealings with contract farmers in efforts to enhance competition in the highly consolidated industry. Farmers and consumer groups have argued for decades that consolidation in the beef, pork and chicken sectors, where four companies control 55 to […] Read more
H7N3 avian flu found in chickens in Mexico, near Texas border
Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico’s agriculture ministry on Saturday reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3 bird flu virus in two hatching egg production barns in the northern state of Coahuila, which borders on Texas. The strain in question has existed in some regions of the country since 2012, the ministry said in a statement. […] Read more
Chicken abuse caught on video nets $600,000 in fines
Sofina Foods, chicken-catching company fined; other charges stayed
A poultry processor and its “chicken-catching” service provider whose handling of chickens in British Columbia wound up on network TV are now each on the hook for $300,000 in fines. The fines were levied against Sofina Foods and Elite Farm Services after the two companies pled guilty to two counts each of Health of Animals […] Read more
U.S. senator calls for probe of soaring poultry prices
Reuters – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on the Justice Department to open a broad investigation on the impact of price-fixing and consolidation in the poultry sector on U.S. consumers and farmers. The former Democratic presidential candidate also urged the department’s Antitrust Division to review “with suspicion” any large mergers in the industry, after […] Read more
Robo-coop automates the work of pasturing poultry and pigs
Ukko Robotics’ Rova Barn is self-moving and programmable
Glacier FarmMedia – One could say the origin story of the robotic Rova Barn began with a young kid on a dairy farm who wanted to go to the beach, or on a family road trip, or just to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner. But milking chores had to trump adventure. “We didn’t go on holidays […] Read more
France bans killing of male chicks
Reuters – France’s agriculture minister has announced a ban on the killing of male chicks by crushing or gassing, effective next year. The practice has been denounced as barbaric by animal welfare groups, and they will push for a similar measure at European level. Each year, 50 million male chicks are culled in this way, […] Read more
Study sheds light on how chickens adjust to the dark
Research shows birds anticipate darkness and eat accordingly to maintain feedstuffs throughout the gastrointestinal tract
Glacier FarmMedia – Broiler chickens learn when their barns will go dark and adjust their feeding patterns so they have feed in their systems throughout that time, research at the University of Saskatchewan has found. This leads to better feed efficiency, reduced mortality and heavier market weights. Why it matters: Contrary to popular belief, longer […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
