Hygiene management is essential for rearing Campylobacter free broiler flocks. In this study, several hygiene factors (e.g., thinning, water supply, stable cloths, stable condition, stable environment, etc.) are categorized and aggregated in a developed risk priority number (RPN). This number is measuring the quality of hygiene management of a broiler farm with one single value (range: 801–4005...

Campylobacter, mainly Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli, are worldwide recognized as a major cause of bacterial food-borne gastroenteritis (World Health Organization 2010). Epidemiological studies have shown handling or eating of poultry to be significant risk factors for human infections. Campylobacter contamination can occur at all stages of a poultry meat production cycle. In summer 1999, eve...

A study was undertaken to test the effect of 2 commercially available probiotics on the production efficiency of broiler chickens hatched from the same breeder flock at 3 different ages (28, 43, and 57 wk). At each of the 3 breeder flock ages, 1,600 broiler chickens were hatched and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) no probiotics (control), 2) probiotic 1 administered in the drinking ...

In recent years an emphasis has been placed on reducing food borne pathogens on the farm. Of particular interest to the poultry industry is Salmonella enterica. In the United States, a common practice in broiler management is the reuse of litter for consecutive flocks; this practice can lead to a Salmonella positive flock causing the colonization of sequential flocks. Reuse of litter can also l...

Infections in broilers and broiler breeders by Enterococcus cecorum, causing clinical disease, have increasingly been described in various countries in the Northern Hemisphere over the past decade. This case report describes an outbreak of enterococcal-associated vertebral osteoarthritis (EVOA) in male broiler breeders in several flocks in South Africa. Male birds aged 4 and 9 weeks displayed t...

Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of food borne pathogens in humans and a major reservoir for this pathogen is poultry. The C. jejuni in broilers was investigated from in the caeca of broilers. Twenty broiler/flock samples from 7 flocks were assessed. The average prevalence of C. jejuni was 65% in the broiler flocks. The adhesion and invasion ability of 48 strains of C. jejuni on INT 407 we...

The presence of Salmonella in chickens is a problem because poultry meat is recognized as a source of human salmonellosis. Fermented feed has characteristics like a high number of lactobacilli and high concentration of lactic acid, which could make chickens less susceptible for infection with Salmonella. Fermented feed might therefore prevent the colonization of chickens with Salmonella. Two st...

Currently, assessment of broiler (meat) chicken welfare relies largely on labour-intensive or post-mortem measures of welfare. We here describe a method for continuously and robustly monitoring the welfare of living birds while husbandry changes are still possible. We detail the application of Bayesian modelling to motion data derived from the output of cameras placed in commercial broiler hous...

The poultry reservoir, especially broiler meat, is generally recognized as one of the most-important sources for human Campylobacteriosis. The measures to control Campylobacter targeted essentially the primary production level. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments against natural Campylobacter colonization in a French experimental farm of free-range bro...

Poultry has long been cited as a reservoir for Campylobacter spp., and litter has been implicated as a vehicle in their transmission. Chicks were raised on litter removed from a broiler house positive for Campylobacter jejuni. Litter was removed from the house on days 0, 3, and 9 after birds were removed for slaughter. Chicks were raised on these three litters under controlled conditions in flo...