Little is known about broiler chicken ranging behaviour. Previous studies have monitored ranging behaviour at flock level but whether individual ranging behaviour varies within a flock is unknown. Using Radio Frequency Identification technology, we tracked 1200 individual ROSS 308 broiler chickens across four mixed sex flocks in two seasons on one commercial farm. Ranging behaviour was tracked ...

Infection of broiler chickens with subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV) results in the induction of myeloid tumors. However, although egg-type chickens are susceptible to infection with ALV-J, the tumor incidence is very low, and on rare occasions the tumors observed are of the myeloid lineage. We recently described the isolation of an ALV (AF115-4) from commercial egg-type chickens suffering ...

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most serious illnesses of chickens. Live vaccines are widely used to prevent chicken from the disease all over the world. To access the effective and potentiate ND vaccine, a homogenous subpopulation from LaSota strain was selected following cultivation of the virus on primary chicken embryofibroblast (CEF) cells. Pathogenicity indices and molecular characte...

Commercial Marek's disease (MD) vaccines produced by two manufacturers were tested for possible contamination with avian leukosis virus (ALV). Samples of MD vaccines manufactured by two companies (A and B) were received from a breeder company; samples were also received directly from vaccine company B. Using virus isolation tests, samples initially tested positive for subgroup E (endogenous) AL...

We attempted the isolation of variant infectious bursal disease (IBD) viruses by using sentinel chickens immunized with inactivated classical-type IBD vaccine. Immunized sentinel chickens with high levels of neutralizing antibodies and non-immunized sentinel chickens were raised together with broiler chickens in a commercial farm. Severe atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius was observed from the s...

Comparison of the Nutritional Effects Citric Acid-Based Acidifiers Produced with a Commercial Acidifier on Performance, Blood Metabolites, Small Intestine pH Values and Morphology in Broiler Chickens

the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of two levels of four commercial multi-enzymes on the apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (amen) and digestibility of crude fat, crude protein, dry matter, and organic matter in broiler chickens through total excreta collection method. one hundred thirty male broiler chicks were assigned to 45 metabolic cages involving 9 tre...

newcastle disease (nd) is one of the most serious illnesses of chickens. live vaccines are widely used to prevent chicken from the disease all over the world. to access the effective and potentiate nd vaccine, a homogenous subpopulation from lasota strain was selected following cultivation of the virus on primary chicken embryofibroblast (cef) cells. pathogenicity indices and molecular characte...

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a common cause of lameness in commercial broiler chickens worldwide. BCO represents substantial production loss and welfare issues of chickens. The bacterial species or communities underlying BCO pathogenesis still remain to be fully characterized. To gain insights on blood microbiota in broilers and its potential association with BCO, blood...

Toxoplasma gondii is widely distributed in humans and other animals including domestic poultry throughout the world, but little is known of the prevalence of T. gondii in chickens and ducks in People's Republic of China. In the present study, antibodies to T. gondii were investigated in 349 domestic ducks (Anas spp.), 361 free-range, and 244 caged chickens (Gallus domesticus) raised in commerci...