Venous blood gas and chemistry reference ranges were determined for commercial Hy-Line W-36 pullets and laying hens utilizing the portable i-STAT®1 analyzer and CG8+ cartridges. A total of 632 samples were analyzed from birds between 4 and 110 wk of age. Reference ranges were established for pullets (4 to 15 wk), first cycle laying hens (20 to 68 wk), and second cycle (post molt) laying hens (7...

Step-Up Protein (SUP) rearing regimens can reduce Feed Consumption (FC) and Body Weight (BW), while still resulting in pullets with equal or superior egg production and egg mass to pullets grown on a Step-Down Protein (SDP) program. Egg weight has been reduced due to SUP programs, presumably due to the reduced BW at sexual maturity. Because BW is reduced by SUP regimens and a slight lowering of...

This pilot study reports the vertical transmission and reverse thermosensitivity of MS-H vaccine strain Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) by RAPD in commercial breeders their progeny. At two weeks age, were vaccinated with ts+ strain. 9 an outbreak infectious synovitis (IS) was detected Tracheal swab samples collected from at 24, 39, 48, 70 age. weeks, pullets elbow joints collected. performed on isolat...

This study aimed to examine the effect of probiotics containing Bacillus subtilis and oregano essential oil on growth performance, intestinal morphology, cecal microbial composition in pullets aged 0–18 weeks. A total 324 day-old Hy-Line Brown chicks were randomly assigned three treatment groups, with six replicates per group 18 birds pen. The experimental treatments consisted following: a cont...

THE higher incidence of coronary atherosclerosis in young male as compared with young female humans is well established as are similar sex differences in susceptibility in some other species. The administration of female sex hormones to cholesterol-fed cockerels has been reported to have beneficial prophylactic as well as therapeutic effects on coronary atherosclerosis. In one study reported by...

Uniform growth is a desirable trait in all large-scale animal production systems because it simplifies animal management and increases profitability. In parental broiler flocks, so-called broiler breeders, low growth uniformity is largely attributed to the feed competition that arises from quantitatively restricted feeding. As feed restriction is crucial to maintaining healthy and fertile breed...

• Listeria monocytogenes causing abortion and iritis in cattle and abortion, encephalitis and enteritis in sheep • Severe outbreak of MCF investigated • Strep. uberis the most common isolate from mastitis submissions • High post-weaning mortality in pigs investigated • Infectious Bursal Disease causes losses in a flock of 89 week old layer pullets • Further deaths of wild birds associated with ...