Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Objective 1. Integrating technological advances into poultry systems. This will include collaborative research on incorporating engineering and technology to enhance system efficiency and sustainability through infrastructure development of blockchain production.

1a. Engineering and Technology

University of Georgia 

Activities:

Develop a deep learning-based method and tested it for monitoring poultry floor distribution.

Funded projects:

[1] 2021-2022: Precision Poultry Farming and Data Management: Oracle Research Award, Oracle America (PI).

[2] 2021-2022: An Intelligent Imaging System for Animal Data Collection and Welfare Evaluation in Poultry Houses. UGA CAES Dean’s Research Grant (PI).

Significant Findings and Impacts:

We are the first team to optimize and apply the BP network model for poultry floor distribution monitoring. The new method will promote the animal welfare evaluation with artificial intelligence technologies by providing a new solution.

Considering the contribution to the development and application of new technologies for poultry housing, PI Lilong Chai was selected to receive the 2021 Sunkist Young Designer Award by American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

University of Maryland

The Chicken Tracking project is a collaboration with the University of Maryland Computer Science department developing algorithms to detect and predict broiler chicken behavior using deep learning neural network computer vision models. Video labeling is complete and algorithms are undergoing validation.

Michigan State University

Siegford and Morris launched a pilot project in July 2021 to detect and track laying hens in the litter area of cage-free systems using computer vision. Depth and RGB cameras are being used to identify individual hens, their orientation and some key behaviors (e.g., feather pecking, piling, floor laying).

Objective 2. Establishing and adopting husbandry practices to a changing industry landscape. This collaborative research will encompass a multi-disciplinary approach to create a resilient poultry production system through optimal management of inputs and outputs in an ethically responsible manner.

2a. Nutritional Strategies and Feed Manufacture

University of Connecticut

Project objective

Researchers and extension specialist at the University of Connecticut worked on objective 2  “Establishing and adopting husbandry practices to a changing industry landscape. This collaborative research will encompass a multi-disciplinary approach to create a resilient poultry production system through optimal management of inputs and outputs in an ethically responsible manner”

Specifically, research and extension activities were targeted towards:

- Use of lactic cultures to promote performance and improve the microbiological safety of    

  poultry meat and eggs.

- Enhancing poultry safety by novel phytochemicals, technology and farmer training.

 Findings:

- Novel lactic acid strains were characterized for their probiotic potential including their ability to

   promote hatchability, growth and performance in broilers

- Plant compounds can modulate virulence protein expression of Salmonella in poultry.

 Outreach:

• Survey conducted among poultry producers in New England to establish current practices on broiler and egg safety.
• Cooperative Extension activities with large- and small-scale poultry farmers.
• Training poultry processors in meat and poultry HACCP providing both virtual and in person trainings with certification, which will then help the poultry processors get a USDA certification.
• Work with USDA-FSIS to offer more counsel to poultry farmers as well on proper poultry slaughter and access to processing facilities.

University of Kentucky

Because of the increasing use of alternative feed ingredients, including restaurant grease and bakery by-products, in poultry feed coupled with increasing environmental temperature, the potential for oxidative stress as a result of poor quality of some of the by-products used in poultry diets is high. Vitamin E is one of the nutrients that have been used to mitigate the effect of oxidative stress in poultry. In order to address this topic, we conducted a series of experiments to determine the effect of oil type (corn vs. soy oil), oil quality (normal and oxidized oil), and phytase and vitamin E supplementation, on broiler performance, lipid deposition, and fatty acid composition of liver and fat from different lipid depots.

Under this objective, two experiments were conducted with broiler chickens. The first experiment assessed whether oil types and oil quality in the presence or absence of additional vitamin E supplementation would affect performance and fatty acid composition of the liver and subcutaneous and abdominal fat in 20-day-old broiler chickens. The second experiment evaluated the effect of oil quality (soy oil), phytase, and additional vitamin E supplementation on performance, nutrient and energy utilization, and fatty acid composition of the liver and subcutaneous and abdominal fat in 21-day-old broiler chickens. Results from these experiments showed that oxidized oil could negatively impact broiler chicken performance while fatty acid composition of fat depots were mostly similar, but differences were observed between the fatty acid composition of the different fat depot and the liver.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementing low nutrient diets with a product that had multiply enzyme activity on the growth performance of broiler chickens. The broilers fed the low nutrient diets had lower body weight, poorer feed to gain ratio and similar feed consumption compared to the broilers fed supplemented diets. The results from this study indicated that the supplementation with a multiply enzyme activity product in diets having low ME, Ca and available P increased weight gain and improved the feed conversion of broilers.

Penn State University

Animal feed producers understand that improving feed quality can improve broiler performance. However, numerous hurdles often lead to reluctance in implementing techniques that improve feed quality. On-farm nutrient segregation may occur but understanding how the quality of the feed impacts the degree of nutrient segregation is not well understood. Four experiments were conducted in commercial broiler houses to investigate how pellet quality and feed line length impact nutrient segregation. Six amino acids and phytase segregated across eight regions of commercial broiler houses when poor pellet quality was augered long distances (152-m). When improved pellet quality feed was augered the same distance, only two amino acids varied across the eight regions of the house. Some broiler houses are centrally fed where feed is augered shorter distances from a central hopper to either end of the house. When poor pellet quality feed was augered shorter distances (76-m) threonine and phytase segregated across the eight regions of the commercial broiler house. Finally, when improved quality feed was augered 76-m, nutrient segregation was not apparent. These data offer further support for improving pellet quality as well as nutrient segregation mitigation strategies when implementing techniques to improve pellet quality are not possible.

Soybean meal processors extract oil from beans and create a resulting soybean meal. Particle size of soybean meal and its effects to poultry performance has not been extensively studied. Three hammermill screens were used to reduce soybean meal particle size. Small particle size soybean meal required more energy at the hammermill and reduced apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in broilers fed mash diets. Small particle size soybean meal improved pellet quality in the feed mill but caused feed flow issues in the feed mill. Because of the reduced AIAAD, broilers consumed more feed. This resulted in heavier broilers but a worsened FCR. Using a 10/32” (large) hammermill screen may reduce cost at the soybean processing plant, improve amino acid digestibility, and allow broilers to be more feed efficient.

Improving the performance of poor performing turkey flocks with a direct fed microbial was studied. Performance parameters and intestinal microbial populations were considered. When nutritional and environmental challenges are present, direct fed microbials can improve feed efficiency by eight points of feed conversion across a 19-week turkey production period. This improvement in performance was related to shifts in microbial populations in the gut. The presence of direct fed microbials improved the ratio of lactobacillus to total anaerobes, which is indicative of a healthy gut microflora. These strategies can be used to improve turkey performance in traditionally poor performing flocks or during challenging times of production.

2b. Disease Control and Management

Auburn University

Activities and Projects

1. Evaluation of Salmonella transmission in poultry house dust.
2. Use of acidified peracetic acid or stabilized hydrogen peroxide for Campylobacter reduction on poultry meat
3. Pathogen loads in poultry processing wastewater
4. Pathogens in poultry feed
5. Salmonella and Campylobacter persistence in the poultry house
6. Insects as possible disease vectors
7. Salmonella colonization in the broiler chicken
8. In a field study, we evaluated the effect of conditioning temperature, retention time during conditioning, production rate during pelleting, on pellet quality and moisture content in finished feed

Significant Findings and Impacts

1. Salmonella is present in poultry house dust when birds are positive. However, transmission of Salmonella from litter to dust occurs at very low levels. This transmission can be mitigated through good litter management and dust reduction techniques.
2. Treatment of poultry carcasses post-defeathering with acidified peracetic acid did not influence the presence of Salmonella on poultry parts post-deboning. Therefore, acidified peracetic acid antimicrobial treatment at this stage of poultry processing does not provide an adequate benefit to justify the cost of application. Stabilized hydrogen peroxide reduced the levels of Campylobacter on chicken wings by 2 log CFU/mL. This antimicrobial has potential for further investigation as an alternative to peracetic acid.
3. Both Salmonella and Campylobacter can be detected in poultry processing wastewater before, during, and following treatment. These findings will be used to inform novel wastewater treatment train studies intended to allow for the reuse of poultry wastewater for agricultural production processes.
4. No known pathogens were found in animal (poultry) feed; however Clostridium argentinense was found in several corn samples. What makes this finding interesting is that this bacterium is associated with producing botulism toxin. It is believed that these bacteria isn’t a concern to animal health, but more research is being performed to verify this.
5. Salmonella persists in the poultry house for several flocks; however over time the serovars tend to shift. Favoring those that are more able to survive the time between flocks in the house. Campylobacter though easily found when birds are present rapidly becomes undetectable five days after bird removal; however after birds are brought back this foodborne pathogen reappears.6.
6. Insects, namely litter beetles, had been shown to carry the parasitic eggs from Heterakis and This knowledge is useful in trying to prevent infection with these parasites in broilers by having in place a good insect control program. 7.
7. Several studies were conducted to examine the effects of site of colonization and where the bacteria eventually colonize with two serovars of The results show that regardless of route, birds are easily colonized. Certain routes yielded higher colonization rates those being if this bacterium is inhaled, ingested, placed in the eye or near the cloaca. The site of colonization was high in all the tissue types sampled with the highest incidence being in the ceca and bursa. These results show that Salmonella once introduced into the bird can colonize throughout the animal, making control of these bacteria on the farm that more crucial. 8.
8. The results of this project helped a large poultry integrator to change conditioning and pelleting parameters to improve pellet quality and reduce moisture in the finished feed, which can have an impact on feed conversion ratio.

 2c. Physiological Responses to Environment and Welfare

University of Georgia

Activities:

Investigated methods for enhancing indoor air quality and animal welfare in broiler and cage-free layer houses.

Funded projects:

1. 2020-2022: An Integrated Method for Improving Air Quality in Cage-Free Hen Houses. Egg Industry Center. (PI).

2. 2020-2021: Air Quality in Antibiotic-Free Broiler Production Environment. USDA-ARS contract to UGA. (PI).

Significan Findings and Impacts:

A new method was developed for monitoring airborne E. Coli concentration.

The optimal mitigation strategies will be identified to enhance air quality and animal health/welfare in confined poultry facilities. Meanwhile, the air emission from the house to ambient environment will be reduced. 

Michigan State University

Activities and Projects:

Siegford and Swanson (along with Tina Widowski of Guelph) are working with PhD Candidate Tessa Grebey to understand use of space and strain differences related to dust bathing and wing flapping of laying hens in the litter area.

Significant Fingdings and Impacts:

Capture of 3D images of wing flapping hens to describe vertical as well as horizontal space needed to perform this behavior will begin in August, 2021. Video decoding and analysis of wing flapping by four strains of hens housed in a commercial style aviary is underway. Analysis of dust bathing behavior by 4 strains of laying hens indicates differences in amount and timing of wing flapping during the day—with more dust bathing bouts observed in whiten hens compared to brown hens. Hens of all strains performed the most dust bathing in first 80 minutes after re-gaining access to the floor litter area following confinement in the tiered portion of the system to encourage egg laying in nests.

2d. Housing Systems

University of Arkansas

Acitvities and Projects

Solar air heaters have the potential to reduce heating loads in commercial meat bird production, therefore, decrease the amount of fossil fuel such as natural gas or propane when brooding young chickens. The objective of this study was to evaluate a low-cost solar collector to pre-heat ventilation air in commercial broiler buildings in order to reduce supplemental heating and potentially improve air quality. Six black fabric-based solar collectors of 36 m2 each were installed on south-facing rooftops of a commercial-scale broiler house. The solar collectors provided a portion of fresh air into the buildings during the ON cycle of minimum ventilation. During the OFF cycle of minimum ventilation, when the temperature under the collectors was higher than the house target temperature, additional warm air under the solar collectors was delivered continuously into the house. Daily temperature rise of incoming air due to the collectors and captured heat was calculated.

Significant Findings and Impact

The daily cumulative duration of solar collectors in operation averaged 125 and 133 min during the first two or four weeks of brooding in the fall and winter flocks, respectively. When in operation, the solar collectors were able to raise 20ºC than the ambient temperature, reducing fuel usage of 7% in the fall and winter flocks. The biggest challenge of solar collector utilization was the collectors not enclosing the fresh air inlets, allowing majority of the air entering from the original sidewall vents. The limited airflow capacity and limited active operation of the solar collectors due to existing minimum ventilation scheme is another reason of a small amount of heating fuel savings. The solar collectors need to be better integrated into the building ventilation inlets to allow better performance.

University of Maryland

• The Winter Circulation Fan project is a collaboration between Dr. Moyle and Dr. Weimer to evaluate the effectiveness of circulation fans to improve winter ventilation in commercial broiler houses. Circulation fans were installed into 2 of 4 organic commercial broiler houses. Last winter season, environmental measures (ambient temperature and humidity) and welfare measures (body weight, hock burn scores, footpad dermatitis scores, feather dirtiness scores, transect method scans) were collected. We found that the hottest house (with no circulation fans) had the most litter moisture and the greatest number of observed small birds at week 6. The second trial replication will occur this winter season.