Sunday 27 May 2012
Poultry Husbandry
For many free range egg producers there is now absolutely no incentive to produce Very Large eggs. For many, the price received for Very Large eggs is now only one penny per dozen more than for Large ones. This is something of a problem for producers because it is difficult to know how to manage the flocks to produce neither Medium eggs (worth abo...
Not long ago, many arable farmers regarded poultry manure as something that would be worth using so long as no money changed hands. Times have changed. Because of the crippling rise in the costs of artificial fertilisers, manure from free range hens is now regarded by many as a good source of nutrients for the crops, at a lower total cost than usin...
During 2008, the financial problems that we are and will be facing have led to a reduction in the sales of organic eggs. Fortunately for the free range egg industry, those who have been purchasing organic eggs seem to be deciding that the perceived welfare advantage of free range egg production is one of the key factors in their decision making. ...
This is the time of year when some free range egg producers are able to thank their lucky stars that the hens are in warm and dry houses. Oh, are they? Not everyone keeps hens in large houses. What about the mobile ones? Not all hens are able to escape the weather. I have written in the past about summertime problems. In the winter a differen...
The need to further unwind Foot and Mouth Disease movement restrictions as swiftly as possible has been impressed upon the Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, this morning by NFU Cymru. Although welcoming the freeing up of movements to collection centres and red meat auctions, NFU Cymru has stressed that, whilst being mindful of the need for...
With feed constituting a major component of any animal production system and in the case of egg production, the major cost, it is vital that every aspect of the diet is correct in order to ensure optimum performance. When formulating rations suitable for organic egg production it is necessary, as with any ration, to take into consideration not only...
Today, as ever, if you ask any producer to name the most significant cause of egg production problems, IB is still likely to top the charts, being rivalled only by feed problems as the number one candidate. The IB virus has been known about for over half a century and remains with us into the new millennium. Since its first isolation, there has...
Pasteurellosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Pasteurella multocida. This is a very severe infectious disease of poultry. In the days before antibiotics were available, this was a disease to be feared as it could result in massive losses in poultry flocks. These days, however, with better understanding of hygiene and biosecurity and the ava...
Water is essential for life. That applies to us as much as to our chickens! Providing ample amounts of fresh clean water is needed to maintain the health and performance of our birds. However, that same water can also be the villain. Water can carry many of the bugs we worry about most, such as E.coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. A survey in the ...
Cause The bacterium causing this disease is Hemophilus paragallinarum. Transmission The disease spreads from bird to bird and flock to flock by contact and airborne infected dust particles and via the drinking water. Spread by equipment and personnel has also been reported. The incubation period varies from 1 to 3 days. Species affected Ch...
Millions of consumers completely ignore animal welfare issues when shopping in the supermarket, says a new report. Well over a third of the population fall into this category and would be unlikely to change even if they had more disposable cash. The findings—which could be of critical importance to the continued expansion of the free range marke...
The area of shade required for birds on range is set to double. Freedom Food standards already include the new regulation—which comes into force on 1 June. And the Soil Association is set to introduce the same ruling, combined with a requirement for aerial perches. The amount of overhead shade will increase from 4 square metres per 1,000 bir...
Mr Speaker, with your permission I would like to make a statement about the avian influenza outbreak in Suffolk. Just after 5pm on Thursday 1 February the State Veterinary Service was contacted by a private vet who suspected an avian notifiable disease at a poultry farm in Suffolk. The farm near Upper Holton, held 159,000 turkeys housed in 22 s...
Mr Speaker, with your permission I would like to make a statement about the avian influenza outbreak in Suffolk. Just after 5pm on Thursday 1 February the State Veterinary Service was contacted by a private vet who suspected an avian notifiable disease at a poultry farm in Suffolk. The farm near Upper Holton, held 159,000 turkeys housed in 22 sh...
Where there’s muck there’s money. And now DEFRA has started spelling out just how much cash the contents of a droppings pit can be worth. And at £83 per hectare, the answer is probably a lot more than you thought. The facts are revealed in a new series of booklets called ’Making The Most of Manure’ which point out that maxim...
Many types of bacteria are present in the gut of animals and in most cases a symbiotic relationship exists where the type and numbers of bacteria are in balance with the host. Some animals, notably ruminants, depend upon gut bacteria to assist with digestion. If an imbalance between the host and the number of pathogenic bacteria occurs, a disease s...
Although we may have seen little in the way of sunshine so far this year, for some producers what we have had has already cost them dear. The problem of pale shelled eggs in free range layers is one that seems to rear its ugly head during the summer months. There may well be no scientific data to back up his theory, but Ranger Editor John Widdowson...
Producers and farmers should be aware from December 4th 2000 proposed changes to the Consumer Protection Act will increase their legal responsibility to the general public. This is the date an EU directive is expected to become law. Farmers and growers might be forgiven for thinking their liability, under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and Supply o...
Although the introduction of scratch areas has arguably brought about welfare benefits for the laying hen, it is becoming increasingly apparent that birds are now dying as a direct result of their usage. Smothering problems on the litter may not be well publicised but BFREPA Vice Chairman, John Widdowson, believes it is a problem not just restricte...
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