Commercial Poultry Houses Research Articles

Efficacy of Field-Isolated Strains of Beauveria bassiana (Moniliales: Moniliaceae) as Microbial Control Agents of the Lesser Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Two field isolates (NC2 and NC3) of Beuveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin were evaluated as microbial control agents of the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), in a bioassay system incorporating physical characteristics of commercial poultry houses. Both isolates produced >90% mortality in new litter against larval A. diaperinus at the highest application rate (2.37 × 1011conidia per square meter) 2 wk after application. Neither isolate achieved as high a rate of mortality in used litter. Adult A. diaperinus were less susceptible than larvae to these isolates. At the highest application rate (2.37 × 1011conidia per square meter), isolate NC2 conidia achieved 60%mortality of adults in new litter and 33%mortality in old litter. The same concentration of isolate NC3 conidia produced 68 and 33% mortality in new and used litter, respectively.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps Under Commercial Poultry House Conditions

The light output and lamp life of compact fluorescent (CF) lamps placed in three commercial caged-layer poultry facilities were studied. Only 7- and 9-watt CF lamps were used. This study revealed that the 7-watt lamp maintained 82% of its original light output with 34% of the lamps still operating after 23,000 hr of on time. The 9-watt lamps maintained 71.84% of their original light output with 34% of the lamps still operating after more than 23,000 hr of on time. The mean failure rate for both 7- and 9-watt lamps was 21,480 hr with no ballast failures.

Commercial High Rise Houses

Ophyra aenescens (Weidemann), a facultative predator, was mass reared at a commercial egg farm and released into the manure pits of six high rise controlled environment cage layer poultry houses as part of a four year/five phase integrated pest management (IPM) program to control house flies. The phases included: 1) monitoring house flies in each house to determine when the house fly population exceeded a fly nuisance threshold (FNT); 2) manure management; 3) release of mass reared predators; 4) use of insecticide bait panels containing 1% methomyl; and 5) treatment of feed with cyromazine if the FNT was exceeded. The IPM program was implemented from April 1987 to September 1990. It was compared to a standard control program used in 1986, in which synergized pyrethrin sprays, fly baits and cyromazine feed additives were applied to four houses. The cost of this latter program was $15,689.63. the cost of the IPM program was $3,082.10 per year for all six houses. It was concluded that on site mass rearing of O. aenescens was a feasible and economical program to help control house flies in commercial high rise poultry houses.

Control of House Flies in Commercial Poultry Houses in Connecticut

Abstract Relative numbers of adult house flies, as measured by mean numbers of fly specks/12.1 sq cm/day, were significantly correlated with frequency of manure removal. Values were ≤3.6 and ≥6.2 specks, respectively, when manure was removed 4 or more times and 0 to 2 times within 3 weeks. House flies were markedly reduced on two farms 21 to 25 days after LarvadexTM was added to feed at rates of 453 g per 907 kg (1 lb/ton) of feed. Mean numbers of fly specks declined from as high as 12.1 to less than .1 after 1 month of treatment. Flies remained at relatively low levels for up to 6 weeks after LarvadexTM had been removed from the feed. However, on one of these farms, LarvadexTM was ineffective 1½ years after treatment was initiated, and it never was effective on a third farm. Reasons for unsatisfactory control are not understood. At farms where flies were not adequately controlled, quantities of LarvadexTM in premix and blended feeds were lower than or equal to amounts stated (premix, .3%) and recommended (blended feed, 1.5 ppm) on the label. Residues of LarvadexTM were rarely found in eggs and were not at all detectable in chicken meat of birds fed LarvadexTM for 4 weeks or more.

Survival of Coccidia in Poultry Litter and Reservoirs of Infection

The survival of coccidia was studied in poultry litter, dust, soil, and invertebrate animals. The populations of coccidia in litter were recorded during broiler growout in 16 broiler houses and in floor-pen trials involving anticoccidial drugs. The viability of oocysts declined rapidly in poultry litter regardless of the species; it was retained best in 40% moisture at 4 C. Sporocysts from broken oocytes did not survive even short exposure to poultry litter. Survival of oocysts was poorest at temperatures higher than 4 C, regardless of the carrier. In four floor-pen experiments designed to study the efficacy of anticoccidial drugs, the oocyst counts correlated in a general way with lesion scores and performance, indicating the oocyst counts might be useful along with other parameters to judge the effectiveness of drugs. Coccidia were transmitted to susceptible chicks by feeding them darkling beetles, flies, or house dust from poultry houses. More carrier samples were positive during the warmer months. Oocyst counts in litter of commercial poultry houses were very low during the first or last weeks of broiler growout but were high during the normal 3-to-6-week stress period. These results confirm the poor survival of oocysts in poultry litter and suggest that carryover from one flock to the next depends on the survival of a few oocysts in dust or arthropod vectors.

Control of Manure Breeding Flies in a Poultry House with Larvadex Granules, 1981

Abstract Larvadex, granules and topical sprays (an insect growth inhibitor) were tested in a commercial poultry house at Belleville, Pennsylvania to determine their effectiveness in controlling manure breeding flies. The 200 x 40 ft, 2-story structure, housed breeding flocks for the production of hatching eggs on each level. Testing was done on the lower level only. The birds were removed and house thoroughly cleaned in mid-July. On Aug 5-6, 11,200 19-week-old birds were moved into the house: 3,840 on the lower ievel. The floor plan consisted of 2/3 slats (manure collected underneath) with a center isle pit containing wood shavings litter. Feeders and waterers were located above the slatted floors. Ventilation was provided with open windows, covered with chicken wire. The slatted floor was divided into 35 equal sized sections, each containing a waterer. Four treatments, replicated 5 times, were made on Aug 17, 31, Sep 14, 28, and Oct 12. Treatments consisted of Larvadex 2.3% granules (30 g ai), ( 60 g ai), topical application of Larvadex 0.1% spray (1 gal/100 sq ft) and untreated controls. Slatted floor sections were temporarily removed and granules and spray were applied to 9 sq ft of manure surface directly under each waterer. The remaining 15 untreated sections, not included in the study, were treated with Larvadex 0.1% sprays on Aug 24, Sep 14, and Oct 4. Changes in fly population were monitored by counting the number of flies that emerged from 12 oz weekly manure cores removed from each section. Each manure core was held for 3 weeks in a university growth chamber at 30°C.

Growth performance of broilers fed on diets containing processed poultry wastes

1. Broilers were grown on diets containing processed poultry wastes: dehydrated broiler litter, with (DBLA) or without (DBLN) arsenical residues, “in‐house” dried waste (IHDW) and dehydrated layer waste (DLW), all from commercial poultry houses. 2. Wastes were included at 100 g/kg in starter and finisher diets given, in most cases, from 0 to 8 weeks. In formulation the contents of true protein and of experimentally‐determined metabolisable energy values were used to ensure nutritional balance. 3. Body weight at 8 weeks with inclusion of wastes was equivalent to control (DLW) or increased (DBLA, DBLN). The gain: food ratio was reduced by the two layer wastes because of increased food consumption. Litter moisture was increased by the feeding of wastes.

Efficacy of Lincomycin Feed Medication for the Control of Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler-type Chickens

Necrotic enteritis was reproduced in two trials, conducted in a penned researchtype broiler facility, by growing broiler-type chickens on litter obtained from a commercial poultry house which had experienced a chronic necrotic enteritis mortality problem. In each trial, various concentrations of lincomycin in feed were evaluated for effectiveness in controlling necrotic enteritis. Lincomycin was evaluated at concentrations of 2 to 100 g./ton in Trial 1 and at concentrations of 2 and 4 g./ton in Trial 2. In each trial, non-lincomycin medicated control groups were also included. Each trial included six treatment groups each consisting of four 60-bird replicates. The coccidiostat used in all groups in Trial 1 and in four of the six treatment groups of Trial 2 was the same as had been used on the farm which the litter had been obtained. No other medications were used in any groups.Clinical coccidiosis due to Eimeria brunetti and E. maxima was prevalent in both trials. Birds receiving lincomycin at a concentration of 2 g./ton, or higher, showed a significant reduction in mortality from necrotic enteritis when compared to birds in coccidiostat-control pens not receiving lincomycin medication. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from the litter in all pens and from the livers of birds dying from necrotic enteritis.

The disinfecting activity of methyl bromide on various microbes and infected materials under controlled conditions.

Summary: Various micro‐organisms were exposed to methyl bromide (MeBr) gas at concentrations of 20–40 mg/l for 20 h at 25°. A significant reduction was obtained in the number of viable bacteria and Aspergillus fumigatus spores, both in the dry form and in semifluid faeces, but no reduction was detected either in dried Bacillus subtilis spores or in one of the bacteriophages tested. The investigation indicates that MeBr is less effective against certain viruses, bacteria and fungi than against coccidial oocysts. The results suggest that fumigation of commercial poultry houses with these concentrations of MeBr may not, in all circumstances, provide the overall reduction of poultry pathogens desired.

Odor Transport by Particulate Matter in High Density Poultry Houses

MODERN commercial high density poultry houses contain high concentrations of airborne particulate matter. Concentrations as high as 1.16 mg. per cubic foot of air have been reported (Anderson et al., 1966). This concentration is twenty-five times greater than the maximum reported in urban atmospheres (Wolfe et al., 1967). Smith and O’Meara (1965) found that the concentration of particulate matter in a poultry house was related to the bodily activity of the birds; the greater the activity, the greater the concentration of airborne particulates. The particulate matter consists of fecal matter, feed particles, as well as feather and epidermal fragments (Koon et al., 1963; and Smith and O’Meara, 1964).Day and Lebeda (1964) found that particulate matter collected from the atmosphere of a swine confinement building was odoriferous. Gas chromatographic analyses were performed on an extract of the dust. Several very volatile, low molecular weight compounds were found. These were not…

Effect of Dust and Ammonia Air Contamination on Turkey Response

Turkeys were subjected to two levels of dust and ammonia air contamination in accordance with a 2 x 2 factorial design. Three trials, each of 12 weeks duration, were completed under controlled conditions similar to those found in commercial poultry housing. The incidence of airsacculitis at slaughter was found to be significantly affected by the dust air pollution. Increasing the dust contamination from the low level considered in this study to the high level caused more than double the rate of airsacculitis. No effect of ammonia on airsacculitis was detected. Also, interaction between dust and ammonia was not significant. Mortality rates and feed conversion of the turkeys were not affected by the dust and ammonia treatments. Birds exposed to the high dust and ammonia concentrations showed considerable loss of cilia from the epithelium lining the trachea.

The Adverse Effects of Ammonia on Chickens Including Resistance to Infection with Newcastle Disease Virus

Ammonia is a colorless, highly irritant gas with a specific gravity of 0.597. It is one of the products of bacterial deamination or reduction of nitrogenous substances. Recent changes in poultry management, such as winter rearing in confinement, reuse of litter, and an absence of roosts, have led to conditions favoring the continual release of ammonia from the litter into the air of the birds' environment. Anderson et al. (2) reported that reduced ventilation during winter months led to concentrations of ammonia as high as 50-100 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere of some commercial poultry houses in the North Central states. Bullis et al. (5) reported a keratoconjunctivitis of chickens observed in the diagnostic laboratory of the University of Massachusetts in 1943. The birds showed corneal lesions, a marked photophobia, rubbing of the eyes, and slight lacrimation. Reports from the flock owners on conditions associated with the outbreaks, together with the fact that no infectious agent could be demonstrated, suggested that the cause was environmental, particularly the ammonia in the houses. Faddoul and Ringrose (8) reproduced experimentally an ocular disorder clinically resembling, if not identical with, naturally occurring keratoconjunctivitis by exposing chickens for 5 weeks to a concentration of ammonia of 0.2%/o by volume (2000 ppm). Experimental ammonia gas poisoning in rabbits and cats was studied by Boyd et al. (4). They found that the naso-buccopharynx acted as a partial filter of ammonia, protecting the