Poultry Houses Research Articles

EGG PRODUCTIVITY OF HENS DEPENDING ON ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING CONDITIONS PREMISES IN THE AREA OF THEIR KEEPING

Light is one of the technological stimuli affecting the physiological processes and behavioral reactions of hens. Enterprises producing edible eggs on an industrial basis keep laying hens mainly in windowless poultry houses, which are illuminated by various sources of artificial light. At the same time, the intensity of lighting and the duration of the daylight hours control their productivity. Recently, another factor affecting the preservation of laying hens was discovered. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of the production of edible eggs under the influence of the light stimulus on the body of hens caused by keeping them in rooms, the lighting of which is carried out by LED lamps with different light wavelengths. For this purpose, in the conditions of a modern complex for the production of edible eggs, 4 groups of hens were formed, each of which was kept in a separate poultry house-similar in terms of area and cage equipment (12-tier cage batteries of traditional designs). In particular, hens of the 1st group (control) were kept using LED lamps with a light wavelength of ~460 nm, the 2nd group ~600 nm, the 3rd group ~630 nm and the 4th group ~650 nm. It was found that the use of LED lamps with a light wavelength of ~650 nm to illuminate poultry houses during the keeping of egg-cross hens in cages of 12-tier batteries of traditional designs ensures the production of an additional 2.9-15.1 million eggs in 34 weeks of the productive period costing UAH 1.7-39.3 million, than LED lamps with a peak light wavelength of ~460, ~600 and ~630 nm. With the use of LED lamps with a light wavelength of ~650 nm, the preservation of laying hens was 95.5%, i.e. by 0.7-10.2% it exceeded the level achieved with other versions of them with a wavelength of world wavelength (~460-630 nm). At the same time, the cost of production of edible eggs amounted to UAH 1.47/eggs, that is, it was lower by 3.4-17.0%, and the level of profitability was 43.3% (it was higher by 1.7-9.5%).

ИСПЫТАНИЯ КОМБИНИРОВАННОЙ ЭЛЕКТРОУСТАНОВКИ ДЛЯ ОБЕСПЫЛИВАНИЯ И ОБЕЗЗАРАЖИВАНИЯ ВОЗДУХА В ПТИЧНИКЕ

The problem of air pollution in agricultural premises leads to a decrease in the weight gain of animals and poultry, an increase in morbidity, as well as a deterioration in the sanitary working conditions. The air in poultry houses contains dust particles of various origins and sizes, as well as pathogens and harmful gases. Therefore, air purification in poultry premises must be approached comprehensively. An analysis of the air purification installations used in agricultural premises showed that these installations do not have a high efficiency of dedusting and disinfection at the same time. To solve this problem, the authors propose to use a combined electrical installation for air purification, which uses two electrotechnological methods of air purification – electrofiltration and ultraviolet radiation. Tests were carried out on two groups of 35 quail chicks in each group. The chicks were kept in a box according to the cage housing method. Concentration of dust particles in the air of the poultry house was determined with PC-GTA 0.3-002, air parameters and chemical composition – with Meteoscope-M, Testo 440 and H-320 gas analyser. Measurements were taken after 3 hours of operation in the center of the room at a height of 1 m above the floor. The reliability of the results was confirmed by multiple repetitions of studies and reproducibility of the obtained data, the use of conventional methods, devices and mathematical processing of the results. The relationships between the concentration of dust particles, quantity of gas components, and the operating time of the combined electric air-cleaning unit were studied, the effect of air sanitation on the living weight of poultry was determined. It was experimentally established that the use of the hybrid electrical installation in a box with quail chicks led to a decrease in the bactericidal contamination of the room by 59%, the concentration of carbon dioxide by almost 4% and ammonia by 45% as compared with the сontrol box. The use of the proposed installation increased the gain in the live weight of chicken by 20.3% on day 28.

INFLUENCE OF THE SPECTR OF THE LIGHT DURING MEAT-EGGING PULLET REARING ON THE PRODUCTIVE INDICATORS OF THE ADULT POULTRY

One of the insufficiently studied issues in the during of replacement young stock hens young meat-and-egg chickens rearing is the determination of rational parameters of light programs for them. Proceeding from this, research was conducted at the SPRS NAAS to study the effect of the light spectrum in the poultry house during the rearing of replacement young stock of Birkovskiy meat-and-egg chickens on the results of its rearing and the productive indicators of adult birds. 6 groups of Birkovskiy meat-and-egg day-old chicks were formed, during the cultivation of which, respectively, LED lamps (LED) of cold white (4500 K), warm white (3000 K), green, blue and red light, as well as standardized incandescent lamps were used. (IL). At the age of 18 weeks, conditioned chicks were transferred to the poultry house for adult birds, where all of their groups were kept under warm white light (3000 K) with LED. It was found that the replacement young stock grown under green and cold white light (4500 K) at the age of 18 weeks had an advantage in live weight of 78-116 g (P≤0.05) compared to those grown under red light or LED or warm white IL light (2700 K). There were no other statistically significant differences in the main indicators of rearing young stock under light sources with different spectra. The rearing young reared under green and blue light later had a 1.6-1.9 g greater egg mass (P≤0.05) compared to those grown under warm white light LED (3000 K) or IL (2700 K), however, was inferior in egg production and total egg mass yield per initial laying hen to young animals that were grown under cold white (4500 K) light. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups that were grown under the light of different spectra in terms of the yield of hatching eggs and the main indicators of their incubation.

Evaluation of Bioaerosol Samplers for Airborne Escherichia Coli Carried by Poultry Litter Particles

HighlightsThe study demonstrated a methodology to evaluate bioaerosol samplers on collecting Escherichia coli (E. coli) carried by airborne dust.A dry-base aerosolization system was developed for the study.The sampling efficiency of Andersen six-stage impactor and AGI-30 outperformed that of ACD-200 Bobcat.Airborne E. coli might be preferentially aggregated on large particles (> 7.0 µm).Abstract. Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) are frequently recovered in poultry litter and may be transmitted through the air after bird activities create airborne dust. To assess risks of airborne transmission of E. coli carried by dust, efficient bioaerosol samplers under dry aerosolization conditions are required. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of three commonly used bioaerosol samplers, which included an Andersen six-stage impactor, an all-glass impinger (AGI-30), and an ACD-200 Bobcat (Bobcat), for collecting the airborne E. coli carried by dust particles under dry aerosolization condition in a bio-safety chamber. A dry aerosolization system was designed to generate dry bioaerosols for the study. Under the same airborne E. coli concentration with stable environmental conditions including temperature and relative humidity (RH), the E. coli concentrations determined by the three samplers were 5.05±2.08 log10 colony-forming units (CFU) m-3, 5.69±1.92 log10 CFU m-3, and 2.69±0.81 log10 CFU m-3 for Andersen six-stage impactor, AGI-30, and Bobcat, respectively. The results showed that there is no significant difference between Andersen six-stage impactor and AGI-30, while there was a sizeable decrease in the bacteria concentration determined by the Bobcat sampler. The results also showed that airborne E. coli were preferentially aggregated on large particles (> 7.0 µm). This study demonstrated a methodology to evaluate bioaerosol sampler efficiency using dry-base carriers of biological agents which are predominant in poultry houses. The optimal sampler can be used to determine the airborne E. coli loading in commercial poultry houses. Keywords: Airborne transmission, Bioaerosol samplers, Dry aerosolization, E. coli, Poultry.

Vitality and productivity of laying hens under different light flickering frequency of led lamps

The vast majority of modern LED lighting systems for poultry use pulse-width modulation to control illumination in the poultry house. This work studied the vitality and productivity of laying hens under different frequencies of light flickering of LED lamps. The 113-day-old hens of the SP-789 cross were used to form 4 groups of 144 heads each. All groups of chickens were kept in the cage batteries up to 320 days of age, 8 hens per a cage. The light mode was 1L:4D:4L:2D:3L:10D (L-light, D-darkness), the luminance was 10 lx. The lamps in the control group No.1 had no light flickering, while in the experimental groups Nos. 2, 3, and 4 the lamps had light flickering frequencies of 120, 488, and 977 Hz, respectively. The study results showed that in groups Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the livestock livability was 97.2%, 91.7%, 95.8%, and 95.8%; the egg production per the initial hen was 151.7, 144.4, 151.1, and 150.6 pcs., the average egg weight was 59.3, 59.5, 59.0, and 58.8 g; the yield of egg weight per the initial hen was 9.013, 8.635, 8.940, and 8.895 kg; the feed consumption was 1.43, 1.46, 1.39, and 1.40 kg for 10 eggs and 2.40, 2.43, 2.35, and 2.37 kg for 1 kg of egg weight. It was concluded that it is advisable to use LED lamps with light flickering frequency not less than 488 Hz for laying hens.

INFLUENCE OF THE CONDITIONS OF KEEPING LAYING HENS ON THEIR PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY OF FOOD EGG PRODUCTION

In the conditions of industrial production of poultry products, the body of hens is constantly exposed to numerous technological stressors that reduce the level of immunological reactivity of the bird's body, which leads to a decrease in its productivity and significant economic losses. One of these stressors is the increased density of hens. At the same time, increased stocking density is a resourcesaving method in egg production, which is often used to obtain more eggs from available production areas. Therefore, the goal was to study the influence of the density of keeping hens of an industrial herd in modern 12-tier cage batteries on their productivity and the efficiency of production of food eggs. For this, hens were kept in cages of multi-tiered batteries for 44 weeks at different densities, namely 13.3 birds m2, which corresponded to European standards, 24.0 birds/m2 – according to Ukrainian standards, and with increasing overcrowding – 25.3 and 26.7 birds m2 It was found that increasing the density of keeping hens to 25.3 birds /m2 leads to a certain decrease in the viability and productivity of hens and at the same time makes it possible to obtain an additional larger number of eggs per 1 m2 of the poultry house area during the 44-week egg-laying period. In particular, in the experiment, an additional 4.5 million eggs were obtained from each poultry house (1,714 eggs from 1 m2 of its area) compared to domestic norms at a higher level of the European coefficient of efficiency of their production, and 40 million eggs (15,138 eggs from 1 m2 of its area), compared to European norms at the same level of the European coefficient of efficiency of their production. Whereas overdensification up to 26.7 birds/m2 is impractical, as it causes the development of stress in laying hens, the consequences of which are a decrease in survival by 8.9-9.0% and laying by 4.0-5.8%, which leads to a decrease level of the European coefficient of efficiency of egg production by 1.0 units.

DUCK MEAT PRODUCTION TRENDS IN THE WORLD AND IN UKRAINE

In the article, according to international statistics (FAOSTAT), the dynamics of the duck population and the production of duck meat in the world, in Ukraine and in certain countries in the period 2016-2020 are given. It is established that in 2020 the duck population in the world slightly decreased (by 0.75%). At the same time, the largest number of ducks is concentrated in China – 62.7 and 60.6% of the world's population, respectively, in 2016 and 2020. Ukraine took tenth place in this ranking in 2020. With a slight fluctuation in the number of ducks in the world, a tendency to its increase was noted in the production of meat – by 37.8% compared to 2016. However, in Asian countries, ducks are bred not only for meat, but also for eggs, which are used as food. Duck egg consumption is about 10-30% of total egg consumption in China and Southeast Asia. Among the population of South-East Asian countries, such a product as "balyut" is popular, which is prepared using a duck egg with an embryo about 18 days old. Based on the analysis of data from various literary sources, the issue of duck keeping systems in different countries of the world and Ukraine is highlighted. Since ducks belong to waterfowl, along with the intensive technology of keeping them (in closed rooms with a microclimate that is controlled and regulated), extensive technology is also used – using walks, including water ones. In Ukraine, 97.5% of the duck population is kept in public farms, and therefore the main system of their keeping is extensive. The importance of complete feeding of ducks is also indicated, recommendations are given regarding the nutritional value of rations depending on the age of the bird. In Ukraine, the largest farm engaged in the industrial production of duck meat is the Poultry Brood Plant “Korobivskyi” JLLC of the Zolotonosha district of the Cherkasy region. The production of duck meat using intensive technology involves the use of high-production crosses, the keeping of poultry in poultry houses with a regulated microclimate and complex mechanization and automation of technological processes, and the feeding of poultry with complete ration compound feed.

Two-stage evaporative cooling for improving poultry housing environment in Algerian arid zones

Two-stage evaporative cooling for improving poultry housing environment in Algerian arid zones

Knowledge Level of Smallholder Woman Farmers of Poultry Producer Company in Madhya Pradesh

The poultry producer companies provide trainings and extension services to their members. The present study was conducted in 2021-22 in Madhya Pradesh state to assess the impact of poultry Producer Company on knowledge level of smallholder women poultry farmers of company. Ex-post facto research design was used. Multistage sampling was done for the selection of respondents. Data was collected from randomly selected, 140 members and 140 non-members, through a structured interview schedule. Propensity score matching was applied at 0.2 tolerance level, to reduce extraneous variable effect and finally 96 members and 96 non-members respondents were selected for data analysis and interpretation of results. The majority of the members had medium to a high level of knowledge of poultry housing, brooding, litter management and feeding while medium to low level of knowledge of healthcare management, whereas, most non-members had a medium to low level of knowledge of poultry housing, litter management, feeding, and healthcare, and medium to high level of knowledge of brooding. There was a significant difference in knowledge of members and non-members at 0.1% level of significance regarding housing, litter management, and feeding and interpreted as poultry producer company had positive impact on knowledge of member poultry farmers.

CFD MODELING OF MODULAR POULTRY BREEDING

Intensive poultry farming in industrial conditions is carried out mainly in rooms equipped with mechanical ventilation systems. The frequency of body heat stress is constantly increasing due to poor regulation of microclimate parameters, which affects the productivity of birds. Infrared heating systems can be an alternative to traditional heating systems for poultry houses. The purpose of the study is to modernize the method of keeping poultry based on the principle of its sectional breeding. For high-quality and simultaneous breeding of different ages of poultry a modular keeping is offered. The heating system of module is a panel infrared heater. It is intended for local heating of technological area. Design dimensions of the module were determined for reasons of qualitative course of technological process, namely the stocking density of poultry. For a better representation of temperature regime in the module CFD modeling was performed. Fields of velocities, pressures and temperatures were obtained. The air temperature near poultry in the module reached 18.6 ºC, and the average velocity did not exceed 0.75 m/s.

The Effect of Different Litter Materials and Season on litter pH, Atmospheric Ammonia and Foot Burn

In the poultry sector, the live weight per unit area has increased compared to previous years. Due to this live weight increase, foot problems are also increasing. For this reason, it becomes even more important to make the climatic environment suitable for the litter and poultry house. In unsuitable environmental conditions, animal productivity decreases, feed conversion rates decrease, and disease and death rates increase. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different litter materials (wood shavings, rice hulls) and season (winter, spring, summer, autumn) on litter pH, atmospheric ammonia and foot burn (%) in broiler houses connected to an integration in Turkey. The research was carried out in 4 broiler house located in Eşme district of Uşak province. Each of the poultry house in the same region and in the east-west direction has a capacity of 10000 units. Their heating and ventilation systems are similar. In summary rice hulls were effective alternatives to wood shavings as bedding material for reducing the atmospheric ammonia and foot burn (%).

The Effect of Clove Oil Supplementation in Laying Hen Diets on Performance, Egg Quality, Some Blood Parameters, and Yolk TBARS

In this study, it was investigated the effect of clove oil supplementation at increasing levels into laying hens’ diets on performance, egg quality traits, some blood parameters and yolk TBARS (Thiobarbituric Acid Reagent) values. For this purpose 96 Lohman white laying hens, 28 weeks of age, were divided into four treatment groups. Control group was fed with basal diet (C) and treatment groups were fed with diets formed by addition of clove oil at 50 ppm (CO1), 100 ppm (CO2) and 150 ppm (CO3), respectively. During the trial, feed and water were given as ad-libitum, and poultry house was illuminated for 17 hours. Experiment lasted for 13 weeks. Addition clove oil at increasing rates into diet did not affect the live weight. The data analysed as polynomial showed that supplementation of clove oil into layer diet linearly improved feed conversion ratio and increased the egg production. But, daily feed consumption, egg weight, damaged egg ratio and egg quality parameters were not affected by treatments. Serum parameters such as triglyceride, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and calcium were not affected by the clove oil supplementation. TBARS values in C, CO1, and CO2 were found higher than the CO3 group fed with diet including 150 ppm clove oil. In conclusion, clove oil at 150 ppm level in diets of laying hens could be used due to extend the egg shelf life and to decline serum cholesterol content.

Ефективність виробництва харчових яєць за використання для утримання несучок монохромного світла з різною довжиною світлової хвилі

Ефективність виробництва харчових яєць за використання для утримання несучок монохромного світла з різною довжиною світлової хвилі

Aerosol Concentrations and Fungal Communities Within Broiler Houses in Different Broiler Growth Stages in Summer.

Fungal aerosols in broiler houses are important factors that can harm the health of human beings and broiler. To determine the composite characteristics and changes in fungal aerosols in broiler houses during different broiler growth stages in summer. We analyzed the species, concentration and particle diameter distribution characteristics of the aerosols in poultry houses using an Andersen sampler and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) high-throughput sequencing technology. The concentration of fungal aerosols in the poultry houses increased as the ages of the broiler increased, which was also accompanied by gradual increases in the variety and diversity indices of the fungal communities in the air of the poultry houses. During the entire broiler growth period, the dominant genera in the fungal aerosols in the poultry houses included Trichosporon, Candida, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Alternaria. These fungi may be harmful to the health of poultry and human beings, so permanent monitoring of microbial air quality in chicken houses is necessary.

Influence of light wavelength on viability and reproductive function of hens

The article presents the results of influence of monochrome light with different light wavelengths on the hens’ viability and productivity. For this purpose, in the conditions of a modern complex for production of food eggs in a poultry house with an area of 2915 m2, 4 groups of hens of the industrial herd “Hy-Line W-36” were formed, each of which was kept in a separate poultry house similar in area and cage equipment. Each poultry house was equipped with “Big Dutchman” cage batteries, consisting of 1176 cages with an area of 40544 cm2. The differences between the poultry houses applied only to LED lamps. Hens of the 1st group were kept using LED lamps with a peak light wavelength of 458 nm (blue color of the spectrum), the 2nd group – 603 nm (yellow color of the spectrum), the 3rd group – 632 nm (orange color of the spectrum) and 4 groups – 653 nm (red color of the spectrum). Every day, for 34 weeks of the productive period (up to 52 weeks of age), the number of eggs laid by the laying hens of each group was determined. The number of hatched hens (due to death and culling) was also counted daily and the number of livestock was determined. Once a week, the weight of eggs and live weight of laying hens were measured from certain labeled cages. It was found that the reduction of the wavelength of light during the keeping of hens in the cages of multi-tiered batteries affects their viability and reproductive function. The decrease in the peak wavelength from 653 to 632 nm, which was manifested by a change in the color of light from red to orange, was accompanied by a decrease in the preservation by 0.3 %, body weight – by 0.8 %, egg laying on the initial laying – by 3.1 %, egg-laying per average laying hen – by 2.8 % and feed costs – by 0.2 %. The decrease in the peak wavelength to 603 nm, that is the change in the color of light from red and orange to yellow, was accompanied by a decrease in the preservation by 6.4–6.7 %, body weight – by 0.5–1.3 %, egg production by initial laying hen – by 7.1–10.0 %, laying hens on the average laying hen – by 0.4–3.2 % and feed costs – by 2.0–2.1 %. The decrease in the peak wavelength to 458 nm, that is the change in light color from red, orange and yellow to blue, was accompanied by a decrease in the preservation by 3.2–9.9 %, body weight – by 5.2–6.5 %, laying hens per initial laying hen – by 6.4–15.8 %, laying hens per middle laying hen – by 2.9–6.0 % and feed costs – by 1.0–3.1 %.

Реалізація потенційної продуктивності курей за впливу величини угрупування

The parameters of the group size of laying hens of the industrial herd in cages are not provided by current domestic standards, and according to the recommendations of the cross developer should be at least 7 birds, although in practice they reach 100 birds, so they need to be clarified when using 12-tier cage batteries. The aim of the research was to study the influence of the group size of hens on their productivity with the same density of laying hens in similar cages by design. To do this, in a modern complex for the production of eggs we formed 4 groups of hens, each of which was kept in a separate poultry house-analogue in area and equipment, equipped with 12-tier cage batteries, the size of the cages in which differed. The hens’ group in each cage of the 1st group contained 93 birds, the 2nd group — 52 birds, the 3rd — 17 birds and 4th — 9 birds. It was found that the maximum realization of laying hens productivity of modern white-egg crosses during their keeping in cages of 12-tier cage batteries was observed for the 52–93 hens’ groups which allows for a 44-week period of use to receive an additional 13.3–48.2 million eggs from each poultry house (4.5–16.5 thousand eggs per 1 m2 of its area) compared to the group size 9 hens, at the highest level of the European coefficient of efficiency of their production by 1.6–2.8 units. It is shown that the group size 17 hens is insufficient for the formation of a strategy of social tolerance in hens and is accompanied by stressful conditions, which are manifested in a decrease in the preservation by 1.7–2.1%, body weight — by 2.6–3.4 %, laying on the initial laying hen — by 3.9–8.4% and on the average laying hen — by 4.3–4.4%, as well as a reduction in feed costs by 1.5–1.6%, which leads to a decrease in gross output eggs by 4.4–39.3 million eggs and egg mass — by 291.9–2508.6 tons from each poultry house, including 1.5–13.5 thousand eggs and 100.1–860.6 kg per 1 m2 of its area, reducing the yield of egg mass per initial laying hen by 0.7–1.5 kg with a decrease in the level of the European coefficient of efficiency of egg production by 1.0–2.2 units. While the keeping of laying hens in groups of 9 hens causes the development of chronic stress through the formation of a system of stable hierarchy and possible despotic behavior, the consequences of which are a decrease in preservation by 4.4–6.5%, body weight — by 2.1-5.4%, egg production at the primary — by 2, 8–11.0% and for the average laying — by 3.8–8.0%, as well as a decrease in feed costs by 2.0–3.6%, which causes a decrease in the gross yield of eggs by 8.9–48, 2 million eggs and egg mass — by 552.0–3060.5 tons from each poultry house, including 3.0–16.5 thousand eggs and 189.4–1050.0 kg from 1 m2 of its area, reduction of egg yield per initial laying hen by 0.4–1.9 kg with a decrease in the level of the European coefficient of egg production efficiency by 0.6–2.8 units.

In vitro evaluation of a cysteine protease from poultry red mites, Demanyssus gallinae, as a vaccine antigen for chickens

Poultry red mites (PRMs, Dermanyssus gallinae) are hematophagous ectoparasites that negatively affect egg production, which causes serious economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Currently, the emergence of acaricide-resistant PRMs has impeded PRM control in poultry farms. Several alternatives for acaricide use have been described for managing PRM-caused problems. Vaccination is among the methods for controlling PRMs in poultry houses. Currently, several candidates for vaccine antigens have been identified. This study identified a cysteine protease, Deg-CPR-2, which differs from 2 other previously reported cysteine proteases in PRMs, from previously obtained data from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. We investigated the characteristics of Deg-CPR-2 and assessed its efficacy as a vaccine antigen in vitro. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Deg-CPR-2 belonged to a different cluster from those of other cysteine proteases in PRMs. This cluster also included cathepsin L-like proteases, enzymes thought to be involved in hemoglobin digestion in ticks. Expression analysis revealed Deg-CPR-2 expression in midguts and all the life-stages; however, there were differences in the expression levels across the life-stages. The enzyme activity of recombinant Deg-CPR-2 was inhibited in the presence of a cysteine protease inhibitor, which suggests that Deg-CPR-2 functions as a cysteine protease in PRMs. Finally, there was an in vitro increase in the mortality of PRMs, mainly protonymphs that were artificially fed with plasma from chickens immunized with Deg-CPR-2. These findings suggest that Deg-CPR-2 may contribute to protein digestion in the midgut of PRMs and is crucially involved in physiological processes in PRMs. Additionally, immunization with Deg-CPR-2 may reduce the number of protonymphs, and Deg-CPR-2 should be considered as a candidate antigen for anti-PRM vaccine development.

Prospects for the Use of Digital Technologies in the Work of a Poultry Zootechnician

Digitalization of technological processes makes it possible to optimize the cost for the poultry products. The low level of digitalization in determining the state of the poultry livestock is due to a significant amount of organoleptic research in the work of a zootechnician-poultry breeder. The absence of numerical indicators of controlled parameters entails a subjective assessment, limits the amount of information when transmitting data via electronic communication channels, complicates the process of training specialized personnel, reduces the efficiency of resources consumed (feed, heat and electricity, and others). (Research purpose) The research purpose is to study the prospects of digitalization of the functions of zootechnics in the optimization of technological processes of poultry farming. (Materials and methods) For the research, there were used documentary research, data analysis, and search experiments. (Results and discussion) The shortcomings of existing methods of determining the quality and comfort of livestock maintenance and its condition were revealed by the example of current recommendations on the content of highly productive meat of cross chickens. The following components of keeping poultry have the potential for optimization: maintaining the microclimate in the poultry house, veterinary care, wages, repair of fixed assets. The large amounts of digital data obtained by instrumental means for monitoring zootechnical indicators of poultry have the wide using possibilities. (Conclusions) The article presents a list of technical analogues of organoleptic control methods based on the use of thermal imaging equipment, video analytics, acoustic sensors, indirect signs using traditional technical control data. The article proposes an algorithm for processing large data arrays, which allows to increase the optimization of technological processes. Described modern technical solutions in the field of agricultural automation have wide prospectives.

The Effectiveness of Cherry Leaf Extract (Muntingia calabura L) as an Anti-Bacterial Against Hatchability of Kub Chicken Eggs in Artificial Hatchery

The present study aimed to determine the effect of cherry leaf extract (Muntingia calabura L) on hatchability of Balitnak Superior Free Range Chickens (KUB) through artificial hatching. The doses of cherry leaf extract used in this study were 0%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The hatching eggs used came from KUB hens that were intensively reared in the poultry house at UPBS BPTP, North Sumatra. The procedures applied in this study were collection of hatching eggs, fumigation of machines and equipment, setting of machines and hatching eggs, egg washing with cherry leaf extract and hatching of eggs for 21 days. During the hatching process, observations were made on predetermined variables. The observed variables were egg shape index, egg weight loss, shell temperature and hatchability. The method used was completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 100 replications. The results showed that the hatching egg shape index in this study was 75,77 – 77,05%. The lowest egg weight loss was at P0 (0%), while the largest weight loss was at P2 (15%). The highest hatchability was observed in P1 (10%) at 84%. The most effective P1 treatment resulted in the highest egg hatchability in the present study.

Research Note: Bacterial composition of settled dust during growout of broiler chickens

Dust present in poultry houses can disseminate bacteria in air and deposit them on surfaces. This study evaluated bacteria in settled dust during growout of broilers from 2 flocks (Flocks A and B). Dust samples for bacteria analyses were obtained during 6 wk of growout (Flocks A and B) and 1 wk after flock termination (Flock B) by environmental swabbing and collecting dust in petri dishes from multiple locations inside the poultry house. For weekly swabbing, dust deposited during each wk of the sampling period (noncumulatively, n = 12/wk) and cumulatively (n = 12/wk) throughout the sampling period was collected. Swabbed dust samples were analyzed for counts (log10 CFU/28 cm2) of aerobic bacteria, E. coli, coliforms, and Salmonella recovery. For petri dish dust collection, dust was collected in weekly and bi-weekly time spans during the sampling period and then analyzed for Salmonella recovery. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Fisher's Exact Test and means were separated using LSD. Only aerobic plate counts changed over time in dust during growout (Flocks A and B; P < 0.0001). In noncumulatively settled dust, aerobic bacteria (Flocks A and B; P < 0.0001), E. coli (Flock A; P = 0.0432), and coliforms (Flock B; P = 0.0303) varied during growout with peak counts on wk 5 or wk 6, wk 4, and wk 4, respectively, after bird placement. Salmonella recovery did not vary in cumulatively (3/72, 10/84) and noncumulatively (0/12, 10/84) settled dust during growout in both flocks. In dust sampled by bi-weekly collection in petri dishes, Salmonella recovery was highest (5/6) between wk 2 to wk 4 for Flock B (P = 0.0118). Overall, this study displayed that settled dust bacteria levels can fluctuate during broiler growout, and dust can contain Salmonella.