Poultry Transport Research Articles

Taking the stress out of transport - indices of physiological stress in transit

Currently, in excess of 650 million broiler chickens are produced per annum in the UK.The rearing of these animals on large numbers of geographically dispered sites necessitates their transportation to centralised processing plants for slaughter. Birds are transported in containers in which behaviour, including any thermoregulatory component, will be restricted. The design of the container and the vehicle and the external climatic conditions will have profound effects upon the immediate environment of the birds. In transit they may be exposed to a variety of potential stressors including the thermal demands of this transport microenvironment, motion, acceleration, vibration, impacts, fasting, withdrawal of water, social disruption and noise. The adverse effects of these factors and their combinations may range from discomfort and mild aversion to death. Mortalities in transit are generally 0.4% or less but this may represent approximately 2 million birds per annum in the UK. It is estimated that up to 40% of the mortalities observed at the processing plant are a consequence of “stress”. It is thus essential from the standpoints of both animal welfare and productivity to optimise commercial poultry transport conditions and to provide the sound scientific basis for legislation relating to vehicles and transport practices. Although examination of the existing literature reveals that thermal stress is acknowledged as a major hazard during animal transportation it has been poorly characterised under practical conditions and the interactions between the animals and the complex thermal microenvironments clearly require more rigorous analyses.

Decontamination of Poultry Transport Cages

Research has shown that broiler transport cages are an important bacteriological link between broiler production and processing facilities. Development of an adequate disinfection system is needed to eliminate or decrease the level of Salmonella entering the processing plant. A laboratory-sized model to simulate actual field conditions was designed and constructed. Sample pieces of contaminated poultry crating were tested in the system at different water temperatures, with and without sodium hypochlorite disinfectant, and with and without the presence of organic matter in the water bath. Regression equations were developed to estimate the Salmonella kill on different cage construction materials (i.e., steel, fiberglass, and wood). Experimental results indicated that varying amounts of sodium hypochlorite at different water temperatures were needed to kill Salmonella on different materials. Galvanized steel pieces were decontaminated at 55 C and 500 ppm Clorox; fiberglass pieces at 55 C and 1000 ppm Clorox and wood pieces were not decontaminated under the conditions tested.

Prediction of Residual Chlorine in a Poultry Crate Disinfection System

This study was initiated to find better ways to disinfect poultry transport cages contaminated with Salmonella. A disinfection system was designed and constructed to simulate actual field conditions. Chicken wastes (manure, dirt, feathers) were mixed into the water bath of the model. Varying levels of sodium hypochlorite were added at different water temperatures for evaluation in the presence of organic materials. Results showed that residual chlorine decreased rapidly during the first 2 h of each treatment and then more slowly after 3 h, depending on the water/sludge temperature. Regression equations were developed to estimate residual chlorine at different water temperatures. These results provide important guidance for managers of crate disinfection operations.

Road transportation of broiler chickens: induction of physiological stress

The potentially harmful effects of adverse environmental conditions during the transport of poultry and their welfare consequences are of political and public concern as well as being important in ...

Aerodynamics of poultry transporters: implications for environmental control

It is known that the internal thermal microenvironments on poultry transport vehicles vary widely between journeys and according to position within the load on individual journeys. These variations...

A System for Disinfecting Poultry Transport Cage Samples

A disinfection system was designed and constructed to sterilize sample pieces of poultry transport crate materials. In the disinfection system, fecal material was mixed into the water of a test tank to simulate conditions typically occurring in crate washing systems in poultry processing plants. Sodium hypochlorite was added to water to disinfect samples. Results indicated that galvanized steel samples could be disinfected at 600 ppm chlorine concentrations and 438 C water temperatures, which suggests that this type of system could be used for rapid, efficient decontamination of poultry transport.

Modifications of Processing Methods to Control Salmonella in Poultry

Salmonellae are ubiquitous in our environment. The organism seems to have adapted to changes in its environment; it has survived improvements in sanitation practices, chemical treatments, and antibacterial drugs. Salmonellae can be introduced into the poultry production cycle through the hatchery, feed, broiler house, rodents, and man. Once colonized in one broiler, the organism can be shared with other broilers, either internally or externally. The poultry transport container provides an avenue for organisms to transfer from one broiler’s excrement to at least the feathers of other broilers. Much effort has been expended on research and development by equipment manufacturers and researchers to improve the microbiological quality of poultry carcasses. Innovations such as spray scalding, automation of eviscerating process, provision of handwash nozzles for manual work stations, immersion chilling, and cooling of carcasses packed in plastic bags offer possibilities for reducing microbial loads on carcasses.

Detection of Listeria spp. in faeces from animals, in feeds, and in raw foods of animal origin

Thirty-nine samples of feeds and 79 faecal samples were collected at seven different dairy farms, at some of which the cows were suffering from Listeria mastitis. Faecal samples were also collected from poultry on a dairy farm and from cages used for transportation of poultry to slaughter. Also neck-skin samples were taken from 17 carcasses of dressed poultry, and five samples of scalding and chilling water at a poultry slaughterhouse. Finally, 67 samples of minced beef were collected from retail shops. The overall results show that approximately 82% of the feed samples harboured Listeria spp. and 62% Listeria monocytogenes. The faecal samples showed that 67% harboured Listeria spp. and 51% L. monocytogenes. In the minced beef samples, Listeria spp. could be demonstrated in 67% and L. monocytogenes in 28%. Of the faecal samples from poultry, 33% harboured Listeria spp. and also 33% L. monocytogenes. Listeria spp. were detected in 94% of the poultry neck-skin samples, and L. monocytogenes in 47%. Almost all L. monocytogenes from faeces and feeds agglutinated Listeria antisera against serotypes 1–4, while only 71% of the strains from minced beef agglutinated the same antisera. The high prevalence of positive findings indicates that the isolation method used is suitable for detection Listeria spp. in heavily contaminated material as well as in foods with low bacterial counts.

Transportation of Poultry

Transportation of poultry is such an every day occurrence that few people give it a second thought. However, it is an event which can cause serious distress to the bird and some may die as a direct...

Newcastle Disease—A Review of the Geographical Incidence and Epizootiology

SummaryThe geographical incidence of Newcastle disease has changed markedly since 1962. New features have appeared. These include the appearance of a virulent and highly diffusible strain of virus. Another feature present in North and South America has been the occurrence of the classical type of virulent virus, causing marked intestinal lesions.It is clear that more information is needed on the part played by free-flying psittacines and other birds in their native environment.Although the classic methods of spread have been studied, nevertheless, initial outbreaks of undetermined origin have been reported from a number of countries. Whether these outbreaks are the result of infection from free-flying migratory birds has not been determined. Another cause of spread of Newcastle disease virus is the rapid movement by air transport of both domestic poultry and smaller birds caught in the wild.If birds are to continue to be transported in large numbers, corresponding quarantine measures involving strict procedures must be established by the importing countries.

An Evaluation of the Dry-Pack and Ice-Pack for Storing Fresh Broilers

AT PRESENT, the majority of fresh eviscerated poultry on the market is shipped from the processor to the retailer packed in ice. The ice-pack does an acceptable job in maintaining the quality of the carcass, but has some distinct disadvantages. For this reason, consideration has been given to the use of a dry-pack condition for transportation or storage of fresh poultry. However, limited information is available on maintaining of carcass quality with the dry-pack method using processing and marketing procedures in Canada.LITERATURE REVIEWThe necessity of merchandising a high quality fresh fryer has been demonstrated by Brant et al. (1965). They found freshness, plumpness and skin colour rated highly as quality factors. Carcass quality was maintained by keeping the carcasses cool and moist during shipment and storage.Baker (1957) found no important differences in the bacterial counts of dry-packed and ice-packed broiler halves, either with or without chlortetracycline (CTC)…