Poultry Value Chain

In the livestock sector in India, poultry farming holds a prominent position owing to its impressive growth led by the private sector. Poultry sector has shown rapid growth, with chicken meat growing at an average annual growth rate of 9% and eggs growing at 6% from 2000–01 to 2018–19 (DAHD DAHD (2020) Basic animal husbandry statistics 2020. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Government of India). The recent steady growth in domestic demand for chicken meat has made it possible to increase production with a ready market putting India among the top poultry producers in the world. India was the third-largest egg producer after China and the USA with a production of 88 billion eggs and fifth-largest chicken meat producer with a production of 3.5 million tonnes during 2017–18 (FAOSTAT (2018) Food and Agriculture data. Retrieved from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data). This transformation in the poultry sector was led by the commercial poultry industry which contributes about 80% of the total poultry production. The other 20% is produced by the traditional backyard poultry. The broiler industry is concentrated in the southern and western states and accounts for a major share of total output. Similarly, the layer industry is dominated by well-developed states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, accounting for nearly 60% of the production (DAHDF (2017) National Action Plan for Egg & Poultry-2022 for Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Government of India.). Commercial poultry farming is yet to make a dent in more populous states like Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

Baseline Assessment of Poultry Production, Pharmaceutical Product Use, and Related Challenges on Commercial Poultry Flocks in Kano and Oyo States of Nigeria

Poultry production is a major component of the livestock sector in Nigeria and continues to expand rapidly; however, it is still constrained by low productivity. A farm survey was conducted to provide a baseline assessment of poultry production (products generated, farm costs, and revenue), pharmaceutical use, and related challenges faced by farmers on 44 commercial poultry farms in Oyo and Kano states of Nigeria. Live spent layers, eggs, and used beddings were the most frequently sold products for revenue. Antibiotic products were widely used, the most reported were Doxygen, Tylosin, and Conflox. Overall, 40% of farms used feed additives (including toxin binders, minerals, and vitamins) and 12% used coccidiostats. Access to pharmaceutical products was a key challenge and appeared to disproportionally affect farmers in the northern part (Kano) of Nigeria. Other challenges included perceived antibiotic ineffectiveness, high cost of drugs, and long distances to pharmaceutical suppliers. Challenges related to vaccine use were unavailability, distance to the supplier, and health issues interfering with the vaccination schedule. Study findings highlight the need for improved access to veterinary pharmaceuticals, particularly in the northern states. Further investigations into the causes of antibiotic ineffectiveness and strategies for distribution of high-quality, effective pharmaceuticals are also necessary.

Sustainability of Rearing System Using Multicriteria Analysis: Application in Commercial Poultry Production

The aim of the present study was to develop a multicriteria model for the comparison of three commercial poultry farms: organic with Ross 308 genotype (OR), organic with Naked Neck genotype (ONN) and a conventional system (C), which represents the most common commercial farming system. A model based on multicriteria decision analysis was developed, considering for the first time the One Welfare approach in an operational manner, including three dimensions: human, environmental and animal welfare. The three alternatives demonstrated different performances, according to the different dimensions considered. In particular, the two organic systems performed better for human welfare and animal welfare, with relevant differences due to the genetic strains used. Conventional rearing performed better for the environment index due to the method chosen. The multicriteria analysis showed that the organic system performed better overall than the conventional system. In particular, the use of an adapted Slow Growing (SG) strain positively affected the final rank, mainly by reducing welfare problems and producing good economic and social performance. The stability of the results was verified by performing a sensitivity analysis, specifically a weight stability analysis, which confirmed the strength of results.

Short Communication: PCR detection of Avibacterium paragallinarum from layers with infectious coryza symptoms in poultry farms of Sleman District, Indonesia

Fauziah I, Asmara W, Wahyuni AETH, Widayanti R. 2021. Short Communication: PCR detection of Avibacterium paragallinarum from layers with infectious coryza symptoms in poultry farms of Sleman District, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4890-4894. Infectious coryza (IC), caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum, is a contagious and infectious respiratory tract disease that affects the commercial poultry industry. Molecular techniques, such as species-specific PCR, HPG-2 PCR are mostly used for the detection of A. paragallinarum. The current research was carried out to isolate A. paragallinarum from the layers of infectious coryza signs in Sleman District, special region of Yogyakarta, followed by PCR confirmation of the identified bacteria. Nine field isolates were observed and determined based on their colony and cell morphology. All isolates were characterized biochemically and confirmed with species-specific HPG-2 PCR for A. paragallinarum. Out of 9 isolates, 6 (66.7%) isolates were biochemically identified as A. paragallinarum and confirmed by HPG-2 PCR.

An Economical Impact of Newcastle Disease Outbreaks in Various Commercial Broiler Chicken Farms During 2020-21 in Gujarat, India

Among the disease challenge, the Newcastle disease (ND) is the second most deadly viral infection and considered a very serious problem for poultry production in many countries. Outbreaks of the ND have a tremendous impact on the backyard as well as intensively reared commercial poultry farming and are considered as an unending agony of poultry farmers. During the study was observed that currently circulating NDV is viscerotropicvelogenic in nature and responsible for the outbreaks recorded in most of the vaccinated sampled commercial broiler farms which ultimately resulted in a huge economical impact on poultry farmers.