Treasurer's Report

I write this short report from my ‘biosecure nest.’ It is with relief that I report that while some members of the WPSA flock have experienced COVID-19 in their families, all are fully recovered or recovering. I would like to think that the biosecurity practices we have taught in the poultry industry, have made us excellent students and early adopters of COVID-19 prevention and treatment practices.

Your WPSA Executive Committee has continued to work at home. Our travel wings remain clipped and we are doing our best to keep in communication with Branches and individual members. I am delighted to report that the Secretary of the Bolivia Branch, Fernando Peña Torrez, has initiated a programme to increase WPSA’s visibility and service-to-members in Latin and South America. Details on his programme will be described in upcoming newsletters.

May you and your family end 2020 in safety, and start the New Year in good health and with the hope of effective COVID-19 vaccinations for all who need them.Dr Francine Bradley, Treasurer

WG3

Breeding and Genetics

The 12th symposium on Breeding and Genetics is being planned. It will take place in Hannover, 8-10 November 2022, and will be hosted by the German Branch. We would be pleased if you save this date and plan your participation. Further information will follow in due course.

Steffen Weigend, Chairman of the European Federations Working Group 3

WG4

Quality of Eggs and Egg Products

Due to the postponement of the World’s Poultry Congress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the WG4 meeting has been re-scheduled to take place during WPC2021 in August 2021, in Paris. Members who want to suggest topics to be discussed are more than welcome and can send their suggestions to the Chairpersons (; ).

WG5

Poultry Meat Quality

As for all European Symposia, the next 'XXV European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat' conjointly held with the 'XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products' have been postponed to June 8 to 10, 2022, thanks to the cooperation with the Polish Branch. The venue will be the same in Kraków, Poland, and the conference website is already available. The next WG5 member meeting will be held during World's Poultry Congress 2021 in Paris.

Massimiliano Petracci, Secretary Italian Branch of WPSA

WG6

Incubation and Fertility Research Group (IFRG)

Due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, which has created lots of uncertainty for traveling, WG6 (IFRG) has postponed its 2020 meeting and has rescheduled it for October 14-15, 2021 at the Holiday Inn in Leiden, The Netherlands. For more information see the website.

Ampai Nangsuay, Secretary WG6

WG10

Turkeys

The 11^th 'Hafez' International Symposium on Turkey Production will be held in Berlin, Germany; May/June 2021. I hope to see you in Berlin.

Prof. Dr. Dr. H. M. Hafez, Institute of Poultry Diseases, Free University Berlin, Chair WG10

Summaries

Characteristics of processed poultry products

E. BAÉZA

Poultry is now the most consumed meat, in terms of volume. A main factor for the continuous increase of poultry production is the huge development of cut pieces and processed products. The nutritional quality of such products is quite variable. For example, the protein and lipid contents of chicken nuggets are between 9.8 and 31.0% and 7.5 and 25.0%, respectively. Different ingredients, such as vitamin E, thyme or rosemary essential oils can be used during processing to increase the shelf life of products by decreasing oxidation susceptibility and/or limiting microbial contamination. For example, adding 0.2% thyme essential oil caused a 40% decrease in TBARS value (an indicator of lipid peroxidation) in chicken nuggets stored at -20°C for six months and a 41.0% decrease in the number of Staphylococcus aureus in sausages fermented for 28 days. To answer consumer and/or public authorities’ requests, recipes for processed products can be modified to decrease, for example, their fat or salt (sodium chloride) contents. The quality of processed products mainly depends on technological processes, and preservation and cooking conditions. For instance, high cooking temperatures during frying or roasting can induce the formation of undesirable compounds which are harmful for consumers. Finally, poultry meat has high protein content and low lipid and saturated fatty acid levels. Its nutritional characteristics are, therefore, rather favourable for the health of consumers, but for the most processed products (nuggets, cordons bleus, kebabs) the industry has completely modified these characteristics to make food rich in carbohydrates, lipids and salt, which are not desirable.

Nutritional precursors for necrotic enteritis

H.K. ZANU, S.K. KHERAVII, M.R. BEDFORD and R.A. SWICK

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an enteric disease of poultry caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens). The incidence of NE has increased in several countries as a result of restrictions on the use of in-feed antibiotics. This disease may be triggered by a combination of coccidiosis and the presence of undigested nutrients in the hindgut providing nutrients and high pH that favour the proliferation of pathogens. Meat and bone meal (MBM) inclusion rates above 4% and higher dietary calcium (Ca) inclusion rates above 1.0 % may potentially favour the overgrowth of enteric pathogens, including C. perfringens. High levels of elastin, collagen and keratin from MBM are refractory to gastric digestion and may act as nutrient substrates for C. perfringens. Such proteins are metabolised by C. perfringens by putrefactive fermentation, producing trimethylamine and ammonia, that affect gut health and increase the pH of digesta. Digesta pH may become elevated by feeding a diet high in Ca, as this nutrient has a high acid-binding capacity. Calcium interacts with phytic acid, forming mineral-phytate complexes that decrease the activity of exogenous dietary phytase. This reduces digestion and increases the influx of nutrients into the hindgut. Similarly, smaller particle sizes (dgw <75 μm) and high solubility of some Ca sources could increase digesta pH and chelation of Ca by phytic acid and decrease nutrient digestibility. Whether the practice of overfeeding Ca in order to ensure this nutrient is not limiting for bone development may be putting the bird at risk of a NE outbreak is not known. This review discusses the potential for dietary MBM to exacerbate NE in broiler chickens. The impact of Ca level and particle size to affect gut pH and phytase efficacy are discussed, with inferences to alter the onset of NE.

Implementation of high-level biosecurity measures can reduce the baseline antibody titres of Newcastle disease in non-integrated layer flocks in northeast Iran

R. TOROGHI, I. SALAMATIAN, M.R. BASSAMI, N. IRANKHAH, A. EMARLOO, A. MAHOUTI and S. GHAVI

Newcastle disease (ND) is an OIE listed viral infection that has spread throughout developed and underdeveloped countries, either as an endemic or epizootic disease. ND has been endemic in several developing countries in non-integrated poultry production systems. Serological baselines of poultry diseases can be established and monitored as a useful and reliable tool to design effective strategies for prevention and control of infectious diseases, yet almost no comprehensive report on serological baseline values is yet available. This review covers the situation of ND in northeast Iran during 2009-2018, and ND serological baselines of layer flocks in Khorasan-e-Razavi Province in Iran are presented for the first time. The mean haemaglutination inhibition (HI) titres for NDV throughout the production cycle of layer flocks in the two periods 2009-2015 and 2016-2018 were around 9.5 Log₂ (range 7.9 to 11.4) and 7 Log₂ (range 6 to 9.1), respectively. In addition to a 2.5 Log₂ decrease in HI antibody titres, a significant decline was seen in the rate of incidence, mortality and clinical manifestations of respiratory diseases, especially ND. Interestingly, layer flocks reached a significant milestone in the adoption of biosecurity practices during the first emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the early months of 2016. It was concluded that increased application of biosecurity in non-integrated poultry production systems of developing countries may take priority over the other control/preventive measures against ND. There is a need for other control and prevention studies to be promoted in developing countries, empowering them to formulate and adopt strategies that move beyond the conventional approaches and aim at international health and trade.

Use of algae in poultry production: a review

E. COUDERT, E. BAÉZA and C. BERRI

Algae represent a large and new source of nutrients with other health benefits as supplements in animal feed formulations. ‘Algae’ is a generic term that groups brown, green, and red types of both macro- and micro-algae. These marine plants may play a key role in the future for poultry production, as they constitute a new and valuable nutrient source, thanks to their nutritional composition and richness in as polyphenols, polysaccharides and fatty and amino acids. Many studies have evaluated the advantages and inconvenience of using micro- and macro-algae in poultry nutrition and their ability to improve animal health and, thus, welfare. This review describes the main nutritional characteristics of algae and the current knowledge on their effects in poultry production, impacts on animal health, growth performance and product quality (eggs and meat). The increase in laying rate and egg weight can reach +4.0 to 8.6 percentage points and +1.3 to 1.5 g, respectively. The increase in body weight of broilers and decrease in feed conversion ratio can vary from 5% to 22% and from 4% to 15%, respectively. According to the literature, a dietary incorporation rate of 2% for microalgae or a range between 1% and 5% for macroalgae is suitable for both laying hens and broiler chickens, even though these ranges greatly depend on the type of algae used and the expected benefits for poultry production.

Domestication changes in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

H. LUKANOV and I. PAVLOVA

Domestic quail (Coturnix japonica domestica) is a domesticated gallinaceous bird that originated in East Asia with ancestor the wild Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Subsequently to domestication, quails have undergone a number of morphological, ethological and productive changes that make them quite different from those of their wild ancestors. These reflect greater intraspecific differences than even in the differences between species in the genus Coturnix. Unlike the wild quail, a variety of other plumage colours are seen in the domestic quail, the most popular being variations of golden, tuxedo, extended brown and recessive white. The average live weight of the wild Japanese quail varies within 85-110 g, whereas the domestic quails are about 45% to more than 250% heavier, depending to their productive type. Major differences are visible in the migratory, sexual, nesting and brooding behaviour, and other ethological reactions such as vocalisation, mating calls, aggression and fighting. A number of productive parameters have been affected by domestication. Wild Japanese quails lay about 5-14 eggs per clutch, with 2-3 broods per year. Domestic quails could lay more than 250 eggs per year with average egg weight increase of 20% in egg production to 100% in meat production compared to their ancestors. This review summarises how domestication and human impact affect a number of features, significantly altering the Japanese quail. The aim is to emphasise the changes that occurred during the domestication of Japanese quails, supporting the proposal of using the term ‘domestic quail’. (Coturnix japonica domestica).

Nutritional significance of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) and its beneficial impact on poultry

A.A. EBRAHIM, S.S. ELNESR, M.A.A. ABDEL-MAGEED and M.M.M. ALY

The purpose of any supplement in the diet is to take advantage of its beneficial effects on performance, development, health, with the aim of stabilisation of digestion along with improved feed efficiency. Aloe vera is one such supplement. Its use has increased in nutrition and veterinary uses because of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic and antifungal properties. These activities come from various biologically active constituents, including minerals, vitamins, sugars, enzymes, anthraquinones or phenolic compounds, saponins, amino acids, lignin and sterols. Supplementation with aloe vera in poultry diets improves productive performance, enhances digestion and reduces disease incidence. Research has shown that dietary supplementation of aloe vera (0.1-1.0%) positively increased body weight by 7-25%, and improved immunological indices by 10-50%. Feed treatment with 0.5-1% aloe vera reduced harmful bacteria in the gut by 24% and increased beneficial bacterial populations by 30%. This review includes information on the inclusion of aloe vera in poultry feed, and how it may be useful as a natural supplement without side effects to maximise overall poultry productivity.

Factors affecting the production of double-yolked eggs

A. SALAMON

Double yolked eggs are a rare phenomenon in domestic poultry and game birds, generally ~1-2% of the eggs are double-yolked (DY) over the laying cycle. The production of such eggs is influenced by several factors from which the most important ones include genetics, selection for multiple ovulations, female age, light exposure and nutrition. It is known that higher body weight is the result of selection, and has been correlated to the increase in multiple ovulations. The increased incidence of DY eggs is a consequence of the multiple ovulations, which are more prevalent in the first 10 weeks of laying, when up to 25% of follicles develop as pairs, because the regulation of follicle maturation and ovulation is not fully established. This regulation involves endocrinological and physiological changes, which are mediated by light, and management during rearing and laying is crucial to reduce DY eggs. Restricted feeding (~50% daily feed intake of ad libitum) results in decreased follicle production and multiple ovulations, hence reduces DY egg production. Feed should contain less protein (<16%) to control body weight gain. However, if DY egg production is the goal, birds should be fed ad libitum with high protein (>16%) to achieve higher body weights. Furthermore, applying photostimulation early (6-12 weeks of age for domestic fowl), increasing photoperiod to 13-16 hours of light and light intensity (>80 lux) can help prevent DY.

A review of adaptive immune responses to Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima challenge in chickens

S.A. MTSHALI and M.A. ADELEKE

Adaptive immune responses in poultry against the invading parasites are complex, involving both specific and non-specific immunity. Attempts in finding new vaccine candidates for Eimeria parasite infection control are continuing, and any promising candidates that have been discovered so far are only effective against homologous infection. Different genes are involved in coccidiosis protection and take part in Eimeria infections. Expression library immunization (ELI) is a novel method for systematic screening of genomes to identify new vaccine candidates. Some of these antigens have yielded promising results, with rEtIMP-1 and EtIMP1-CD40L reducing oocysts output with 66% and 78% respectively in chickens challenged with Eimeria tenella by inducing immune responses. The significance of cytokines in inducing immunity against the invading parasite cannot be ignored, as they provide support to both innate and adaptive immune responses. Adaptive immune responses and genes expressed in response to E. maxima and E. tenella challenges are important. Possible immunogenic vaccine candidates derived from Eimeria antigens have potential for control, diagnosis and treatment strategies for coccidiosis.

Thermal manipulations of birds during embryogenesis

B.T.A. COSTA, T.S.B. LOPES, M.A. MESQUITA, L.J.C. LARA and I.C.S. ARAÚJO

Broilers are subject to adverse environmental conditions, especially temperature, which decreases performance and increases disease vulnerability. Understanding how the mechanisms involved in thermoregulation of the embryo function is essential for improving production. Studies have shown that thermal manipulation should occur late during embryonic development (14^th to 18^th day of incubation) and factors, such as hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokines, are involved in programming the thermoregulatory system. Several methodologies have been applied in experimental situations regarding the frequency, intensity and duration of thermal stimuli during the embryonic period. Hatching yield can be improved, despite different handling strategies, however, there are still divergent results regarding the ability of birds to adapt to thermal stimuli. Thermal management can alter vascular development and hormone levels in embryos. In contrast to high temperature thermal manipulation, using lower incubation temperatures can positively influence the quality of newly hatched chicks. In general, positive results were observed for thermal manipulation by cold or heat when embryos were stressed for 2 to 6 h/day. Higher hatchability and performance under normal conditions was observed in experiments using temperatures from 36.4 to 36.7^oC. Better performance was seen under heat stress conditions in the final phase (21-35 days) when using temperatures from 39.2 to 39.5^oC. Thermal manipulation modulates the expression of heat shock proteins (HSP), which vary with stimulus type (heat/cold), breed, tissue and bird age. Finally, thermal manipulation can be effective in helping birds adapt to the breeding environment; however, it is necessary to refine certain points. The present review found thermal manipulation during embryo development was effective at increasing hatchability and performance of broilers.

Treasurer's Report

From a professional standpoint, this quarter has been very quiet. It was another summer without the usual in-person scientific society events that we all anticipate. It was a true gift that the organizers of the World’s Poultry Congress 2020, developed a webinar celebrating the Centenary of the World Poultry Congress.
The webinar definitely got the viewer in the mood for next summer’s long anticipated Congress in Paris. My personal congratulations to all of the new members of the International Poultry Hall of Fame. In addition to the esteemed Dr Hafez, I was delighted to see my former WPSA Board Members (Drs Franchini, Gous, Havenstein, and Pym) inducted.
During the webinar, Dr Mulder also announced that Dr Samuel Aggrey was the first recipient of the Paul Siegel Research Award. Well done, Dr Aggrey. As a member of the United States of America Branch of WPSA, I was so proud that the Research Award now bears the name of Dr Siegel. However, I know that Dr Siegel’s many former students, colleagues, and friends around the world will argue that he is truly a ‘global’ member of WPSA!
Slowly I am seeing organizations and societies start to announce their 2021 in-person meetings. I leave you with the wish that we all will be traveling during the coming year, and that we will be able to personally greet each other at our favourite meetings, conferences, and at the World’s Poultry Congress.

Dr Francine Bradley, Treasurer

Rob Gous

Professor Rob Gous (South Africa)

After an academic career spanning 37 years, Dr Rob Gous retired from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 2007 and is now an Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow at that university. He continues to conduct research and supervise postgraduate students, his research interests being in the development of simulation models for growing broilers, turkeys and pigs, and for laying hens and broiler breeders. His career ticks all the boxes associated with the aims of the World’s Poultry Science Association. He was involved in university education for 37 years, teaching all aspects of poultry science to undergraduate students and then supervising many during their postgraduate training. He has also assisted in the training of postgraduate students in Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, and the USA. He has published the results of his research extensively in the scientific literature, receiving many accolades and awards for the work he has done. The simulation models that he has developed are being used around the world in both industry and for teaching purposes at universities. He was instrumental in overturning the conventional wisdom related to the lighting of broiler breeder pullets and hens, and as a result of the practical research that he has conducted, he has been invited to many conferences and meetings around the world. He has spent much of his academic life assisting in ensuring that the WPSA remains active and relevant – he chaired the South African Branch of the WPSA for over 20 years and was a Vice-President of the World Branch of the WPSA for four terms, during one of which he was the Senior Vice-President.

Hafez M. Hafez

Professor Dr Hafez Mohammed Hafez (Germany)

Prof. Dr H.M. Hafez was born in 1947 in Egypt. He conducted his studies of veterinary medicine at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Egypt in Cairo. Between 1971 and 1975 he worked as a scientific assistant at the Institute for Poultry Disease at the same University and subsequently gained his degree as a Master of Veterinary Science. In 1981, he was given the doctoral degree at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. From 1981 to 1985 he served at the Diagnostic State lab in Stuttgart, and in 1987 he was promoted to a leader position of the poultry and virology unit of this institution. In 1994, he submitted his dir. habilitatus (Dr med. vet. habil.) thesis at the department of Poultry Diseases, the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany, and achieved the degree for the field of poultry diseases and hygiene at the same university. Since 1996, he is honour professor at University of Hohenheim, and since 2009 at the Alexandria University in Egypt. In 1997, he moved to Berlin after being hired as a full professor for poultry diseases and served as the director of the Institute of Poultry Disease of the Free University of Berlin, Germany, for many years. In March 2016, he officially retired but continued to serve the University as a guest professor at the Institute of Poultry Diseases until today. Professor Hafez is a Certified Specialist for Poultry diseases since 1982, for Microbiology since 1989, and Animal Hygiene since 1996. He was recognized as a Diplomate for Veterinary Public health (EDVPH) in 2005, and later in 2009 as a Diplomate of the European College of Poultry Veterinary Science (ECPVS), for which he was also a founding member and one of the past presidents. Furthermore, he is engaged in the World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA), for which he was elected as a president in 2005. Professor Hafez is well known as the organizer of the International Symposia on Turkey Diseases as well as Turkey Production, which he hosted for many years. In 2019, he hosted the 13^th ‘Hafez’ International Symposium on Turkey Diseases in Berlin. With his personal engagement within the WPSA, nationally within the German group but also internationally as chair of working group 10 (turkeys) of the European Branch of the WPSA, he can be recognized as an international poultry specialist with outstanding professional performance in the field. Professor Hafez is considered as an internationally known and frequently consulted poultry specialist. He was recognized for his achievement by being awarded a variety of prices. To name a few: the Karl-Fritzsche-Award for the area of infection medicine of the Germany Veterinary Society e.V. (DVG) in 1993, or repeated awards from the agricultural academy of the Veterinary University of Wroclaw, Poland in 2000 and 2002. He showed a significant engagement in postgraduate education and supported more than 80 doctoral students, and participated as a PI or Co-PI in many national and international research projects. His professional network is exceptional, with connections to many countries worldwide. During the last years, his research focused on not only bacterial diseases of poultry and welfare aspects, but also addressed poultry diseases of international importance such as Avian Influenza. He contributed to the knowledge and understanding of poultry diseases and the field of poultry sciences with over 300 publications and countless lectures and presentations at national and international conferences.

Gerald Havenstein

Dr Gerald B. Havenstein (USA)

Dr Havenstein received his B.S. in Agriculture (focusing on Poultry Science) in 1961 from Kansas State University. He then moved to Madison, WI to acquire his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (1966) in the Department of Genetics from the University of Wisconsin. Following a year as instructor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, he joined Heisdorf & Nelson (H&N), a major global egg-type breeding company, as staff geneticist. After serving H&N for 10 years, he was named their Director of Genetics Research in 1976. In 1986, Dr Havenstein was chosen to serve as the Department Chair for the Department of Poultry Science at Ohio State University. During his last year in that position, he also served as the Chair and Interim Assistant Director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Columbus and Wooster, Ohio. In early 1989, he was offered Head of the Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University where he served until 2005. He spent the next 3 years at NCSU on a half-time basis publishing several research papers with faculty colleagues. He also developed and published a ‘History of the Department of Poultry Science and other Poultry Related Programs at North Carolina State University, 1881-2010’, which summarized poultry related research, teaching, and extension accomplishments at the university. Dr Havenstein has authored and co-authored approximately 160 peer reviewed journal articles and other publications. Most were published during the 20 years he served as University Department Head. One of the publications that he and his colleagues authored and published in 2003 was honoured as being one of the most cited papers ever published in the journal Poultry Science (Growth, livability and feed conversion of 1957 versus 2001 broilers when fed representative 1957 and 2001 broiler diets; G.B. Havenstein, P.R. Ferket and M.A. Qureshi; Poultry Science (2003) 82:1500-1508). Throughout his career, Dr Havenstein has been actively involved in the World’s Poultry Science Association, several state Poultry Associations, the Poultry Science Association, the Poultry Breeders of America, and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (formerly known as the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association). He served on the Board of the USA Branch of the WPSA and as its President from 1998 to 2004. He also served as Vice President on the Board of WPSA from 2008-2012. Since 2007, he has served as the editor for the quarterly newsletter of the WPSA, which serves as the primary method of effective communication between the organization and its global branches and membership. Attendance and participation in international conferences and congresses were real highlights for Dr Havenstein. He attended seven World Poultry Congresses (New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Montreal, New Delhi, Istanbul and Brisbane), several European Poultry Conferences, and other WPSA conferences organized by the European Poultry Working Groups. He also attended at least 12 Turkey Conferences hosted in the U.K. by Turkeys Magazine.

Bob Pym

Dr Robert (Bob) A.E. Pym (Australia)

Dr Robert Pym graduated with a Bachelor of Rural Science from the University of New England, Armidale, Australia in 1965. He then joined the New South Wales Department of Agriculture as a Livestock Research Officer in poultry genetics at the Poultry Research Station at Seven Hills in Sydney. Over the next 19 years, his research focussed on genetic and physiological aspects of feed utilisation efficiency and body composition of meat chickens. His work on feed efficiency was instrumental in the adoption of direct selection for food utilisation efficiency initially by Australian poultry breeding companies, and subsequently had a major impact on feed efficiency selection by a significant number of the large international breeders. His MSc in 1971 (University of New South Wales) and PhD in 1977 (University of New England) were both focussed on this area of study. In 1984, Bob moved from Seven Hills to the University of Queensland in Brisbane, where he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Poultry Science in the School of Veterinary Science. His research continued in the above areas until the mid-1990s. Bob’s novel selection ideas and his open sharing of his results have been acknowledged as having had a substantial impact upon the carbon footprint and the economic viability of the global broiler industry. In the late 1970s, Bob developed an interest in small-scale family poultry farming in developing countries and over the years since then has been involved in courses and development projects in a number of countries including Indonesia, South Africa, The Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR. This led to a sabbatical with FAO in Rome in 2005, during which time he worked closely with FAO personnel involved in support of small-scale family poultry farmers in developing countries, culminating in a major programme and workshop in this area at the 23^rd World’s Poultry Congress in Brisbane in 2008. He was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the 1^st Working Group of the World’s Poultry Science Association’s (WPSA) Asian Pacific Federation on Small-scale family poultry farming and organised the Asian Pacific Federation working group symposium on Avian Influenza and Small-scale Family Poultry Farming in Bangkok in March 2007, to coincide with the 8^th Asian Pacific Poultry Conference. Up until his retirement from the University of Queensland in December 2008, Bob lectured to Veterinary and Agricultural Science students on poultry husbandry, genetics and breeding, monogastric nutrition, poultry reproduction and monogastric production systems. He has supervised some 23 successful postgraduate candidatures (12 PhDs), in a range of areas. He has published widely in the above research areas and has been invited to speak at numerous international conferences and meetings since the early 1980s. Bob was President of the Australian Branch of WPSA from 1993 to 2009, was a member of the Australian Egg Industry Research and Development Council from 1989 to 1998 and was the recipient of the Australian Poultry Award in 1995. He has been periodically Editor of the annual Australian Poultry Science Symposium since 1998 and has been on the International Editorial Board of the World’s Poultry Science Journal since 1990. In 2000, he headed the successful bid for the 23^rd World’s Poultry Congress and was Chair of the Congress which was held in Brisbane from 30 June to 4 July 2008, where he was elected President of WPSA. Over the subsequent four-year term of his WPSA presidency to 2012, Bob promoted the role of WPSA in facilitating efficient and sustainable poultry production in developing countries through information transfer and improvements in capability and communications. He was instrumental in the formation of the African Poultry Network and has continued his close involvement in promoting the development of the poultry industry and research and teaching capability throughout Africa. As a reflection of this involvement, at the 1st African Poultry Summit in Abeokuta, Nigeria in 2011, Bob was presented with an ‘Outstanding Leadership Award’ plaque by the Nigerian branch of WPSA ‘In Recognition of your Contribution to the Development of the Poultry Sector in Africa’. Bob coordinated and contributed extensively to the major revision of the WPSA Constitution and By-Laws, undertaken by the WPSA Board in 2010. As immediate Past-President of WPSA from 2012 to 2016, Bob continued to promote the development of poultry science in developing countries, through the organisation of meetings, securing financial support for identified key developing country poultry scientists to attend focus meetings, advocating for and securing the opportunity for older WPSA scientists from developing countries to obtain financial support to attend WPSA conferences and meetings, personal attendance and presentations at WPSA-organised seminars and conferences in developing countries, and direct involvement in poultry development projects in developing countries. He was appointed chair of the WPSA Board’s Africa Actions sub-committee in 2013.

Education Award

Prof. Kokou Tona started his research career after completing his MSc in Tropical Animal Production at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Prince Leopold, Antwerpen, Belgium in 1998. Having completed his PhD in Applied Biological Sciences at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, Prof. Tona has gone through the ranks at the University of Lomé and became a full Professor since 2015. Having played a pivotal role in securing a World Bank grant for the establishment of the Regional Centre of Excellence in Avian Sciences (CERSA) at the University of Lomé, Prof. Tona became the Director of the Centre, which has made tremendous impacts in the region, focusing on Masters, PhD and short course programmes of over 180, 60 and 1000 students, respectively, from about 13 countries in Western, Central and Eastern Africa. The vision of the Centre is to develop and improve capacity building in the agricultural sector in general and in the poultry industry in particular, in order to consolidate food security in West Africa. Prof. Tona has been instrumental in developing a functional curriculum for the Centre, which has received international accreditation for the Masters programme. The research of Prof. Tona has focussed on the following: avian physiology; technical knowledge of hatchery management and day-old chick production on industrial scale; improvement of poultry production through adapted management practices in sub-Saharan Africa; and development of the Tona-scoring system for measuring one-day-old chick quality. He developed a renowned method of chick quality scoring in the year 2003, which has been accepted globally. He has also been involved in the development of short course modules for poultry industry and implementation in West African countries, training poultry industry stakeholders in different countries, advisor and monitoring for poultry industry stakeholders in the sub-region. organization of poultry symposiums in Togo having attendance from different countries, and Organization of the first Pan-African Poultry Conference in 2019 (PPC 2019). Prof. Tona has over 100 articles published in reputable journals to date. He has successfully supervised numerous undergraduate, Masters, PhD, and Postdoctoral students. He established the Togo WPSA branch in 2007 and also successfully hosted several international conferences in Togo. The award will further enable him support for development of the Bioethics and Animal Welfare Masters programme.

WG3

Breeding and Genetics

The European Symposium on Poultry Genetics has been postponed to 8-10 November 2023. It will take place at the Maritim Airport Hotel in Hannover.

WG5

Poultry Meat Quality

Following the decision of the Organizers of WPC2022 to value and accept the abstracts received in 2019, and as well as to bridge the centenary of the WPC and the 26th WPC in August 2022, WG5 is organizing a webinar on next 12 October 2021. The two sessions will be held from 11:00 to 12:30 CET and 14:00 to 15:30 CET by including abstracts submitted respectively on ‘Construction of meat quality’ and ‘Meat processing’ topics.

As for all European Symposia, the XXV European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat conjointly held with the XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products have been postponed to 2023, thanks to the cooperation of the Polish Branch. Those Symposia will be held from 8 to 10 September 2023 at the same venue as previously planned in Kraków, Poland, and the website is already available for those Symposia. Our next WG5 member Meeting will be held during World's Poultry Congress 2022 in Paris.

Massimiliano Petracci, Secretary Italian Branch of WPSA

WG6

Incubation and Fertility Research Group (IFRG)

Due to the current situation and uncertainties, especially for international travelling, the 2021 meeting will be held in virtual format.

The Incubation and Fertility Research Group (IFRG) invites you for the upcoming IFRG E-meeting, which will be held on the 14th and 15th of October, 2021. For each day we will have a meeting during 13:00h to 15:30h Central European Time (UTC +2).

The IFRG meeting provides an ideal platform for researchers and industry people to meet and share the latest research findings, new indeas and information. Although the pandemic situation prevents us to achieve the full benefit of a physical meeting, we hope to sustain the goals of the group with the E-meeting. Due to the limited time of the meeting, the focus of the meeting wil be relating to Fertility, Embryonic development, Egg incuation, Epigenetics and Chick quality.

We as organizing committee are exited to welcome you to join our first IFRG E-meeting!

For more information see the website.

Ampai Nangsuay, Secretary WG6

A/P WG3

Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis)

A Ratite Research Session is being planned for the World Poultry Congress that has been re-scheduled in Paris, France from August 7 – 11, 2022. The actual date for the Ratite Session has not yet been determined, but please send any suggestions for contributions and/or topics that you have to . 

Researchers involved in research on any Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis) are asked to contact the Ratite Group. Please send an email to .

Anel Engelbrecht, Chair

Summaries

Hrvatica - Croatian Native Breed of poultry

G. DUVNJAK, Z. JANJEČIĆ, M. DRAŽIĆ and D. BEDEKOVIĆ

Intensification of poultry production has led to the cessation of use of many local breeds resulting in their replacement with high-yielding breeds or hybrids. A description of native populations and their distinctive properties are the basis for their conservation. This paper presents the current knowledge about the origin, external characteristics and production indicators of the Croatian native breed of poultry – the Hrvatica. The breeding of the Hrvatica began in the first half of the 20th century, in an area alongside the river Drava, by crossing domestic hens with Leghorn roosters and later with the Wellsummer breed. After the breed almost vanished, a breeding program was established to focus on four variants with different plumage colours. Today, the total population of breeding animals is estimated at 5000 to 6000. The Hrvatica is a dual-purpose breed and successfully tolerates free-range farming throughout the year. It is modest in its nutritional needs and, with enough pasture, provides quality and tasty meat. The body weight of adult roosters ranges from 2.2 kg to 2.6 kg and adult hens weigh from 1.6 kg to 1.8 kg. The breed is characterized by good egg-laying, with pronounced maternal instincts. Egg-laying, depending on the housing and feeding conditions, ranges from 200 to 220 eggs per year. Eggs have a distinct, elongated shape with an average shape index of 74% and an average weight of 51 g. The eggshell is light-coloured.

Physiological role of arginine in growth performance, gut health and immune response in broilers: a review

F. HASSAN, M.A. ARSHAD, S. HASSAN, R.M. BILAL, M. SAEED and M.S. REHMAN

Arginine (Arg) is one of the metabolically versatile essential amino acids. Dietary supplementation with Arg has been shown to stimulate the secretion of insulin-like growth factor while improving growth performance and feed efficiency in broilers. In addition to its role in protein synthesis, Arg is also a precursor of nitric oxide, creatine, and polyamines. It also modulates lipid metabolism by reducing total body fat accumulation to improve meat quality and antioxidant defence. Moreover, it is considered as an essential amino acid for chicks due to the absence of a functional urea cycle in birds at an early age. Arginine plays a crucial role in metabolic pathways associated with immune-competence and growth. Dietary supplementation of Arg at 12 to 15 g/kg of diet resulted in linear increase in body weight gain from 7.5 to 17% in broilers fed soybean meal-based diets. Arg acts as a key vasodilator that opposes the onset of pulmonary hypertension in broilers and is particularly beneficial under high altitude and hypoxia conditions. Dietary Arg supplementation reduces ascites-related mortality under low ambient temperatures and attenuates adverse effects of heat stress and high stock density. Moreover, in ovo feeding of Arg increased levels of secretory immunoglobulin A revealing its potential to modulate immune barrier function leading to enhanced overall immunity and intestinal health of birds. The NRC recommended levels of Arg are 1.25%, 1.10%, and 1.00% (of the broiler diet from 1-3, 4-6 and 7-8 weeks, respectively). However, other studies have reported 101, 103 and 107% of NRC recommendation of Arg for maximum feed efficiency, growth performance, and optimal immune function, from 1-3, 4-6 and 7-8 weeks, respectively, under thermoneutral conditions. This review provides insights into the optimal supplementation of Arg above NRC recommendations to improve growth performance, meat quality, and immunity of broilers.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and their role in poultry

D. DIVYA and T.K. BHATTACHARYA

The chicken is considered to be a major inexpensive protein producer of animal origin across the world. Enormous progress has been attained to improve production and reproduction by intense genetic selection, but it has resulted in indirect introduction of unwanted characteristics such as a strain on the birds’ skeletal system. Several genetic and non-genetic factors affect bone growth and integrity. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) superfamily and comprise one of the multifunctional growth factors involved in organogenesis. Briefly, BMPs are known to play varied roles in embryogenesis, limb morphogenesis, cardiac myofibrillogenesis, odontogenesis, folliculogenesis, tissue-homeostasis, and left-right chick patterning. Yet, few BMPs have been detected and assessed in the chicken and were found to be located/placed differently on the chromosome like mammals. Chicken BMP4, BMPR1A, BMP7, BMP8A, BMP1-like and BMP10; BMP2 and BMP5; BMP3, BMP15 and BMPR1B; BMP6 and BMPR2 are located on chromosomes 5, 6, 20, 23, 22, 3, 2 and 7, respectively. BMP’s 1-like, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and BMP’s specific receptors (BMPR1A, BMPR1B and BMPR2) are expressed in osteoblasts and chondrocytes implicating their important role in osteo-chondrogenesis in chickens. However, some of the BMPs such as BMP2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 15 were also, surprisingly, detected in ovaries (granulosa and theca cells) and BMP2, 4 and 7 and BMPR1A, BMPR1B and BMPR2 in retinal pigment epithelium indicating their function in ovarian follicles and eye development in chicks. A number of antagonists have been identified as having a role in the signalling cascade of the bone morphogenetic proteins pathway. This review discusses the BMPs so identified in chickens and their signalling and functioning for further use in improving skeletal strength and health of chickens.

A review on the productive potential of the Muscovy Duck

L.A. ARIAS SOSA and A.L. ROJAS

Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) are one of the most exploited species in the duck farming industry due to their large size, meat quality, and considerable economic value for small farmers and large factories. This study reviews the available information on its productive potential and the factors likely to impact it. Although this species can achieve high meat yields, not all management systems seem to be capable of obtaining “optimal” growth, especially in developing countries. This situation occurs because the optimal weight of this duck is highly dependent on proper management conditions and its genetic background. Domestic production of male Muscovy ducks results in live weights ranging from 2.0 to 2.9 kg. When bred under improved conditions they can achieve a live weight ranging from 4.5 to 5.1 kg with an additional increase of up to 6.5 kg with a 2-week forced-feeding program. Other producers utilize crossbreeding with Peking ducks in order to produce sterile mule ducks that have lower sexual dimorphism, adequate meat yields, and even superior foie gras yields. There have also been several studies on the use of natural supplements in these species; however, only some probiotics have shown an impact on productivity. Another important aspect when procuring adequate yields is to ensure the proper health of the individuals. Although Muscovy ducks are generally more resistant to pathogens than chickens, they are not exempt from suffering infections. They can be affected by several parasites such as nematodes that reduce their productivity and can lead to death in severe outbreaks. Viral infections can also lead to high mortalities and substantial economic losses such as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (20-100 % mortality), parvoviruses (10-90 % mortality), reoviruses (10-53 % mortality), and herpes viruses (10-100 % mortality).

A review of the effects of niacin on broiler productivity

A. AHMADIAN, M. BOUYEH and A.R. SEIDAVI

Vitamins are a significant component of poultry diets, and their absence in the diet results in disorders in growth and performance. Niacin is a form of vitamin B that acts as a catalyst in many of the body's vital processes and is essential for maintaining normal body function. This article reviews the effect of niacin and its accessible forms (nicotinic acid and nicotinamide) on growth, performance, blood parameters, carcass quality, the immune system, and microbial flora in broilers. Addition of niacin to the diet enhances the performance and health of broilers. A supplement of 1.5 to 33 mg/kg/DM nicotinic acid in broiler diets increased their final weight (620 g compared to 221g in unsupplemented chicks). Niacin and nicotinic acid were effective both in increasing carcass weight and decreasing abdominal fat, although in most cases the differences were not statistically significant. A supplement of 150 mg/kg nicotinic acid in combination with chromium chloride and copper sulphate effectively reduced the cholesterol in the breast and thigh muscle of broilers. The presence of nicotinic acid (6 to 33 mg/kg/DM) in broiler diets markedly reduced leg disorders (6.3% compared to12.8% in chickens not receiving nicotinic acid). In general, the addition of niacin and its derivatives in broiler diets helps maximise performance in broilers.

Essential oils as sanitisers for hatching eggs

G. DA S. OLIVEIRA, V.M. DOS SANTOS and S.T. NASCIMENTO

Sanitising hatching eggs can reduce the negative effects of microorganisms on bird survival. Formaldehyde gas is commonly used for sanitising hatching eggs. However, handling of and exposure to formaldehyde threaten human and animal health, as this compound can have serious harmful effects. Thus, there is a growing body of research on safe natural compounds, such as essential oils (EOs), as alternatives to formaldehyde. Based on the research carried out to date, EOs may be applicable in the poultry industry since eggs sanitised with EOs were found to have significant reductions in the number of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (up to 80.77%) and fungi (up to 69.33%) on shells, with hatchability rates significantly improved by up to 12.59%. Notably, to obtain positive results from the application of EOs on eggs, several factors must be considered, such as the time of application and the concentration of the sanitising compound. Further research on the use of EOs as sanitisers for hatching eggs is recommended, as reducing use of synthetic chemicals is essential because of their undesirable effects.

Importance of considering non-starch polysaccharide content of poultry diets

H.T. NGUYEN, M.R. BEDFORD and N.K. MORGAN

The contribution of dietary fibre in feed ingredients is still inadequately accounted for during feed formulation, despite extensive evidence of its impact on bird performance, litter quality and digestibility of other nutrients, and its high level in plant-derived feed ingredients. True dietary fibre is defined as the total quantity of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and lignin. In contrast to other nutrients, NSP vary substantially in composition, both among different feed ingredients and among batches of the same ingredient. Consequently, NSP display variable characteristics in final feeds. NSP have traditionally been recognised as anti-nutritive, through their impact on digesta viscosity and as a nutrient diluent in poultry rations. However, more recently, there is growing interest in their capacity to stimulate gastrointestinal function, improve gut health and act as a source of energy, partially via prebiotic properties. Recent developments in methods for measuring NSP have increased precision when estimating the dietary fibre component of feed ingredients and diets, yet there is still a lack of application of NSP values in both research and industry diets for poultry. Determining the fate of fibre post-ingestion is challenging, due to the complexity of its structural components and limited understanding about how fibre interacts with other dietary nutrients within the intestinal tract environment. The aim of this review is to highlight the importance of considering NSP values when formulating poultry rations, based on evidence from scientific studies presenting the direct impact dietary NSP has on gastrointestinal health and bird performance.

Importance of feed efficiency for sustainable intensification of chicken meat production: implications and role for amino acids, feed enzymes and organic trace minerals

M. ZAMPIGA, F. CALINI and F. SIRRI

Broiler chicken production is expected to increase significantly in the next decades to satisfy the poultry meat demand of a growing world population. In this scenario, one of the most important challenges for the poultry industry is to enhance bird productivity while remaining economically and environmentally sustainable. Feeding represents the major cost in raising of broiler chickens and has important implications for environmental impact, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, improving broiler capacity in converting ingested feed into body growth, which is generally referred to as feed conversion efficiency (often abbreviated to feed efficiency), is fundamental to promoting a sustainable intensification of poultry production. In this review, we highlight the importance of feed efficiency improvements in terms of overall sustainability for the broiler chicken production chain. Furthermore, the potential of feed additive-based nutritional strategies, such as the dietary administration of crystalline amino acids, proteases, phytases and organic minerals, is critically discussed in light of their role in supporting the sustainable intensification of this crucial livestock sector.

The importance of nutrition in preventing heat stress at poultry

O. OLGUN, A.F. ABDULQADER and A. KARABACAK

High production causes birds to be more sensitive to stress. Poultry are exposed to heat stress due to high ambient temperature in summer and being housed in hot regions of the world. Producers suffer economic losses as heat stress negatively affects the optimum productivity of the birds. Some adjustments in the diet can be effective in counteracting the negative effects of heat stress in poultry. Enriching the diet with vitamins E and C, and trace minerals such as selenium and zinc which benefit antioxidant and immune systems; addition of electrolytes that maintain acid-base homeostasis; increasing dietary energy, protein, amino acid, and calcium levels to prevent nutrient deficiencies are all effective feeding arrangements in reducing/eliminating the negative effects of heat stress in poultry. Consequently, it was observed that nutrient supplementation to diets of poultry exposed to heat stress can reduce the effect of heat stress and increase bird performance, meat quality, egg production, eggshell quality, and positively affects the immune and digestive systems.

How can the research on chicken cognition improve chicken welfare: A perspective review

V.H.B. FERREIRA, V. GUESDON and L. CALANDREAU

A recent definition of animal welfare states that "the welfare of an animal is its positive mental and physical state related to the fulfilment of its physiological and behavioural needs in addition to its expectations. This state can vary, depending on the animal's perception of a given situation" (ANSES 2018). This definition confirms the importance of taking the individual animal perspective (i.e., its cognition) into consideration, in order to properly assess its welfare. Cognitive abilities of domestic chickens have been extensively studied in recent years, but few of these studies focused on the relationship between chicken cognition and welfare issues commonly found on chicken production systems. Considering the chickens' cognitive abilities offers new and different perspectives on the welfare problems faced by chicken production. Combined with applied research, cognitive studies can generate impactful and science-based strategies to solve these problems better. In this short non-systematic review, we focus on cognitive research aimed at understanding three widespread welfare issues in poultry production: uneven range use in free-range broiler chickens and laying hens, feather pecking in laying hens, and the unfulfilled behavioural and physiological needs in broiler breeders. Knowledge of chicken cognitive abilities is critical to ameliorate chickens' rearing conditions and develop systems and practices that are more respectful of animal welfare.

Treasurer's Report

No wing web stab or eye drop, but I am grateful to state that my arm has been injected twice with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Having said that, I realize that much of the world’s population is still unvaccinated and in lock-down. 

While it may not be possible (or legal) for you to hold a normal/large meeting in your country, you certainly can be doing other projects to support your Branch members. I encourage you to think of ways to keep your members connected to WPSA and to your Branch during the pandemic. There may possibly be information that you would like all of your members to receive in hard copy form. It may be that your university(ies) with poultry programmes have worked out protocols so students can be in the classroom. If so, maybe your Branch can sponsor an event for the students and introduce them to WPSA. Obviously, all these activities require funds. WPSA has its Branch Development Programme available, and there are funds there that the Branch can apply for to improve your programmes.

I encourage Branch officers to visit the WPSA web site (www.wpsa.com) and then go to ‘Support for Branches’ and ‘Branch Development Proposal.’ Information can be found there on how to apply for these funds, and lists of recently funded applications are there for your perusal that you can use as a potential guideline for the development of a proposal for your branch. As I sit here, I am ready to wire funds for approved applications, but I remind you: You must apply in order to have the possibility of receiving Branch Development Funds!

I wish you a safe and healthy spring.

Dr Francine Bradley, Treasurer

WG3

Breeding and Genetics

The European Symposium on Poultry Genetics has been postponed to 8-10 November 2023. It will take place at the Maritim Airport Hotel in Hannover.

WG5

Poultry Meat Quality

As for all European Symposia, the next ‘XXV European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat’ conjointly held with the ‘XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products’ have been postponed to 2023 (new date will be rescheduled asap) thanks to the cooperation with the Polish Branch. The venue will be the same in Kraków, Poland and website is already available. The next WG5 member meeting will be held during the World's Poultry Congress 2022 in Paris.

Massimiliano Petracci, Secretary Italian Branch of WPSA

WG6

Incubation and Fertility Research Group (IFRG)

Due to the current situation and uncertainties, especially for international travelling, the 2021 meeting will be held in virtual format.

The Incubation and Fertility Research Group (IFRG) invites you for the upcoming IFRG E-meeting, which will be held on the 14th and 15th of October, 2021. For each day we will have a meeting during 13:00h to 15:30h Central European Time (UTC +2).

The IFRG meeting provides an ideal platform for researchers and industry people to meet and share the latest research findings, new indeas and information. Although the pandemic situation prevents us to achieve the full benefit of a physical meeting, we hope to sustain the goals of the group with the E-meeting. Due to the limited time of the meeting, the focus of the meeting wil be relating to Fertility, Embryonic development, Egg incuation, Epigenetics and Chick quality.

We as organizing committee are exited to welcome you to join our first IFRG E-meeting!

For more information see the website.

Ampai Nangsuay, Secretary WG6

A/P WG3

Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis)

A Ratite Research Session had been planned for the World Poultry Congress that had been scheduled in Paris, France from 8-12 August 2021. Since the WPC has now been re-scheduled for Paris on August 7 – 11, 2022, that Ratite Session will also be re-scheduled. Please send any suggestions for contributions and/or topics to . 

Researchers involved in research on any Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis) are asked to contact the Ratite Group. Please send an email to .

Anel Engelbrecht, Chair

Summaries

Relationship between egg shell breakage and laying hen housing systems – An overview

R.M.G. HAMILTON and W.L. BRYDEN

Egg shell breakage is and remains a source of economic loss to the egg producer. In general, about 3% of the eggs laid by hens housed in battery cages or in free-run systems have cracked shells. This number increases about another 1% for hens kept in enriched cages or housed free-range and a further 1 to 2 % for those in aviaries. The range of cracked shells reported was from 2 to 12%, but there were few published reports for most production systems. The occurrence of dirty shelled eggs is about 2 to 3% higher that the incidence of eggs with cracked shells. Shell breakage is also influenced by manufacturer of enrich cage systems. The highest impact eggs receive as they move from the hen to the retail store is in the laying house; overall, eggs receive impacts that average about 13G. The material used to make egg cartons (paper pulp or plastic foam), the cases in which the cartons are shipped (cardboard or wire), and the location of a carton within the shipping case (top, middle or bottom) affect the occurrence of shell breaking when eggs are transported. Even apparently weak impacts to egg shells may cause microcracks to develop and if the impacts are stronger visible cracks become apparent or they may rupture the mammillary membranes which will allow the egg’s content to escape.

Future demands of the poultry industry: Will we meet our commitments sustainably in developed and developing economies?

F.J. KLEYN and M. CIACCIARIELLO

The world’s population is expected to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050. Increases in population size, coupled with socio-economic changes such as urbanisation, age demographics, and increasing affluence levels, will double the demand for poultry products by 2050. The primary objective of agribusiness is to ensure food security for the global population at affordable prices. Concurrently, there is a desire that all food products be produced sustainably. The poultry industry is well-positioned to achieve adequate nutrient-dense food provision because chickens are efficient converters of energy and nutrients into edible product. Poultry production plays an essential role in local food security and the alleviation of poverty in the absence of other nutrient-dense foods. The poultry industry possesses the technology, skills and capital to meet the expected demand targets. However, the demand for poultry products that fulfil the environmental, social and financial standpoints of sustainability will increase. Public opinion will prevent us from using many of the technologies required to achieve these goals. Consumers will need to change their expectations, behaviour and spending patterns in the best interests of sustainability.

Commercial poultry feed formulation: current status, challenges, and future expectations

R.A. ALHOTAN

Poultry nutrition has evolved tremendously over the past 100 years. Feed formulation, the applied side of nutrition, has gone through vast improvements from simple hand formulations to computerised formulations using modern software equipped with advanced capabilities, which allows for high accuracy, easy integration, and flexibility. In general, the modern commercial feed formulations are based on the concept of ‘least-cost’ and produced using linear programming, which requires the user to have sufficient knowledge in the nutritional requirements of birds, and ingredient compositions and prices. Stochastic programming can also be used in high uncertainty situations, such as nutrient variation in feedstuffs, to increase the confidence of meeting the requirement of a particular nutrient. Although profit-maximising models were recommended to maximise profitability in poultry production, their use is still limited. Several challenges are encountered when formulating feeds such as nutrient variability, ingredient shortages, ingredient price fluctuations, antibiotic-free production, and meeting the requirements of constantly changing genotypes. Adopting innovative technology has helped nutritionists and mill managers overcome most of the challenges that they face. In the future, poultry feed formulation is likely to receive more enhancements like implementing the true protein and net energy system and considering advanced profit-maximising models. The feed formulation solutions’ suppliers are expected to introduce more high-tech enhancements to the formulation solutions in response to the growing demands of the feed industry. Such enhancements should maximise profitability, meet nutritional needs more accurately, and reduce environmental pollution for more sustainable poultry production.

Peripheral regulation of food intake in chickens -adiposity signals, satiety signals, and others

K. HONDA

Broiler chickens eat more feed and grow faster than layer chickens. However, hyperphagia-induced excessive accumulation of body fat in broiler chickens has become a serious problem in the modern poultry industry. Species specificity in terms of the physiological role of appetite-regulating hormones and neuropeptides can make it difficult to understand the mechanisms underlying the central regulation of food intake in chickens. Therefore, although the appetite regulatory system of chickens has been a focus of research in recent decades, the mechanisms underlying the hyperphagia of broiler chickens is not fully understood. Our previous studies demonstrated that peripheral hormones significantly suppress food intake in chicks. These findings suggest that postprandial elevation of peripheral anorexigenic hormones play important roles in appetite regulation in chickens. This review provides an overview of recent findings on the role of peripheral hormones in the regulation of food intake in chickens and propose the new insight of avian-species specific system of peripheral regulation of food intake and promising strategies for reducing body fat mass in broiler chickens.

Chick quality: An overview of measurement techniques and influencing factors

D. NARINÇ and E. AYDEMIR

The production quantity of poultry products is increasing in the world economy with every passing day. The increase in chick quality is synonymous with the increase in the number of saleable chicks in terms of the poultry industry. In addition, in order to obtain high-quality products, one should start production with high-quality chicks as well as providing the ideal environmental conditions starting from the first day of incubation. The additive gene effects on chick quality are very low, whereas environmental factors have a large effect. Environmental factors affecting chick quality can be classified as egg storage period and conditions, age and genotype of breeder flock, incubation conditions, incubation types and post-hatch handling. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to determine chick quality. The quantitative methods employed include such morphological measurements as chick weight, chick length, leg length, chest circumference, and the diameter of shank. The qualitative methods used to determine chick quality are visual assessment-based methods which are called the Pasgar score and the Tona score. In recent years, the Tona and Pasgar methods have been used frequently in studies carried out with respect to measuring the effects of various environmental practices on chick quality. This paper aims to review the studies carried out concerning chick quality, the factors influencing chick quality, and the determination of chick quality and makes some suggestions for future studies to be conducted on chick quality assessment.

Probiotics as therapeutic, antioxidant and immunomodulatory agents against poultry coccidiosis

M. MOHSIN, R.Z. ABBAS, G. YIN, Z. SINDHU, A. ABBAS, Z. HUANG, M.T. ALEEM, Z. SAEED, M.Z. AFZAL, A. EJAZ and M. SHOAIB

Avian coccidiosis is an important parasitic disease of birds, caused by genus Eimeria, and having great economic importance. The estimated global economic loss due to coccidiosis is up to US$3 billion annually. Approximately 80% of these losses are associated with performance parameters, including decreased weight gain, heavy mortality, poor feed conversion ratio and the remaining 20% of losses include the cost of prophylaxis and treatment measures. This disease has been controlled by different anticoccidial agents, but synthetic drug-resistance is the major issue due to which researchers are trying to develop modern alternate effective approaches. Moreover, drug residues cause health hazard issues for poultry product consumers, which have led to the cessation of such practices in developed countries. Control through vaccination can be considered as a good practice, but due to the high cost and complexity of Eimeria species, development of a cost-effective vaccine has proved challenging. Among other options, probiotics have shown favourable effects against coccidiosis. Use of probiotics can reduce 70-80% of losses faced by the poultry industry worldwide. They have shown excellent results due to their antioxidant, immunostimulatory and positive effects on intestinal health of infected birds. Furthermore, details about the expression of the host biological responses against poultry coccidiosis and how probiotic supplementation assists in improving these responses in chickens are described in this review.

Flavonoid antioxidants in chicken meat production: Potential application and future trends

F. RAFIEI and F. KHAJALI

Meat-type chickens (broilers) are highly prone to oxidative stress because of genetic selection for their growth rate and because of the environmental conditions in which they are reared. Oxidative stress has significant impacts on chicken meat quality and safety. As such, antioxidants are often added to the diets of chickens to prevent oxidative stress and to ensure the quality and safety of the meat. This paper discusses sources of oxidative stress (pro-oxidants) in the chicken meat industry, from the raising of live birds to the production of chicken meat. The potential of flavonoids – the biggest group of natural antioxidants – is also explored with a discussion of their natural sources, bioavailability, and their potential application in the chicken meat industry.

Olive pomace for the feeding of commercial poultry: effects on performance, meat and eggs quality, hematological parameters, microbiota and immunity

C.O. DE OLIVEIRA, A.A.P. ROLL, F.M. GONÇALVES, D.C.N. LOPES and E.G. XAVIER

The present study aims to gather the research carried out worldwide in the last two decades with the use of olive pomace in the diet of broilers, laying hens and laying quails to highlight the nutritional importance of such biomass and its effective use in poultry nutrition. The olive pomace from the extraction of olive oil has important chemical properties from a nutritional standpoint such as a high concentration of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. In addition, it can be a significant source of fatty acids (12 – 22%), minerals and phenolic compounds. Thus, combining the use of olive pomace and seeking to adapt it to animal feed in a sustainable way, research has been carried out around the world with the use of olive pomace in the diet of commercial birds. The results presented in different studies demonstrate that the inclusion of up to 10% of olive pomace in the diet of broiler chickens, commercial laying hens and Japanese quails does not negatively affect the performance of the birds and improves the quality of meat, such as odour and flavour. Additionally, an increase in the egg weight and yolk index has been observed when olive pomace is supplied up to 9% in diets. The inclusion of olive pomace can also alter the lipid profile of the chicken meat and egg yolk, increasing the series of monounsaturated fatty acids and reducing the saturated ones. Haematological parameters of the different categories of birds do not change regarding albumins, globulins, total proteins, haematocrit, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) with up to 20% olive pomace in the diet. The gut microbiota of birds that receive olive pomace in their feed is altered and broilers have better antibody titres for Infectious Bronchitis and Gumboro.

Effect of feeding fermented and non-fermented palm kernel cake on the performance of broiler chickens: A review

M.I. ALSHELMANI, U. KAKA, E.A. ABDALLA, A.M. HUMAM and H.U. ZAMANI

Palm kernel cake (PKC) is a by-product of oil extraction from palm fruits and has been included in poultry diets as an alternative to soybean meal and yellow corn. Due to its high content of fibre, coarse texture and gritty appearance, the use of PKC in poultry nutrition is limited. In order to increase the nutritive value of PKC, there is a tendency nowadays to create solid state fermentation (SSF) by using cellulolytic microbes. This paper reviews the impact of feeding fermented and non-fermented PKC on the performance of broiler chickens. Recent studies have reported that SSF by cellulolytic microorganisms improved the nutritive value of PKC. The nutrient digestibility has been increased significantly in PKC fermented using Paenibacillus polymyxya ATCC 842 or Weisella confusa SR-17b. The availability of valine, histidine, methionine and arginine was 70.42, 71.50, 71.92 and 81.15%, respectively, in PKC fermented using P. polymyxa ATCC 842. The digestibility of crude protein (CP) increased by 61.83% and 59.90% in PKC fermented using P. polymyxya ATCC 842 or W. confusa SR-17b, respectively. In addition, body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved significantly in broilers fed 15% fermented PKC compared to those fed 15% non-fermented PKC (2000.43 g versus 1823.23 g and 1.75 versus 1.91, respectively). The intestinal Enterobacteriaceae decreased (4.03 CFU/g) and lactic acid bacteria increased (5.56 CFU/g) in birds fed 15% PKC fermented by P. polymyxa ATCC 842. Therefore, fermented PKC can be included in a broiler diet up to 15%, replacing part of soybean and yellow corn in the diet, leading to a decrease in the overall cost of poultry feeding.

Wealth from poultry waste: an overview

R. PRABAKARAN and S. EZHIL VALAVAN

Poultry production generates a huge volume of waste from hatchery, poultry farm, processing plant etc. which carry potential health hazards as they lead to air, water and land pollution. Disposal of these wastes by processing and recycling offers greater scope. Hatchery waste meal contains up to 44.63% of crude protein and 26.46% of crude fat and hence can be profitability used as an animal feed source. Appropriately processed dried poultry manure / litter would help in reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizers. India produces about 38.33 million tons of poultry manure annually sufficient to fertilize about 3.56 million hectares of farmland. While composting and combustion of poultry litter have been tried, biogas production could also be a good alternative. Poultry by-product meal (PBPM) obtained by rendering showed very high protein (63.7%) and fat (24.5%) contents and could be a cost-effective feed ingredient for monogastric animals that would also ensure efficiency of production. Biodiesel production from chicken fat by the transesterification process also offers good potential and India is keen on taking advantage by incorporating 5% of biodiesel in diesel to bring down its dependence on crude oil imports. Effective and efficient disposal of poultry waste will ensure sustainability of poultry production in developing countries.

Goose production and goose products

J. KOZÁK

Goose keeping can expand the choice of basic food materials and provides materials (feather and down) for light industry. There are various ways to produce goose meat using preferably white feathered breeds. Intensively reared broiler geese attain a slaughter weight of 5 kg by 56-63 days of age; under semi-intensive keeping they reach a slaughter weight of 6 kg by 16 weeks of age, and under extensive keeping (grazing) they can be slaughtered by 22-24 weeks of age. Fattened liver is produced with 9-24 weeks old liver type (Landaise) geese via cramming (force feeding) for 14-21 days by which time the liver weight can reach 600-1000 g. Goose fat is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and along with goose meat can be considered as functional foods. The fattened goose liver is a delicacy, while goose eggs are mostly used as propagating material albeit with occasional consumption in some Asian countries. Most of the worldwide feather and down production originates from slaughtered geese; only 1-2% of the global production is removed manually. At scalding, the percentage of feather in body weight amounts to 3.8-5.5% in broiler vs. 3.4-5.3% in fattened goose, respectively. The feather and down obtainable from young geese (8-10 weeks old) per capita at their natural moulting time is 80-100 g on the first occasion. Six to seven weeks later it amounts to 100-130 g and after another 6-7 weeks 140-170 g, respectively. In the EU only those countries where it is and was a traditional practice are allowed to harvest feathers from and force feed geese. Some believe the objection and ban of these activities are scientifically unfounded.

Role of backyard poultry in South-East Asian countries: post COVID-19 perspective

P.K. DAS and I. SAMANTA

The potential growth of the poultry industry was halted globally during COVID-19 although poultry birds were not affected directly by the virus. Distress in the poultry industry during the pandemic is primarily due to restriction of movement imposed on various items such as poultry feed, chicks, medicine and vaccines, and poultry products both locally and globally particularly in Asia, where 10 countries executed national lockdowns and 12 countries employed localized lockdowns. Rumours about spreading of SARS-CoV-2 virus through poultry meat caused further collapse in the domestic market economy. The export market of poultry products has declined in certain regions like Asia, Europe and North America. It is expected that worldwide chicken meat trade may be lowered by 4 percent although there is increased demand for animal protein among consumers. Hence, an integrated approach is needed to revive the poultry industry. Apart from commercial poultry maintained in integrated farming systems with moderate to high level of biosecurity, there is a ‘backyard’ or ‘village level’ poultry sector with minimal biosecurity. In the backyard sector, native birds or locally available breeds are maintained and the birds or their products are mostly consumed locally. The strategy to adapt backyard poultry as an alternative system to generate income not only augments poultry production but also guarantees the availability of animal protein to the poorer section of the society, as well as improving the purchasing capacity of this section, and guards against the ‘reverse migration’ of labour during the post COVID-19 period. Furthermore, smallholders could play a vital role in fulfilling the demand for animal products in developing countries. Some initiatives to distribute chicks, feed and medicine for rearing among the marginal farmers were detected in India, Bangladesh and Cambodia during lockdown to mitigate the catastrophic effect of COVID-19 on the rural economy.

Kadaknath: A popular native chicken breed of India with unique black colour characteristics

S. HAUNSHI and L.L.L. PRINCE

Kadaknath is the most popular and unique native chicken breed of India. This breed is experiencing higher demand in recent times due to its unique characteristics and perceived health benefits of its meat and eggs. The entire bird including plumage, skin, shank, and internal organs is black. The black colour of this bird is due to hyperpigmentation associated with the fibromelanosis caused by the Fm gene. Three varieties of the Kadaknath breed have been identified based primarily on plumage colour: jet black, pencilled and golden. Kadaknath is a small-sized bird with small shanks (51.5 mm at 8 weeks). It attains the body weight of 865 g at 20 weeks. Cocks and hens weigh about 1500 and 1200 g, respectively, at 40 weeks. The average age at first egg is high (185 days) and the egg production potential of this breed is somewhat less (50 to 55 eggs in 40 weeks). Egg production up to 52 weeks was 90 to 105 eggs and the annual egg production is estimated to be in the range of 120 to 140 eggs. This breed has good fertility (80 to 85%) and hatchability (83 to 90%) status. Eggs are small in size (42 to 45 g) but have good shell quality (10.47% shell) with light brown to brown coloured shells, and low yolk to albumen ratio (0.51). Consumers prefer Kadaknath meat due to its desirable flavour and lean meat (0.11 to 0.52 % abdominal fat) as compared to broiler meat (1.74 to 1.85% abdominal fat). Increased demand for healthier meat among modern consumers has led to the rearing of Kadaknath birds in intensive and semi-intensive systems around the major cities in India. The current paper describes the growth, production, and reproduction performance, status of immune-competence, carcass characteristics, meat quality, egg quality traits and future research needs of the Kadaknath breed.

Treasurer's Report

In the United States we just finished our Thanksgiving holiday. I want to express thanks to all the hard-working Branch officers who have sent in their respective Branch dues. In the same vein, WPSA continues to be blessed with generous business people in the poultry and allied industries who support our Journal.

My first in-person large event this year was the 4-H National Poultry and Egg Conference, held the third week of November in Louisville, Kentucky. High school students from across the country who participate in the land grant universities’ 4-H youth programme, came to Louisville as state champions in Avian Bowl, Chicken BBQ, Egg Preparation Demonstration, Poultry Judging, and/or Turkey BBQ. They, as well as the volunteer Poultry Specialists who officiate, were so happy that the Conference was back on. The United State of America Branch of WPSA is a long and faithful sponsor of the Conference. This is a great investment in the future of the industry, as we now have members of the Poultry Specialists’ Committee, as well as speakers at our Career Workshops, who are 4-H alumni of the Conference.

I send my end of the year good wishes to all WPSA members. May we all enjoy a safer and healthier 2022.-

Dr Francine Bradley, Treasurer

WG3

Breeding and Genetics

The European Symposium on Poultry Genetics has been postponed to 8-10 November 2023. It will take place at the Maritim Airport Hotel in Hannover.

WG4

Eggs and Egg Quality

Along with the organizers of WPC2022, the WG4 Committee organized a webinar on ‘Egg Quality to Value’ based on the accepted abstracts for the WPC that had been submitted in 2019. This was done in an attempt to get in touch with those scientists who were waiting for the Covid delayed World Congress.

The webinar was held on November 9^th, 2021, and it included a very interesting programme that covered genetic, analytical, freshness, and quality aspects of eggs. The detailed programme for the webinar can be viewed at: https://wpcparis2022.com/webinar-egg-quality/.

For those of you who are registered for the 26^th WPC in Paris in 2022, but who missed the live webinar, replay is available at the following link: https:/wpcparis2022.com/webinars/.

Enjoy the presentations!

Christina Alamprese & Joel Gautron, Chairs of WG4

WG5

Poultry Meat Quality

As for all European Symposia, the next ‘XXV European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat‘ conjointly held with the ‘XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products’ have been postponed to 2023 and it will be held between September 7 to 9, 2023 in Kraków, Poland. Such events provide a unique opportunity for scientific community, practice sector, and for all associated with the poultry sector to exchange recent advances, hot topics and upcoming challenges in the fields of the quality aspects of poultry meat, eggs and their products. Location of the Symposium in Kraków, which is one of the most recognized cities in Poland shall provide excellent opportunities not only for gathering and exchange knowledge but also for behind-the-scenes conversations in the magic places of the City.

Our next WG5 member meeting will be held during World's Poultry Congress 2022 in Paris.

Massimiliano Petracci, Secretary Italian Branch of WPSA

A/P WG3

Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis)

A Ratite Research Session is being planned for the World Poultry Congress that has been re-scheduled in Paris, France from August 7 – 11, 2022. The actual date for the Ratite Session has not yet been determined, but please send any suggestions for contributions and/or topics that you have to . 

Researchers involved in research on any Ratites (ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries or kiwis) are asked to contact the Ratite Group. Please send an email to .

Anel Engelbrecht, Chair

Summaries

New insights into arginine and arginine-sparing effects of guanidinoacetic acid and citrulline in broiler diets

H.T. DAO and R.A. SWICK

Chickens have a high dietary Arg requirement compared to mammalians as they have an incomplete urea cycle and therefore cannot synthesise Arg. Arginine is important for protein synthesis and is also involved in immunity being converted to nitric oxide (NO) at the macrophage level. Nitric oxide is secreted as a free radical during an immune response and is toxic to bacteria, intracellular parasites and also has strong anti-viral and anti-cancer properties. Also, NO serves as a regulating factor for intestinal blood flow, integrity, secretion, and epithelial cell migration. As Arg is a limiting factor for NO synthesis, the increased availability of Arg following dietary supplementation of Arg and/or its metabolites could increase the NO production and subsequent immune status in birds. Such improvements on bird health may become useful for antibiotic growth promoter-free poultry production. The Arg requirement in birds has received special interest due to its large variation in different dietary conditions. Growing evidence suggests that increasing the dietary Arg level and Arg to Lys ratio above currently accepted levels may be necessary to maximise the productive potential of modern broiler strains due to the modulatory effect of Arg on energy and protein metabolism. Also, literature evidence has indicated that crystalline Arg, guanidinoacetic acid (GAA), and citrulline (Cit) can provide Arg activity in chicken diets and are all commercially available. Furthermore, the use of Cit could escape the degradation of enzyme arginase in the intestine and liver resulting in higher Arg levels in the bloodstream and NO production compared to Arg supplementation. The addition of GAA may also provide additional benefits on increasing creatine level and energy metabolism in broiler chickens compared to Arg. This paper will provide new insights into Arg and Arg-sparing effects of GAA and Cit in the broiler diets with a special focus on supplementation of Arg in reduced protein diets.

Constraints on the modelling of calcium and phosphorus growth of broilers: A systematic review

F. SALISBURY, A.J. COWIESON and R.M. GOUS

Deterministic modelling provides an approach to improve the precision of calcium and phosphorus nutrition of broilers. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to establish if data were available for the development of such a model. Two citation index sites were searched, using keywords chosen to return as many suitable studies as possible. The results were filtered to remove extraneous papers. The remaining studies were scrutinised for variables that would quantify the growth of calcium and phosphorus under ideal and non-ideal conditions. In over a thousand papers, few contained response variables that contributed to the development of a model. Serial slaughter with whole body mineral analysis (two studies) and serial bone analysis for ash, calcium and phosphorus (eight studies) could provide the necessary measurements. A preliminary growth model was developed using these data, but further research will improve this model and offer insights into the way in which the broiler utilises the calcium and phosphorus in its diet.

Dietary fibre in laying hens: a review of effects on performance, gut health and feather pecking

A. DESBRUSLAIS, A. WEALLEANS, D. GONZALEZ SANCHEZ and M. DI BENEDETTO

Dietary fibre has traditionally been considered an energy diluting component of laying hen diets. With low energetic value, and sometimes negative impacts on digesta viscosity and gut function, formulations have often aimed to minimize crude fibre contents. Increasing fibre contents can mean that the level of fat required to meet nutritional standards must be increased to account for the decrease in energy, with consequential impacts on feed handling. By contrast, recent research has shown that some dietary fibres can have beneficial effects on laying performance, driven by changes in digestibility, gut structure and function, as well as shifts in the gut microbiota. However, there is often a lack of clarity as to the quantity and type of fibre required to yield production benefits. Broadly, soluble fibres – while largely detrimental to nutrient digestibility – can act as prebiotics, favouring beneficial intestinal microbiomes, while insoluble fibres stimulate intestinal development and may have some preventative effects on feather pecking and cannibalism.

Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics for sustainable poultry production

R.C. REUBEN, S.L. SARKAR, P.C. ROY, A. ANWAR, M.A. HOSSAIN and I.K. JAHID

Globally, poultry production has been an integral part of human activities, providing a major source of livelihood and food to humans. The continuous increase in the world population with an attendant rise in the demand for safe poultry products requires a global strategy for sustainable poultry production. With growing concerns over antimicrobial resistance, abolition or reduction in the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), and rising consumer demand for chemical or antibiotic-free products, identifying and applying safe, natural and economical alternatives including prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics for sustainable poultry production has become imperative. The beneficial effects of the dietary inclusion of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics as AGP alternatives in poultry production include improved poultry health, growth performance and feed efficiency. Generally, the mechanisms through which prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics exert beneficial effects on poultry include competitive exclusion and antagonism of pathogens, modulation of intestinal microbiota, production of antimicrobial substances, stimulation of immune system, and enhancement of nutrients digestibility and intestinal morphology development. The properties and beneficial effects of these emerging alternatives suggest their contribution to the improvement of poultry health, through the stimulation of diverse physiological functions (although not entirely elucidated) with better growth performance and feed efficiency. This review discusses the concept, impacts and mechanisms of the application of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics in sustainable poultry production. Their general acceptance and application in the poultry industry will undoubtedly result in more sustainable, safe and economic poultry production for feeding the world.

Physiological and immunological benefits of probiotics and their impacts in poultry productivity

T.A. EBEID, I.H. AL-HOMIDAN and M.M. FATHI

Using antibiotics as growth factors has been banned due to increasing the problem of antibiotic resistance and presence of antibiotics residues in poultry products, which pose a risk to human health. Therefore, probiotics could be utilized as a promising alternative to antibiotic growth promoters because of the increased require for antibiotic-free and organic poultry products. Probiotics are viable micro-organisms used as feed additives. Scientists have paid much attention to the benefits of probiotics due to their ability to preserve a healthy intestinal microbial balance. Probiotic supplementation could enhance the gut structure integrity, physiological function, intestinal immunity and health. Probiotics are also involved in enhancing the antioxidative status via activation of the antioxidative enzymes and reducing lipid peroxidation. Moreover, dietary probiotic micro-organisms are able to stimulate the humoral- and cell-mediated immunity and regulate pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the host. These physiological and immunological benefits of probiotics are translated into a various improvement in growth performance, laying performance, egg quality, meat quality, and meat safety. Interestingly, probiotics have positive impacts on alleviating heat stress in poultry. The current review is an effort to throw the light on the recent findings related to the benefits of dietary probiotics on gut development, nutrient absorption, gut microbiota, antioxidative properties, immune responses and productive performance in poultry.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) in broiler nutrition

B. MILOSEVIC, I. OMEROVIC, Z. SAVIC, L. ANDJUSIC, V. MILANOVIC and S. CIRIC

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) represents a plant with traditional utilization in medicine in many countries. Despite its potentials stinging nettle is considered by intensive agriculture as a weed, but its biological properties, availability, together with simple processing technology can make it excellent dietary supplement on poultry farms. Nettle supplemented in broiler diets exerts positive effects regarding production performance. Nettle provides nutrients and bioactive components, which stimulate growth and feed utilization, modulate metabolic processes and support immune system in broilers. This review analyses published literature sources investigating the use of stinging nettle in broiler nutrition, which provided sufficient data to confirm its high potential for dietary application in broiler industry. Future research is needed in regard to clarifying and standardization of its phytogenic potential and nutritional value, as it depends on numerous factors, such as climate, vegetative stage, soil, harvesting time and processing technology.

Practical application of some common agro-processing wastes in poultry diets

A. SEIDAVI, M. AZIZI, A.A. SWELUM, M.E. ABD EL-HACK and M.A.E. NAIEL

Technological revolution in the field of agriculture has tremendously generated huge quantities of waste causing environmental pollution. The agriculture wastes can be categorized into different categories, such as crop waste and residues; cereal by-products; sugar beet pulp, starch and confectionary industry by-products; oil cereal industry by-products; grain and legumes by-products. It was found that the Agro-Co-products could be recommended in the poultry diet with low-cost advantages alternative to conventional ingredients. Despite of the high fibre content and low nutrient availability that limit the utilization of these by-products by poultry. Besides, the source of by-product, processing method/enzyme supplementation and animal factors found to be affected the utilization of agro-industrial by-products by poultry. If we could produce valuable products from agriculture wastes by-products through new technological and scientific applications, these by-products could be converted into products with a higher nutritive value than the main feedstuffs. Therefore, the present paper reviews provide a brief discussion on the utilization of some Agro-processing wastes as a source of nutrients in poultry diets.

Fowlpox virus: an overview of its classification, morphology and genome, replication mechanisms, uses as vaccine vector and disease dynamics

B.N. UMAR, J. ADAMU, M.T. AHMAD, K.H. AHMAD, A. SADA and O. ORAKPOGHENOR

Fowlpox virus (FWPV) is a complex cytoplasmic DNA virus belonging to the Family- Poxviridae, Subfamily-Chordopoxvirinae and Genus-Avipoxviruses. The large size of the genome accommodates multiple gene inserts and the induction of abortive infection in mammalian cells and thus makes FWPV a promising vector for vaccine development against several important veterinary and human diseases. The virus is predominantly transmitted via aerosols or biting insects in poultry and causes fowlpox in chickens and turkeys. Fowlpox is a contagious disease of economic importance, with cutaneous and/or diphtheritic forms of infection seen in domestic and wild birds. It occurs worldwide (but is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries only) as mild to severe poultry disease. The disease is controlled via rigorous sanitation and immunisation with attenuated strains of FWPV or the antigenically similar pigeonpox virus vaccines. While most of these vaccines are highly effective in conferring long-lasting immunity, a number of recurrent outbreaks in previously vaccinated flocks have been reported. In recent years, fowlpox outbreaks in poultry flocks have been on the rise mainly due to emerging novel types of FWPV and the pathogenic traits of these strains are reportedly enhanced by integration of reticuloendotheliosis virus sequences of various lengths into the FWPV genome. This has become a hurdle in controlling the disease, thus necessitating the development of newer vaccines with improved efficacy. The present review summarises the overall dynamics of the FWPV including taxonomic classification, replication mechanisms, pathogenicity, provirus integration, its use as recombinant vaccine vector, disease impacts and diagnostics, and also highlighted gaps requiring further research.

Heat stress, haematology and small intestinal morphology in broiler chickens: Insight into impact and antioxidant-induced amelioration

J.O. AYO and N.E. OGBUAGU

This paper reviews adverse effects of heat stress on haematology and small intestinal changes as well as the beneficial effects of antioxidant agents, and probable mechanisms by which the agents ameliorate heat stress. High ambient temperature and high relative humidity cause heat stress, which negatively impacts on production, reproduction, immunity and health of broiler chickens. The cardiovascular system, particularly sensitive to changes in temperature, is an indicator of physiological responses to stressors by broiler chickens. Heat stress decreases small intestinal blood flow, erythrocyte count and haemoglobin concentration and alters the ratio of leucocyte types. Impaired blood flow causes injury to small intestinal morphology, including villi and crypts; impairs digestion, decreases rate of nutrient absorption and bird development, resulting in reduced body weight in broiler chickens. Antioxidant supplementation, involving vitamins C and E, fisetin, betaine, probiotic, taurine and melatonin, boosts the capacity of biological antioxidant barrier to combat reactive oxygen species, which are generated in excess during heat stress. In conclusion, antioxidants, by ameliorating adverse effects of heat stress on haematological and small intestinal changes, are promising prophylactic agents in enhancing productivity of broiler chickens under heat-stress conditions.

Preincubation and preheating – two different methods but with one purpose for use in hatchery. Can their interaction be twice as effective?

K. DAMAZIAK

The increasing demand for simultaneous hatching of a large number of chicks has led to the need for refrigerated egg storage often over 7 days. This results in low embryo viability, low hatchability, and poor quality of chicks. To overcome these negative effects, chick producers follow a preincubation step, i.e., temporary warming of eggs to temperatures above physiological zero. Depending on the length of the planned storage, the age of the reproductive flock, and the poultry species, three different preincubation profiles can be used: single (PI), multiple with an equal number of hours for each PI (SPIDES), and increasing duration of elevated temperature with each successive PI (EG SPIDES). However, this technology does not overcome the negative effects of heating eggs too quickly or too slowly to the required incubation temperature. Currently, this issue increasingly affects commercial hatcheries, which face the challenge of simultaneously raising the temperature of a very large number of eggs. In this case, preheating by a gradual temperature increase, can help. Similar to preincubation, the preheating profile should be adjusted to the duration of egg storage and age and genotype of the reproductive flocks. As both methods have the same goal but different mechanisms of action and are used at different stages of egg storage, the analysis of their interaction will be crucial to further improve hatching efficiency in the future.

What do we know about the impacts of poultry catching?

F.M. DUTRA, R.G. GARCIA, E. BINOTTO and M.F. DE CASTRO BURBARELLI

The global demand for food production, poultry has contributed significantly to the supply of protein. Industries, as an important link in the production chain, aim to serve the consumer market, which increasingly seeks agility, economy, and quality in products and processes, especially for those related to animal and human welfare. This study highlighted the context of broiler chicken catching from the animal, human, and economic welfare perspective. A systematic review about literature was conducted in the three phases: definition of the research protocol, analysis of articles selected, and synthesis of the findings. After selecting descriptors/words and searching databases, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 40 articles was selected. The findings showed that the publications on the subject started in Europe, South Africa, and North America in the 1980s. Poultry Science Journal with impact factor of 2,027 published the most of articles. The authors brought contributions in some areas, such as lesions, dead on arrival (DOA) at the slaughterhouse, and consumer perception on animal welfare (AW). Finally, the mechanized catching has the potential to replace manual catching providing health and welfare benefits for animals and workers, besides cost savings.

Nanoparticles applications in poultry production: An updated review

W.A. ABD EL-GHANY, M. SHAALAN and H.M. SALEM

Nanotechnology is an innovative promising technology that has a great scope of applications as well as a socio-economic potential in poultry industry sector. Nanoparticles (NPs) show advantages of high absorption and bioavailability with more effective delivering to the target tissue compared to their bulk particles. Nanomaterials show variable forms, sizes, shapes, applications, surface modifications, charges and natures. Top-down and bottom-up methods are the common types of NPs preparation. There are different mechanisms through them NPs could exert their action. In poultry field, NPs have been considered in diagnosis of many diseases using different techniques, vaccines preparations and immuno-stimulation, disinfection, production enhancement, detection of food adulteration and antimicrobial activities (antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal) and antimycotoxins. As a result of enhancement of poultry production and reducing the bacterial load after using NPs, the antibiotics drug resistance obstacle can be overcome. Despite the wide benefits of using NPs in poultry production, some concerns about their safety and hazardous effects should be regarded. Therefore, this review article is focused on NPs’ types, manufacture, mode of actions, different applications with reference to safety and hazards impact.

Possibilities of productive and reproductive performance improvement in geese: Part I - genetic factors

V. DJERMANOVIC, M. MILOJEVIC, S. MITROVIC and I. BOZICKOVIC

Goose is a poultry species modest in terms of breeding conditions, that enters breeding relatively late. These birds are characterized by the lowest production of eggs during the season, lower fertility and lower degree of hatchability than any other species of poultry. The productive and reproductive abilities of geese are depending on genetic and numerous non-genetic factors. The right choice of the genotype, adequate application of the breeding technology and incubation of eggs, as well as thoroughly planned selection, can greatly improve the reproductive properties of geese. Selection of genotypes and selection work for their improvement should be in accordance with regional breeding conditions, which allow maximum expression of genetic potential and conservation of animal genetic resources.

Characterization of indigenous helmeted guinea fowls in Nigeria for meat and egg production

A.J. SHOYOMBO, A. YAKUBU, A.O. ADEBAMBO, M.A. POPOOLA, O.A. OLAFADEHAN, M. WHETO, O.O. ALABI, H.O. OSAIYUWU, C.I. UKIM, A. OLAYANJU and O.A. ADEBAMBO

There is increasing interest in sustainable poultry production in developing economies. This review provides an insight into guinea fowl production in Nigeria as a means of additional high quality poultry meat and egg production. Under the smallholder scavenging system, flock size of the four investigated plumages (Pearl, Lavender, Black and White) of indigenous helmeted guinea fowl in Nigeria typically ranges from 6-9 birds per household, 14-week mean live weight from 917-975 g, dressed weight at this age from 700-737 g and dressing percentage from 74-76%. Under the backyard system of production, mean egg number is typically about 80 eggs per hen/annum while under intensive management it can be up to 147 eggs per hen/annum and egg weight from 29 to 38 g. Under smallholder conditions, hatchability of fertile eggs can range from 70 to 86% while under improved housing and rearing conditions it can be as high as 89%. The present information could be exploited in formulating appropriate management strategies and breeding decisions for sustainable production of hybrid improved guinea fowls, thereby contributing to food security in Nigeria.

Strengthening smallholder engagement and integration in the Rwandan commercial broiler value chain

T. GILL, R. NISENGWE, H. GOERTZ, D. ADER, K. MCGEHEE, R. NSHUTI, A. GUMISIRIZA, M. SMITH and E. URBAN

The emerging broiler value chain in Rwanda has the potential to increase domestic meat supply to meet increasing demand for protein and micronutrients and address the challenge of stunting. Smallholders operate the majority of farm enterprises in Rwanda, but have typically been limited to village poultry production. Meanwhile, larger modern enterprises have been the primary suppliers of broilers to the commercial market. However, hybrid, asset-building broiler operations are a third production model that represent a potential avenue for smallholder poultry intensification. The integration of this model into the Rwandan broiler sector provides greater opportunity for domestic producers to meet Rwandan government targets for supply of animal-sourced foods, while generating livelihood opportunities for smallholders. This paper provides an overview of the commercial broiler value chain and outlines lessons learned from a pilot project that employed this third production model. Challenges to smallholder engagement in the Rwanda commercial broiler value chain cut across input supply, production, post-harvest and marketing, and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, multiple opportunities exist to strengthen smallholder engagement and integration into the Rwandan commercial broiler value chain. These include: reducing the recurring costs of production; providing value chain trainings; facilitating microfinancing; reducing post-harvest costs; increasing local demand for broiler meat; and strengthening policies in support of smallholders.