Vito Martielli, Nan-Dirk Mulder,Albert Vernooij

Many of our readers will be directly or indirectly affected by consequences of the international financial crisis. Patterns of trade and terms of credit for investments in the global food industry are affected. The paper “Effects of the financial crisis on the international meat industry” by Vito Martielli, Nan-Dirk Mulder and Albert Vernooij, experts of Rabobank in The Netherlands, is reproduced from a recent publication few of our readers may have access to.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Prof. Nuhad J. Daghir

April is not the time when poultry producers have to worry about heat stress, but as good as any time to plan ahead for the hottest time of the year. Prof. Nuhad J. Daghir of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, has worked extensively on nutrition under high temperature conditions and recently published a revised edition of his book “Poultry Production in Hot Climates” His paper “Nutritional Strategies to Reduce Heat Stress in Broilers and Broiler Breeders” is focused on minimizing heat stress by adapting feed composition and feeding to the needs during hot weather periods.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Viola Holik

The general problem of heat stress in many regions of the world is similar for all types of poultry, but the solutions to minimize heat stress may differ. Based on extensive experience in her service area of Africa, Viola Holik, Tanzania, reviews the principles of heat management in her paper “Management of laying hens to minimize heat stress”. As for broilers, optimum nutrition is important for layers, and relatively simple strategies to reduce the effects of extreme temperatures can help to maintain good production.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. David Taras

Most people involved in animal production are aware of the importance of “feed conversion”, but our knowledge is limited as to what happens in the gut between “input” of feed and “output” of edible meat, milk or eggs. In his paper “The desired ideal: healthy gut and microbiota stability”, Dr. David Taras points out the importance of developing a quantitative definition of “gut health” in terms of microbiota composition

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Ilka Schröder, Dr. Ina Bräunig

The EU has set ambitious targets for reducing Salmonella contamination in different species of farm animals. Dr. Ilka Schröder and Dr. Ina Bräunig review the complexities of Salmonella infections in their paper “Holistic measures on combating Salmonella in broiler farms” and propose how Salmonella reduction can best be achieved.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Georg Heil , Dr. Leo Dempfle

In connection with attempts to minimize losses due to aggressive behaviour in poultry and different species of farm animals, it is of interest to know to what extent differences between and within populations exist and may be used for genetic selection. Dr. Georg Heil and Dr. Leo Dempfle studied this question in experiments with male rabbits of different breeds and crosses. In their paper “Genetic differences in the development of aggressive behaviour of male domestic rabbits”, the statistical models used are described in detail. Injuries due to aggressive behaviour were shown to be age-dependent and related to sexual maturity. Heritability estimates indicate that aggressive behaviour can be successfully reduced by selection if the males are kept in groups beyond the usual killing age.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Prof. D.K. Flock

The German egg industry is currently changing from conventional cage management to floor systems or enriched cages (“Kleingruppenhaltung”) which conform to German animal protection laws. As reported by Prof. D.K. Flock in his note “WPSA support for Germany’s exit from conventional cages”, the German Branch of the World Poultry Science Association is cooperating with the poultry industry in an attempt to provide information on different management systems to producers who make their results available and to the general public

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Günther Eberz

Dr. Günther Eberz, Bayer CropScience AG, sets the stage with his review “Agriculture needs innovation and a sense of responsibility - challenges facing sustainable agriculture”. His key message is: we need a new initiative to drive agricultural innovation, a “second green revolution”, to extend the potential of our crops to meet the needs in our time while protecting and preserving the environment for future generations.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Prof. Dietmar K. Flock

The editor, Prof. Dietmar K. Flock, reviews genetic improvements in the efficiency of egg production since the introduction of “reciprocal recurrent selection” 60 years ago: “A history of layer breeding in Cuxhaven since 1959: from serendipity to sustainability”. The remarkable improvement in feed efficiency is also an important contribution in terms of sustainability.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Attila von Hankó

Consumers demand safe food from healthy animals, while producers are trying to minimize mortality and loss of productivity due to common field infections. Consumer protection laws have eliminated the possibility to control diseases with antibiotic feed additives, and licensed vaccines are not available for all diseases. Attila von Hankó, EW Group, in his paper "Autogenous Vaccines" presents an extended concept for farm-specific solutions applicable within the European Union.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Andreas Lemme

New information on optimal nutrition remains of primary interest to many of our readers, and nutrition experts of Lohmann Tierzucht keep screening the international literature to update management recommendations. The article by Dr. Andreas Lemme, Evonik-Degussa, “Amino Acid recommendations for laying hens” is reproduced from a publication in AMINONews (July 2009). Optimizing the dietary amino acid profile helps to minimize feed cost per egg and Nemissions.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Prof. Matusevicius and Prof. Jeroch

Some of our readers are not only interested in poultry nutrition, but also in other species where producers are confronted with similar problems. Prof. Matusevicius and Prof. Jeroch, Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, Kaunas, report on the results of feeding trials with probiotic and phytobiotic preparations in their paper “Efficacy of probiotic “ToyoCerin” and phytobiotic “Cuxarom Spicemaster” on growing rabbits”.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Hans-Heinrich Thiele

Egg production used to be seasonal in many parts of the world until the response of birds to changing day length was understood and artificial lighting programs were introduced. Especially those who are new in this business and work with natural light will benefit from the article “Light stimulation of commercial layers” by Dr. Hans-Heinrich Thiele, Lohmann Tierzucht GmbH. To optimize the lighting program for any specific farm, the principles explained in this paper should be understood.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)

Dr. Peter Lewis

Parent flocks of meat type chickens and turkeys require much more sophisticated management than layers to optimize weight gain and onset of lay, as explained in the article “Lighting for broiler and turkey breeders” by Dr. Peter Lewis, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Even if you are only concerned with egg-type chickens and never heard the word “refractoriness”, this article should contribute to a better understanding how poultry responds to specific management tools. Correct lighting is an essential part of managing parent flocks, and more chicks per breeder hen adds to the sustainability of the business.

published in 44 / 2009 (ISSN-number: 1617-2906)