TABLE 3
T ABLE 4
All job categories of survey respondents
were asked to name the product or process that they have seen or heard about
recently that holds the most promise for
the U.S. broiler or turkey industry.
Most promising Number of
product or process respondents
Probiotics 4
Air-chilled carcasses 3
Feed enzymes 3
Salmonella vaccines 3
Pre-harvest salmonella reduction 2
research from UGA
CAS/CAK for yield improvement 2
Cellulosic ethanol production 2
The following products or processes were named once each: Finishing
chillers, automated chlorine control for chillers, gas chlorination,
ultra-high-pressure processing, water recycling, sludge conversion to
biodiesel, electrical stimulation for meat maturation, vacuum stunning,
automated live-hanging, alternative boiler fuels, competitive exclusion,
acidification of drinking water during feed withdrawal, pre-cooked
turkey burgers, robotics, pre-cooked poultry products in the fresh meat
case, possible ractopamine approval for turkeys, single stage incubation, formaldehyde treatment for feed and on-farm water sanitation
programs.
Survey respondents who identified their job as corporate or
administrative in nature were asked how much their
company has cut its bird placements.
Broilers
Number or Percent of
responses responses
18 50.0%
1 2.8%
2 5.6%
2 5.6%
3 8.3%
4 11.1%
0 0.0%
6 16.7%
36 100.0%
Average 2.4%
0 percent
1 percent
2 percent
3 percent
4 percent
5 percent
6 percent
7 percent or more
Total
Turkeys
Number or Percent of
responses responses
6 35.3%
2 11.8%
1 5.9%
0 0.0%
2 11.8%
3 17.6%
0 0.0%
3 17.6%
17 100.0%
2.8%
TABLE 5
lulosic ethanol production were each named by two survey
respondents.
Production cutbacks
Survey respondents working in live production
capacities were asked which pre-harvest salmonella
control measures are used in their operations.
Response Response
Percent Count
30.2% 13
Survey respondents who identified their jobs as being in “corporate
or administrative functions” for poultry processing companies were
asked if bird placements had been lowered or had stayed the same.
There were 36 responses to this question from broiler processors and
17 from turkey processors (Table 4). Half of the broiler processing
respondents reported no cutbacks in chick placements, and the average
of all broiler responses was a 2. 4 percent reduction.
Seventeen responses were given on the question about reductions in poult placements. Six respondents report no reduction in
poult placements, and the average of all turkey respondents was a
reduction of 2. 8 percent in poult placements.
Pre-harvest salmonella control
Do not employ any of these
interventions
Use killed autogenous salmonella
vaccine on breeders
Acidify the drinking water of pullets
Use probiotics on meat birds
or breeders
Acidify the drinking water of meat
birds for entire life of flock
Acidify the drinking water of meat
birds at placement and during feed
withdrawal.
Feed yeast cell wall products to meat
birds or breeders
Use live salmonella vaccine
on meat birds
27.9%
12
20.9%
20.9%
9
9
16.3%
7
16.3%
7
2.3%
1
0.0%
0
Almost by default, salmonella control in many poultry operations has been left up to the processing plant. With the tightening
of the salmonella performance standards this year, respondents
working in live production were asked what steps their operations
take to control salmonella in flocks on a pre-harvest basis (Table 5).
Thirteen of the 43 live production respondents ( 30. 2 percent) said
they do not employ any of the controls listed on the questionnaire.
Twelve respondents ( 27. 9 percent) report using killed autogenous
salmonella vaccines on their breeders. Acidifying drinking water
Responses 43
for pullets and feeding probiotics to breeders or meat birds were
pre-harvest salmonella control measures employed by nine respondents ( 20. 9 percent) each. Seven respondents ( 16. 3 percent)
each report acidifying the drinking water for meat birds for the
entire life of the flock or acidifying the drinking water for meat
bird flocks at placement and during feed withdrawal.
