Professor and Poultry Science Extension Specialist for Pennsylvania State University.
Continue readingDr. Pratima Adhikari
Egg Flats Heat Treatment Study
Heat treatment of egg flats to ensure biosecurity
PROJECT OVERVIEW
After the outbreak of HPAI in 2015, all biosecurity activities were re-considered in the egg industry. Plastic egg flats are often used to transport eggs from off-line egg farms to central egg processing plants. In so doing, movement of the egg flats among different farms has the inherent risk of moving pathogens from farm to farm. This project investigates the protocol of increased biosecurity through heat-treating the egg flats to a certain threshold temperature (e.g., 130-140°F) for a certain period of time to ensure that any pathogens on the flats will be destroyed. This experiment will determine how fast heat can penetrate into a wrapped stacks of egg flats and determine the most effective design of a heating system so it can be installed on a farm.
Ventilation Shutdown Study
Modeling of ventilation shutdown (VSD) to help stop HPAI virus transmission
PROJECT OVERVIEW
One of the key lessons learned from the HPAI outbreaks was the imperativeness of quickly stopping the virus transmission by depopulating the infected flocks as soon as possible. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now recommends depopulating the inflected flocks within 24 hours of positive confirmation.
With the number of birds involved in today’s commercial layer facilities and the absolute necessity of swift depopulation, ventilation shutdown (VSD) offers an effective euthanasia solution in emergency situations. However, proper procedures must be followed to ensure its success and the well-being of the animals involved. The purpose of this study was to use existing data to model the needs for proper depopulation using VSD. The goal was to provide information that could act as a guideline for the industry should this need arise in a future HPAI outbreak.
PROJECT TAKEAWAY
The study found that a critical component for successful VSD is the proper distribution and ample supply of supplemental heat. The research team developed a computer model that simulates the indoor environment upon VSD and the supplemental heat capacity required to reach and maintain the target environment for different housing styles, production stage of the birds, and a range of weather conditions. This information has been adopted, and used, by the USDA and egg producers. When available, field data are being collected and used to continue to validate and refinement the VSD model.
HPAI & Weather Pattern Study
Assessment of the relationship between HPAI outbreaks and weather pattern through meteorological modeling
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The 2015 High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak that occurred in Iowa provided an opportunity to evaluate if weather patterns and prevailing winds could play a role in the spread of HPAI through the state’s poultry population. The study will assess the meteorological data captured during the outbreak and compare it with the timeline and placement of affected farms. The objective of the study is to establish if it is feasible that the weather plays a role in the spread of HPAI.
PROJECT FINDINGS UPDATE
The preliminary results of this on-going study indicate a potential exists for air originating from an inflected facility to have played a role in the spread of disease. This demonstrates the need to promptly stop virus-laden air from leaving facilities that are positive, and to explore ways of stopping virus-laden air from entering negative barns.
AI Air & Environmental Sampling Study
Air and environmental sampling of infected poultry (layer and turkey) barns to determine dust as a possible carrier of the HPAI virus
PROJECT OVERVIEW
During the 2015 outbreak of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), concerns arose regarding the ability of the virus to be transmitted through the air. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that HPAI virus exhausted from an infected barns could be carried by dust particles. Once airborne, these dust particles would have the potential to transmit the virus to adjacent negative barns on the same site or new sites downwind. If true, this work would require new mitigation strategies be developed to aid in stopping virus spread.
PROJECT TAKEAWAY
The study showed that dust in affected poultry barns can in-fact carry the virus. This finding verifies the need to minimize dust and stop transmission as quickly as possible once a flock is inflected. The final results indicate that additional research is needed to discover a means by which virus-laden air can be treated or filtered for barn ventilation.
Review of EPA’s Draft Air Emission Models for the U.S. egg industry
Technical Summary for Proposed EPA Air Emission Models
PROJECT TAKEAWAY:
If the draft models are implemented with no revisions, farm-level usage will be difficult for U.S. egg farmers.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The Egg Industry Center (EIC) compiled a team of scientists to subject the August 2021 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft air emissions models to a series of “stress tests.” This process was used to gauge how model inputs would impact estimated annual emission factors at 12 different locations nationwide.
The EPA draft models were developed with data from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) conducted nearly 15 years ago. Since that time, the U.S. egg industry has changed to widely adopt manure belt and cage-free housing systems and moved away from high-rise housing. Cage-free facilities are projected to be used for 70% of the total U.S. egg production within the near future; however, today’s systems did not exist at the time of NAEMS. Consequently, the proposed EPA draft models will need updated data and incorporate new management and housing to better represent emissions produced by most operations across the U.S.
Researchers struggled to line up everything within the proposed models to published scientific literature. Some of the “stress tests” showed the draft models could be overly sensitive to average daily temperature and relative humidity. This means the average temperature and relative humidity created regional variation in predicted emissions from the draft models. These variations exceed what is published in the scientific literature making the proposed model estimates difficult to apply in many regions of the U.S. where egg production occurs.
Regarding industry-wide implementation, the EIC report highlights that the models would be challenging to implement. The mathematical skills needed to use the models would be a challenge for the average person. In addition, the EPA draft models require bird inventory as input; however, for bird inventories that differ from those in the NAEMS dataset, egg farmers would need to pay close attention to the outputs and work with external expertise to understand if the models yielded reasonable outputs for their specific circumstances.
The EIC report suggests a simpler approach to modeling emissions by developing emission factors from the underlying dataset, and suggests EPA find a way to account for advances made in industry housing and manure storage since the collection of NAEMS data.
The entire EIC technical report reviewing EPA’s draft models can be found here.
Air Filtration Study
FIELD Evaluation of an Electrostatic Air Filtration System in a High-Rise Layer House
PROJECT OVERVIEW
To reduce the risk of airborne disease transmission through fine particulate matter, air filtration is a viable consideration. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a potential economically feasible and effective method of filtration at a commercial layer facility. This project tested the efficacy of a low-grade air filter coupled with an Electrostatic Particle Ionization (EPI) system. The system was installed in the air inlets and was monitored for reducing particulate matter (PM) of the ventilation air. Temporal changes of building static pressure (SP) – an indicator to ventilation restriction by the air filtration system was also quantified.
PROJECT TAKE AWAY
According to field measurements, taken for the period of one year, removal efficiency of the EPI system was up to 80% in summer and 60% in winter. Depending on the time of year, the system resulted in a PM 2.5 and PM 10 reduction ranging from 30-66% and 36-68%, respectively. Removal efficiency became unstable when solely relying on the filter (with the EPI turned off) for PM removal. Filter replacement was needed after approximately 16 weeks of use during in the spring/summer months. It was found that the timing of filter replacement could be determined by analyzing changes in SP or by image assessment of filter appearance.
Further Promotion of this Research
Mitigation Study
Mitigation of ammonia and PM generation in litter-floored cage-free hen housing systems
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Cage-free laying hen housing systems have introduced a challenge of poor air quality. This is due mostly to increased bird activity in floor areas with litter, which produces increased concentrations of Particulate Matter (PM). While Acidic Electrolyzed Water (AEW) systems can help mitigate PM levels and disinfect housing environments, added moisture in a housing system may generate higher levels of ammonia because of an increase the moisture content of the litter. This lab-scale study, and later commercial scale investigation, tests the effect of AEW on PM, ammonia generation, and emissions. The goal is to identify the optimal combination of AEW spray dosage and PH to reduce both PM and ammonia.
PROJECT FINDINGS UPDATE
The preliminary results of the lab-scale study indicate PM can be reduced by 60-70% through the use of AEW. However, because spraying liquid on litter can enhance NH3 emissions, it is important to apply a low pH liquid to the litter. When assessing this research for wide-scale industry application, the potential corrosive effect of low pH liquid application on the housing equipment needed addressed. Therefore, a commercial poultry litter additive was tested together with neutral electrolyzed water spray to attempt a simultaneous reduction of both NH3 and PM. Results from this portion of the study indicated that if the litter additive was applied at the higher end of the recommended rate, litter NH3 emissions could be reduced by up to 79%. The commercial cage-free layer house field verification study is on-going at this time.
Further Promotion of this Research
Hen Housing Lighting Effects Study
Evaluating effects of LED vs. CFL lighting on behaviors and production performance of pullets and laying hens
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Light is a crucial environmental factor that affects bird’s development, production performance, health, well-being and product quality of modern egg production. This project’s goal has been to assess pullet behavior, hen production and egg quality, locomotion and activity levels, and lighting preferences when comparing commercial light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting and typical compact fluorescent (CFL) lighting.
PROJECT FINDINGS UPDATE
While research is on-going, preliminary results show that pullets, 6 to 12 weeks of age, tended to be more active under LED light than those reared under CFL light. Cumulative egg production, average hen-day egg production, average feed use, average egg weight, and all egg quality parameters were comparable among the four light treatments over 21-41 weeks of age. Pecking (severe in some cases) in both lighting regiments occurred in the early stage of laying. Pullets tended to spend less total time in LED light than CFL light, and a higher proportion of pullets tended to choose CFL for resting during the dark period. This preliminary data shows no evidence of advantages due to choosing one lighting type over the other.
Further Promotion of this Research
Hen Feeding & Nesting Behavioral Study
Quantifying individual hen’s feeding and nesting behaviors in group housing and the impact of resource allocation on these responses
PROJECT OVERVIEW
As more operations move to group housing systems it becomes even more important to understand hen behavior within a group. Using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) on hens in Enriched Colony Housing (ECH) systems, researchers have been able to begin to quantify items like time spent in the nest box, number of visits to the nest box per egg laid, and percent of eggs laid in scratch pad areas or perch areas. The goal of this work is to enhance the next generation of equipment by improving nest box design.
PROJECT FINDINGS UPDATE
While research is on-going, preliminary results show that laying hens in ECH systems spent, on average, 56 minutes inside the next box either laying eggs or exploring the area. This amounted to approximately 17 visits per day, which was higher than expected. While a majority (93%) of the eggs are laid in the nest box, 4.4% of the eggs were laid in the scratch area and 2.9% were laid in the perch area. Additionally, researchers found that the nest box maximum capacity occurred 5-6 hours after the lights were turned on.
More experiments are forthcoming, as well as a peer-reviewed journal article.