Raising birds with reduced use of antimicrobials and reducing pathogens in the barn are two significant priorities for Canadian chicken farmers.
Chicken Farmers of Canada’s strategy for antimicrobial use focuses on eliminating the preventive use of antibiotics of importance to humans. Having successfully eliminated the preventive use of Category I and II antibiotics, the organization is now considering the implementation timeline for eliminating the preventive use of Category III antibiotics.
For the reduction of pathogens, federal and provincial governments have clearly stated the need to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter levels. Specifically, the federal government is considering an objective to reduce human illness of Salmonella enteritidis by 40% in five years.
A common question we hear is: What can I do, or what should I be doing, on my farm?
The truth is that there’s no silver bullet solution for either of these issues. Instead, the solution needs to be an integrated approach with value-chain stakeholders to assess the risks and opportunities for each farm.
Farmers are encouraged to work collaboratively with their veterinarian, feed mill, hatchery and processor to examine opportunities within their production system.
Understanding that there is no one solution, Chicken Farmers of Canada has put together information and resources specifically for farmers. These resources include articles, videos, and links to a series of information providing detail on management tips.
You can now access the Farmer Resource Portal through the chickenfarmers website under ‘On- Farm Food Safety’ section. The information in the Farmer Resource Portal is categorized into five main areas:
- Brooding
- Feed and water management
- Necrotic Enteritis and Coccidiosis
- Flock and environmental monitoring
- AMU strategy
Within the portal, a number of recommendations are highlighted that you can consider for your operation. We also draw attention to new research and inventions that you could potentially use on farm like the waste-heat recovery system developed by University of Missouri researchers and engineers to potentially reduce propane costs.
This information will be regularly updated, and we hope that you find it useful. If there are any other topics you would like to see addressed here, please let us know by emailing communications@chicken.ca.
