The purpose of the Chicken Farmers of Canada’s (CFC) antimicrobial stewardship strategy is to control, monitor, and reduce antimicrobial use where possible.
For the reduction strategy to be successful, it’s imperative that the whole stakeholder chain work together to share lessons learned. For CFC, this means supporting Canadian chicken farmers through education and awareness.
In a series of podcasts Canadian chicken farmers, veterinarians and other experts discuss their experiences, stories, importance of the antimicrobial use (AMU) strategy and recommendations for tackling challenges on farm.
In one of the podcasts, Dr. Neil Ambrose, a poultry veterinarian and the Director of Veterinary services for Sunrise Farms based in British Columbia, highlights key strategies for successful production with reduced antimicrobials.
Revisiting key husbandry practices
Going back to the basics. Brooding, biosecurity, litter quality, rearing environment, and water quality are some examples of basic management areas that sometimes get overlooked and lead to health challenges to the flock. While technology has come significant ways and have incredible control capacities, it should not replace producer knowledge and their presence in the barn.
Reviewing why we do things the way we do
Overlapping with revisiting key husbandry practices is understanding why things are done the way they are. It could be as simple as how improper barn temperature can have an effect on bird stress levels or slightly more complicated areas of management such as ventilation during hot and humid weather.
The benefits of attention to detail and consistency
Like many others, Dr. Ambrose placed emphasis on implementing strategies and techniques that are catered specifically to each farm. This means paying close attention to detail and practicing consistency throughout the entire flock.
Listen to Dr. Ambrose’s podcast on the Farmer Resource Portal, as well as more information on CFC’s AMU strategy at chickenfarmers.ca and on letstalkchicken.ca.
