Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study
On-farm hatching is a relatively new method in the broiler industry, in which fertilized broiler eggs are transported to the farms at the stage of 17–19 days of incubation. Once hatched, the broiler chicks have direct access to feed and water. Previous studies have shown on-farm hatching to increase...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3270 |
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| author | Julia G. Jerab Ilias Chantziaras Tommy Van Limbergen Johan Van Erum Filip Boel Erik Hoeven Jeroen Dewulf |
| author_facet | Julia G. Jerab Ilias Chantziaras Tommy Van Limbergen Johan Van Erum Filip Boel Erik Hoeven Jeroen Dewulf |
| author_sort | Julia G. Jerab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On-farm hatching is a relatively new method in the broiler industry, in which fertilized broiler eggs are transported to the farms at the stage of 17–19 days of incubation. Once hatched, the broiler chicks have direct access to feed and water. Previous studies have shown on-farm hatching to increase animal welfare and intestinal development. However, no studies have yet aimed to quantify and compare the antimicrobial use in on-farm hatched flocks with that of traditionally hatched flocks. In this study, information on antimicrobial use (AMU) was collected from 211 Belgian conventional broiler farms, including data from 2244 traditionally hatched flocks and 227 on-farm (NestBorn) hatched flocks. On-farm hatched flocks had significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.001) more antimicrobial-free flocks (<i>n</i> = 109, 48.01%) compared to traditional flocks (<i>n</i> = 271, 12.08%) and a 44% lower (<i>p</i> < 0.01) treatment incidence (TI) at flock level (TI 8.40 vs. TI 15.13). Overall, the farms using traditional hatching had 5.6 times (95% CI 3.6–8.7) higher odds to use antimicrobials than the farms using on-farm hatching. Treated on-farm hatched flocks received three times less lincomycin-spectinomycin (linco-spectin) and less (routine) treatments at the start of the production round. However, both traditional and on-farm flocks experienced outbreaks later in the production round. These results show that on-farm hatching can contribute to the reduction in antimicrobial use in conventional broiler production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:29:23Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:29:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-62bf05d6ab0a4c098a3e6b37d0ba89032023-11-19T15:25:31ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-10-011320327010.3390/ani13203270Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case StudyJulia G. Jerab0Ilias Chantziaras1Tommy Van Limbergen2Johan Van Erum3Filip Boel4Erik Hoeven5Jeroen Dewulf6Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, BelgiumVeterinary Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, BelgiumPehestat BV, Dwarsstraat 5, 3560 Lummen, BelgiumPehestat BV, Dwarsstraat 5, 3560 Lummen, BelgiumBelgabroed, Steenweg op Hoogstraten 141, 2330 Merksplas, BelgiumHFHC NV, Nerm 94, 3320 Hoegaarden, BelgiumVeterinary Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, BelgiumOn-farm hatching is a relatively new method in the broiler industry, in which fertilized broiler eggs are transported to the farms at the stage of 17–19 days of incubation. Once hatched, the broiler chicks have direct access to feed and water. Previous studies have shown on-farm hatching to increase animal welfare and intestinal development. However, no studies have yet aimed to quantify and compare the antimicrobial use in on-farm hatched flocks with that of traditionally hatched flocks. In this study, information on antimicrobial use (AMU) was collected from 211 Belgian conventional broiler farms, including data from 2244 traditionally hatched flocks and 227 on-farm (NestBorn) hatched flocks. On-farm hatched flocks had significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.001) more antimicrobial-free flocks (<i>n</i> = 109, 48.01%) compared to traditional flocks (<i>n</i> = 271, 12.08%) and a 44% lower (<i>p</i> < 0.01) treatment incidence (TI) at flock level (TI 8.40 vs. TI 15.13). Overall, the farms using traditional hatching had 5.6 times (95% CI 3.6–8.7) higher odds to use antimicrobials than the farms using on-farm hatching. Treated on-farm hatched flocks received three times less lincomycin-spectinomycin (linco-spectin) and less (routine) treatments at the start of the production round. However, both traditional and on-farm flocks experienced outbreaks later in the production round. These results show that on-farm hatching can contribute to the reduction in antimicrobial use in conventional broiler production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3270antimicrobialbroileron-farm hatching |
| spellingShingle | Julia G. Jerab Ilias Chantziaras Tommy Van Limbergen Johan Van Erum Filip Boel Erik Hoeven Jeroen Dewulf Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study Animals antimicrobial broiler on-farm hatching |
| title | Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study |
| title_full | Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study |
| title_short | Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study |
| title_sort | antimicrobial use in on farm hatching systems vs traditional hatching systems a case study |
| topic | antimicrobial broiler on-farm hatching |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/20/3270 |
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