Efficiency of Various Poultry Vaccination Methods in Industrial Poultry Farming

Abstract

Introduction. Due to the growth of poultry stocking density in the allotted area in conditions of the industrial poultry farming, the issue of ensuring the epizootic welfare through vaccine-prophylaxis proves to be relevant. Another important aspect of poultry farming is reducing production costs, which could be achieved, among other things, through implementation of the cost-efficient methods of vaccination. A manual mode of spray vaccination method, which is currently used at the poultry farms, has a disadvantage because the dose of vaccine received by different birds may be unequal. However, under modern conditions, in order to increase the labour productivity and efficiency, the efforts are made to get the poultry vaccination process automated. The vaccination frame spray machines used in the industrial poultry farming have not been studied or evaluated before in a comparative aspect. Thus, the purpose of this research is to compare two methods of spray vaccination in chickens at the operating poultry farm with regard to the biological efficiency and economic profitability.Materials and Methods. The objects of the study were the young Brown Nick crossbreed chickens (n=46 heads). Vaccination was carried out in the young poultry at the age of 42-days. During the research, the dried live Newcastle disease and avian infectious bronchitis vaccines were used. To control the quality of vaccination, the amount of antibodies was estimated in the blood serum of poultry aged 56, 70 and 95 days old by ELISA method with TICAN equipment. Two groups of poultry were studied. In group 1 the “DESVAK” hand sprayer was used (“DESVAK” KIT– 2 model, produced by Ceva Santé Animale), in group 2 the automated frame spray machine was used (“SIMBIO ITERIS” model, produced by SIMBIO).Results. As a result of studies, in group 2 the higher intensity of immunity was obtained, showing on average the following figures: 56 days – antibody titre was 29 % higher (p≤0.05); 70 days – antibody titre was 18 % higher (p≤0.005); 95 days – antibody titre was 15 % higher (p≤0.05) compared to group 1. Economic efficiency was calculated based on the indicators of labour costs and labour intensity of the vaccination process: when using a frame spray machine, the costs turned out to be 2.3 times lower (1,131.4 person-rubbles) than with the DESVAK sprayer (2,590.4 person-rubbles). Additionally, the labour intensity of the vaccination process per head decreased by 5 times. In group 1 it was 0.0015 person-hour/head, in group 2 – 0.0003 person-hour/head.Discussion and Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, it was found that the spray vaccination method by means of the frame spray machine (the automated mode) is more efficient according to both biological and economic indicators compared to the manual mode. Taking into account all of the above, the frame spray machines could be recommended to the veterinary specialists for carrying out vaccine prophylaxis at the poultry farms by the spray method.