Footpad dermatitis in Dutch broiler flocks: Prevalence and factors of influence

Abstract

In some European countries, footpad dermatitis (FPD) is measured as an indicator of broiler welfare. Prevalence and seasonal variation of FPD was determined within broiler flocks (fast-growing breeds) in the Netherlands. Samples were taken from 386 Dutch flocks at 8 slaughterhouses during a period of one year. Prevalence of footpad dermatitis was related to background information gathered using a food chain certification scheme to identify possible factors of influence. On average, 35.5% of the broilers had no lesions, whereas 26.1% and 38.4% had mild or severe lesions, respectively. Season, age, thinning of flocks, slaughter age, breed, slaughterhouse, and the interaction between thinning and slaughter age significantly affected severity of FPD. Peak flock FPD scores occurred in flocks where 1-d-old chicks were placed in March and December, whereas flocks placed in warm months, between June and August, displayed lower flock FPD scores. Generally, birds sent to slaughter when thinning a flock displayed less severe FPD than birds from completely depopulated flocks. Severity of FPD decreased with age. Because poultry farmer, hatchery, veterinary practice, and feed manufacturer were included in the model as random factors, it was only possible to assess their contribution relative to each other. The broiler farmer had the largest contribution. Also, a large contribution was found for hatchery, perhaps indicating that broiler quality is important. No relationship was observed between FPD and mortality. Across farms, less severe FPD was observed on farms using antibiotics. However, within farms, FPD was more common in flocks where antibiotics had been used compared with flocks that did not require antibiotic treatment. In conclusion, footpad dermatitis was frequently observed in Dutch fast-growing broiler flocks, and many factors had significant effects on severity of FPD, such as breed, thinning of flocks, age at slaughter, slaughter plant, and hatchery.

Water addition, evaporation and water holding capacity of poultry litter

“…Litter moisture content has been found to influence ammonia emissions (Elliott and Collins, 1982;Liu et al, 2007;Miles et al, 2011), odours (Clarkson and Misselbrook, 1991;Murphy et al, 2014), dust (Roumeliotis et al, 2010), and health issues such as foot pad dermatitis (Bilgili et al, 2009;de Jong et al, 2012). Microbial populations flourish when litter has a moisture content greater than 35-40% (mass water/ mass of litter), which can have consequences including increased odour production and greater risks to bird health and food safety (Eriksson De Rezende et al, 2001;Agnew and Leonard, 2003;Wadud et al, 2012).…”

Effects of eggshell conductance and incubation temperatures on duck footpad development

“…Additionally, Yalçin et al [28] reported effects on beak development, observing that these parameters also can affect keratinaceous tissues. Recently, De Jong et al [22] observed an effect of hatcheries on FPD incidence in chickens, reinforcing a hypothesis that factors affecting embryonic development may be very important for FPD etiology.…”

“…O'Driscoll and Broom [20] also observed that ducks reared using wide-lip bell drinkers tend to have better footpad scores than ducks reared using nipple drinkers. Usually litter characteristics, management, nutrition, and genetics are considered to be the most important factors on FPD onset [5,14,21,22]. Although these factors are common to all individuals, in a flock several degrees of FPD are observed [12,13].…”

Retrospectieve analyse van standaard vastgelegde data in de vleeskuikenproductieketen

“…Echter, in dat onderzoek was het niet mogelijk meer specifiek te kijken naar eventuele onderliggende factoren die het broederij effect konden verklaren, waardoor het niet duidelijk was of het in dit geval ging om de invloed van broedcondities, of om bijvoorbeeld de invloed van condities op vermeerderingsbedrijven die waren verstrengeld met broederij, zoals bijvoorbeeld de voeding van de moederdieren (de Jong, et al, 2012b). In een vervolgonderzoek werden kuikens afkomstig uit eieren van hetzelfde vermeerderingsbedrijf gebroed bij twee broederijen en vervolgens geplaatst onder gelijke omstandigheden in één stal.…”