Dynamics of Salmonella Shedding and Welfare of Hens in Free-Range Egg Production Systems.

ABSTRACT: The current study investigated the effect of environmental stressors (i.e., weather changes) on Salmonella shedding in free-range production systems and the correlations with behavioral and physiological measures (i.e., fecal glucocorticoid metabolites). This involved longitudinal and point-in-time surveys of Salmonella shedding and environmental contamination on four commercial free-range layer farms. The shedding of Salmonella was variable across free-range farms and in different seasons. There was no significant effect of season on the Salmonella prevalence during this investigation. In this study, the combined Salmonella most probable number (MPN) counts in environmental (including feces, egg belt, dust, nest box, and ramp) samples were highest in samples collected during the summer se

SUBMITTER: Gole VC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5311401 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature