Kenchic’s plan to fight hatchery diseases

KENCHIC HAS adopted a two-prong approach in dealing with Gumboro and Newcastle diseases of poultry at the hatchery
Gumboro disease

The disease was first isolated in a village called Gumboro in USA in early 1960s but by 1980s the virus had spread to the rest of the world.

This Viral infection attacks immune system of Young birds destroying the B lymphocytes in their immature stages in the Bursa.

The virus is hard to kill and can survive in moist old litter for 4 months. The virus can mutate and change its form avoiding the immune system of the bird. It is common in huge Poultry complexes, where birds are raised in multiage systems.

Chickens are more susceptible at 3-6 weeks of age when Bursa is at its maximum rate of development and filled with B cells.

The affected birds discharge whitish diarrhoea, huddles together, massive mortality is observed in non-vaccinated flocks and mortality pattern has a bell shape curve and disappears in 7 days.

Newcastle disease

It is a disease of poultry caused by a Ribulavirus causing both respiratory and enteric infection in chickens of all ages.

Virus enters via any mucosal surface: multiplies in epithelium spreading via the blood stream to other organs, where fast multiplication occurs leading to rise in virus concentration in the blood, multiplies in all organs especially respiratory and intestinal tract, and in case of virulent strains in the nervous system.

Virus shedding occurs by feces and air (aerosol, dust)

The most obvious clinical signs are sudden and massive mortality, with neurological signs like star gazing, limbs paralysis, twisted necks, with inability to feed resulting into greenish diarrhoea.

For birds in production, there is significant drop in egg production.

Solution for day-old chicks

Kenchic has introduced hatchery vaccination in all day-old Broilers against Gumboro, Newcastle and Infectious Bronchitis diseases.

With intensification of broiler production, total or partial condemnation of carcasses has risen due to poor growth rates, cellulitis, water belly, downgrades, high mortality, etc

Because of these enormous losses, the broiler industry has constantly tried to improve the facilities, optimise the stocking densities and even improved some management techniques.

Furthermore, broiler producers seek continuously for new ways of reducing the condemnation rates at the slaughter house.

Recently, more and more trials demonstrated that concentrating the vaccination in the hatchery could significantly improve the profitability to the farmers.

Indeed, the reduction of vaccinations applied in the farms can contribute to reduced mortalities during growing and minimal condemnation at the processing plant and consequently the huge financial loss seen by farmers.

BENEFITS OF THE VACCINE

The vaccination of the day-old chicks in the hatcheries effectively started in the 1970s with the use of Mareks vaccine. Now vaccines against Newcastle disease, IB and Gumboro are available for day old vaccination.

Kenchic has subsequently introduced TRANSMUNE vaccination against Gumboro and VITABRON against Newcastle and Infectious Bronchitis diseases in day old chicks at the hatchery.

These vaccines have wide spread use in Europe, Brazil, and China and emerging markets in Nigeria and Middle East.

There are several reasons for moving the vaccination from the farm towards the hatchery Some of the benefits include:

The vaccine is handled by a few people that are well trained and monitored. It is much easier to control five workers in a hatchery than 70 farmers spread across a wide area. Vaccine is precisely administered in the hatchery.

It is also easier to make sure that the cold chain recommended for storage of the vaccines from the producer to the end user is respected in the hatchery compared to the farm setup.

The chickens are kept in boxes, which make it much easier to manipulate than when they are spread all over a poultry house. Vaccination cover is 100% in the hatchery compared to 70-80% in the farm. It reduces stress on the birds in the farm and ensures early and improved disease resistance/immunity.

Sophisticated and consequently expensive equipment is more affordable for a big structure like a hatchery than for a poultry farm. Also equipment can be better monitored and better maintained in the hatchery than on the farm. Vaccine application becomes more effective. The farmer has more time left to look after the vaccinated birds instead of bothering on vaccination.

Spray vaccination, which is the best method for administration of respiratory vaccines like ND or IB, is much easier to apply and consequently more efficacious when given in the hatchery than when applied on the farm. This vaccination requires dust free environment for effective immunization. The farmer will only do one single Newcastle disease vaccination in the Broiler farm at day 14 instead of 2 vaccinations as done previously. This will reduce stress to the birds, reduce the use of vitamins before and after vaccination, reduce post-vaccination reactions and the cost of treatment.

Better growth rates

Low mortality in the event of disease outbreak.

We strongly recommend this vaccination to all farmers and with acquisition of automatic vaccinators, all Kenchic day old Broiler chicks will be vaccinated at the hatchery against Gumboro, Newcastle and Infectious bronchitis diseases. We are sole providers of this vaccine in East and Central Africa.

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