Dr. Jessica Wells

Antibiotics are natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic substances that kill or interfere with the growth of microorganisms, specifically bacteria. They are used to treat or prevent infections in humans and animals. Antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, are essential to protecting animal health in livestock production systems. However, their misuse and/or abuse can cause antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is when microbes acquire the ability to tolerate one or more drugs we rely on to treat microbial infections.

Control of ammonia volatilization in poultry houses is a major concern for the poultry industry (Timmons and Harter-Dennis, 2011). Ammonia (NH3) is the major pollutant gas associated with poultry production operations. Bird feces contain uric acid that can be rapidly converted to NH3 in the presence of appropriate microbes (Xin et al., 2011). Ammonia emission is environmentally important because it contributes to the acidification of soil and water and increases nitrogen deposition in ecosystems (Liang et al., 2005).

Lagoons are often used in manure-handling systems that remove livestock waste from barns in liquid form. The design of lagoons is unique: they are the only manure storage systems with a treatment volume intended to reduce solids incorporated into their design and management (VanDevender, 2011). Lagoon systems handle highly diluted manure (96 percent or more water) that can be pumped through irrigation systems (Fulhage and Pfost, 2007).

Poultry production activities have significant effects on virtually all aspects of the environment, including air, water, land/soil, biodiversity, and climate change. The impact may be direct, putting stress on the bird’s ability to maintain homeostasis, or indirect, such as climatic changes that may result in reduced availability and quality of feed ingredients. The animals, feed, and manure constitute potential sources of an animal feeding operation’s environmental footprint (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, airborne particulates, and microorganisms).

In today’s commercial poultry industry, dry stack litter sheds are important components of a waste management program. When litter is periodically removed from poultry houses, it must be handled in an environmentally sound manner. To obtain the most value from poultry litter, producers store it until the appropriate application time for ideal plant nutrient uptake and reduced environmental impact (Nottingham, 2012). Therefore, a litter storage structure becomes critical to a poultry operation’s nutrient management program.

Global Climate Change

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The poultry industry continues to see lighting problems related to a variety of issues, including farm wiring, screw shells, lamp style, light dimmer incompatibility, and LED lamp quality. However, the problem is not as complicated as we are making it out to be. Let’s think about this for a minute.

How litter is managed before, during, and after each flock is a key factor for improved broiler performance, health, and welfare. Successful growers understand that good litter management during and between flocks is critical, particularly in today’s “No Antibiotics Ever” (NAE) environment. Litter management starts with the previous flock, not the current flock.

Issues with LED lamps and light dimmers in poultry houses continue to plague the poultry industry. It’s time to get past the finger-pointing stage and solve the problem. And the problem can be solved. However, everyone from both the lamp and dimmer sides needs to work together to educate integrators, distributors, and growers on what combinations will and will not work in a poultry house situation. A variety of different light dimmers and a multitude of different LED lamps are used in poultry houses today.