Effect of perch access on perching, health and production outcomes in commercial broiler breeder flocks.

There is a need for more knowledge about perch use in broiler breeders and the potential effects of perches on health and production outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of perches by commercial broiler breeders, effect of perch access on keel bone fractures (KBF), footpad dermatitis (FPD) and number of floor eggs. Two commercial breeder flocks (Ross 308) reared at the same facility were observed during the production period. Half of each flock was provided with 15 cm perch/bird and the other half had no perches. The perch group had two types of perches; a steel plate mounted on the hen feeder lines "feeder perch" (15 cm high) and elevated plastic perches (5 cm high). Perching by hens and roosters was recorded during the dark period by counting birds on each of the two perch types in 10 sections and in the corresponding patches on the control side at 25, 35, and 45 wk of age (WOA). FPD was scored in 100 random hens in each group at 30 WOA and end of lay, KBF was scored by postmortem in 100 random hens in each group at end of lay, and number of floor eggs (n) in each treatment was scored daily. More hens perched on the feeder perch with the steel plate mounted, compared to the feeder line without the steel plate, but this difference decreased with age (P < 0.0001). Within the perch treatment, more hens perched on the feeder lines compared to the plastic perches at all ages (P < 0.0001). When combining number of hens on the plastic and feeder perches, on average 6.7 birds perched per meter perch, which is full capacity given an average shoulder width of 15 cm/bird. Perch use among the roosters was low overall, but more roosters perched in the perch group compared to the control group at 35 WOA (P = 0.007). Between 47 and 53% of the hens had KBF at the end of the lay. At 30 WOA, birds housed with perches were more likely to have lower FPD. Perch treatment did not affect number of floor eggs. In conclusion, broiler breeder hens perch when the perches are sufficiently high and allow all birds to perch simultaneously, and access to perches may have positive effects on FPD

Sykehusproduktivitet etter statlig overtakelse: En nordisk komparativ analyse

Ved hjelp av dataomhyllingsanalyse (DEA) beregnes utviklingen i produktivitet i de fire nordiske landene for perioden 1999 til 2004. Dernest analyseres effekten av sykehusreformen på produktiviteten i Norge ved hjelp av en regresjonsanalyse. Datamaterialet består av til sammen 729 sykehusobservasjoner. For sykehusene i Norge og Finland benyttes data for hele perioden 1999-2004, for sykehusene i Sverige for perioden 2001-2004, mens data for Danmark kun har vært tilgjengelig for 2002. Sykehusene aktivitet måles som tjenesteproduksjon i til sammen seks grupper pasienter, hvor inndelingen baseres på DRG systemet. Ressursbruken måles gjennom bruk av driftskostnader, men korrigeres for lønns- og prisforskjeller mellom de fire landene. I Norge analyseres årlig utvikling i produktivitet gjennom Samdata-rapportene. Analysene i dette prosjektet viser i grove trekk samme utvikling som resultatene i Samdata, til tross for at det er forskjeller både i operasjonalisering av aktivitet, ressursbruk og i korrigeringer for pris- og lønnsvekst. Resultatene viser at Norske sykehus, i gjennomsnitt, har et produktivitetsnivå i denne perioden som ligger lavere enn tilsvarende i Finland. Forskjellene blir imidlertid mindre mot slutten av perioden. Norske sykehus har i hele perioden et produktivitetsnivå som ligger over sykehusene i Sverige. Effekten av sykehusreformen analyseres gjennom å teste hvorvidt det i perioden etter reformen skjer et positivt eller negativt skift i produktivitetsnivået i Norge sammenholdt med endringene i de Sverige og Finland. Ulike modellspesifikasjoner benyttes. Resultatene er robuste ovenfor modellspesifikasjon, og tyder på at sykehusreformen har hatt en statistisk signifikant positiv effekt på produktiviteten i størrelsesorden 3 til 4 prosentpoeng.sykehusreformen i Norge; produktivitet; somatiske sykehus; dataomhyllingsanalyse; DEA

Action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research

Storeng KT, Abimbola S, Balabanova D, et al. Action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research. BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2019;4(3): e001746

Health effects of feed dilution and roughage in Ross 308 broiler breeder cockerels

ABSTRACT: To ensure reproductivity and prevent obesity, broiler breeder's growth rate is controlled by quantitative feed restriction. However, feed restriction is associated with chronic hunger, frustration, and abnormal behaviors, thus representing a welfare problem. Feed diluted with insoluble fiber is an alternative, allowing larger amounts of feed and more gut filling, increasing satiety without increasing the caloric intake. Previous research on feed dilution has focused on pullets not cockerels. In addition, the health effects of diluted feed are less explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of feed dilution and roughage on health indicators in broiler breeder cockerels, 5 to 10 wk of age (WOA), a very feed restricted period. In total, 200 Ross 308 broiler breeder cockerels were housed in 12 pens (6 pens/treatment), 16 to 17 birds per pen. The treatments were standard feed (Control) and feed diluted with (20%) insoluble oat hulls and 150 g of roughage (lucerne/alfalfa) daily per pen (D + R). The D + R birds received 20% more feed per day. Body weight, pecking injuries, footpad dermatitis (FPD), and litter quality were recorded weekly between 5 and 9 WOA. At 10 WOA all birds were euthanized and subjected to postmortem assessment. D + R birds tended to weigh more than controls (P = 0.055), but diet did not affect flock uniformity (P = 0.57). The weekly assessment showed no effect of treatment on foot pad lesion scores (P = 0.31). However, an effect on FPD was observed postmortem (P = 0.04), where Control had slightly better footpad condition compared to the D + R group. Litter had to be completely changed in 2 control pens during the trial, due to quality deterioration. There was no effect of treatment on the weight of specific organs, the length of the gut, the intestinal mucosa, nor on the incidence of wounds on the head (P = 0.15). Overall, these results indicate that feed dilution and roughage have neither adverse nor beneficial health effects on Ross 308 broiler breeder cockerels

Measuring Efficiency in Local Government: An Analysis of New South Wales Domestic Waste Management Function

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to measure the technical and scale efficiency of the domestic waste management function in 103 New South Wales’ local governments. After allowance is made for nondiscretionary environmental factors which may affect the provision of these local public services, such as congestion and the inability to operate machinery in densely-populated urban areas, comparison of efficiency across geographic/demographic criteria is made. The results suggests that, on average, waste management inputs could be reduced to just over 65 percent of the current level based upon observable best-practice whilst productivity losses due to scale effects account for slightly over 15 percent of total inputs. The results also indicate that inefficiency in urban developed councils is largely the result of congestion and other collection difficulties encountered in densely-populated areas, whilst inefficiency in regional and rural councils stems from an inability to attain an optimal scale of operations