Development of copper hatch baskets and evaluation of the productive indexes of a commercial hatchery

Background: The dissemination of pathogenic microorganisms in hatcheries leads to a higher number of contaminated eggs, causing reduction in hatchability and increase of discarded chicks. Sanitation programs are crucial for maximum hatchability and chick quality. Efforts have been made to find alternative approaches to the conventional disinfectants, and surfaces with copper, which have antimicrobial properties, could assist in this process. However, the possible adverse effects of copper surfaces on chicks in hatcheries have not yet been evaluated. The present study aimed at developing hatch baskets composed of copper and evaluating the effect of these baskets on the productive indexes of a hatchery. Materials, Methods & Results: For this experiment, 3.15 kg hatch tray prototypes with 99.9% Cu (Cu11000) were developed to fit inside conventional polypropylene hatch baskets (580 × 755 × 83 mm). Six polypropylene hatch baskets (control group) and six polypropylene hatch baskets covered by 99.9% copper (Cu11000) hatch trays (test group) were evaluated during 5 hatchings. Hatched eggs and chicks remained in contact with the hatch basket surfaces for at least 72 h, corresponding to the entire period in which they were located in the hatcher. Cleaning and disinfection programs of the hatchery were not modified. The level of microbial contamination on the hatch baskets was evaluated at 6 different periods: 0 h (initial contamination after disinfection and egg transfer to the trays); 24 h, 30 h, 45 h and 60 h after the first sampling; and at the moment when chicks were removed from the hatching cabinet and transferred to the chick-holding room (> 60 h). Counting of total moulds and yeasts, mesophilic microorganisms, Enterobacteria and Escherichia coli colonies was performed. The number of hatched chicks, non-hatched eggs, and chicks discarded were registered for each hatching. Microbiologic analyses showed no growth on hatch baskets neither of the..

Presence of Salmonella spp. in one-day-old chicks from hatcheries in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil

Background: Salmonellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella and is a worldwide-considered major zoonosis with arisk for the public health due to the capacity of dissemination between animals and nature. In the poultry industry, day-old chicksmay acquire the infection at the hatchery through contact with fomites and eggshells with the presence of contaminated feces,favoring the animal infection and may become a source of infection to other birds in the lot, as well as to several other animals,including man. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Salmonella spp. in one-day-old chicks from hatcheries in themetropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil.Materials, Methods & Results: A transversal study with a convenience sampling was performed in 510 day-old chicks acquiredfrom five hatcheries located in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil. From each hatchery, 102 day-old chicks were analyzed at the Laboratory of Ornithological Studies (LABEO) of the State University of Ceará. Individual cloacal swab sampleswere collected immediately after arrival, following euthanasia by cervical dislocation for organ sampling, comprised of a poolof livers and yolk sacs of three birds per sample. Organ and cloacal samples were incubated in pre-enrichment using bufferedpeptone water 0.1%, following selective enrichment with the broths: Tetrathionate, Rappaport-Vassiliadis and Selenite-Cystine.After incubation, samples were streaked in Brilliant Green agar added Novobiocin (40 µg/mL) and MacConkey agar. For all themicrobiological procedures, samples were incubated at 35 to 37°C for 18 to 24 h. Suspect colonies were identified by biochemical tests and confirmed with polyvalent O anti-Salmonella serum. Salmonella isolates were submitted to disk-diffusion method(Kirby-Bauer) following the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. With the...

Presence of Salmonella spp. in one-day-old chicks from hatcheries in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil

Background: Salmonellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella and is a worldwide-considered major zoonosis with arisk for the public health due to the capacity of dissemination between animals and nature. In the poultry industry, day-old chicksmay acquire the infection at the hatchery through contact with fomites and eggshells with the presence of contaminated feces,favoring the animal infection and may become a source of infection to other birds in the lot, as well as to several other animals,including man. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Salmonella spp. in one-day-old chicks from hatcheries in themetropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil.Materials, Methods & Results: A transversal study with a convenience sampling was performed in 510 day-old chicks acquiredfrom five hatcheries located in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, Brazil. From each hatchery, 102 day-old chicks were analyzed at the Laboratory of Ornithological Studies (LABEO) of the State University of Ceará. Individual cloacal swab sampleswere collected immediately after arrival, following euthanasia by cervical dislocation for organ sampling, comprised of a poolof livers and yolk sacs of three birds per sample. Organ and cloacal samples were incubated in pre-enrichment using bufferedpeptone water 0.1%, following selective enrichment with the broths: Tetrathionate, Rappaport-Vassiliadis and Selenite-Cystine.After incubation, samples were streaked in Brilliant Green agar added Novobiocin (40 µg/mL) and MacConkey agar. For all themicrobiological procedures, samples were incubated at 35 to 37°C for 18 to 24 h. Suspect colonies were identified by biochemical tests and confirmed with polyvalent O anti-Salmonella serum. Salmonella isolates were submitted to disk-diffusion method(Kirby-Bauer) following the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. With the...(AU)