Gizzard inflammation in broiler chickens and slaughter turkeys

Ane Skjelfjord

Gizzard erosion and ulceration has been described as a health problem in commercial poultry in many reports, and from different regions of the world. Many causes have been proposed for the condition, and many aspects of the syndrome remains unclear.

Project leader: Harald Hetland

Part of NRC project led by the National Veterinary Institute (Veterinærinstituttet)

Gizzard erosion and ulceration has been described as a health problem in commercial poultry in many reports, and from different regions of the world. We have recently detected that a condition affecting the gizzard is commonly found in randomly sampled live broilers and slaughter turkeys in Norway. No clinical symptoms have been seen, but we think the condition may be important from an economical and animal welfare point of view. Our preliminary designation for this condition is Gizzard inflammation (GI). The gross pathology of this condition is similar to the pathology of conditions described previously as gizzard erosion.

Many causes have been proposed for the condition, and many aspects of the syndrome remains unclear. The main objectives of our project is to acquire new knowledge about the GI in commercial meat type poultry, and to develop new methods to study GI. We want to compare the conditions in broilers and turkeys, in order to find out if the condition is likely to be preventable in the same way in those two species.

Implementing preventive measures is much easier if the cause(s) of the condition are known. We therefore want to collect data on factors that may contribute to the problem in the field. Collecting good data from the field is a challenge in itself, and this task is even more challenging because so many different factors have been associated with GI. We therefore intend to work thoroughly with relatively few flocks instead of collecting data from a high number of flocks. At the same time we want the flocks to be diverse with regard to potentially causative factors, in order to maximize the possibility of detecting the role of those factors.

The results of this project should enable the poultry industry, feed industry and research community to understand the significance of GI better, and to implement preventive measures and research strategies that benefit birds and farmers.

Forskdok key words: chicken, poultry, broiler, turkey, gizzard, health, gizzard inflammation, welfare, economy

Forskdok emneord: kylling, fjørfe, broiler, kalkun, krås, helse, kråsbetennelse, velferd, økonomi

Oppdatert: 06.09.06
Utskriftsvennlig versjon : Arkiv : Tips en venn