Top 10 antibiotic-free chicken, pork articles of 2016

Antibiotic-free chicken and pig production news was a popular topic in 2016. These 10 articles drew the most attention from WATT AgNet readers during the past year, ranked by the number of times readers viewed the stories. 1. Tyson eager to meet antibiotic-free chicken demand. The demand for chicken raised with no antibiotics ever (NAE) continues to grow, and Tyson Foods President Tom Hayes says the company is poised to meet that demand.2. 7 antibiotic-free feeding practices beyond additives, Additives are not the only area that require attention when antibiotics are removed from feeds.3. Secrets to antibiotic-free poultry production. If there is a secret to antibiotic-free poultry production, it is that producers are using powerful tools to make their ABF programs successful – in most cases, these tools are old ones just better applied than in the past.4. 3 keys to antibiotic-free poultry production. Removing antibiotics from the equation requires growers to keep a cleaner, more biosecure operation as well as promote positive gut microflora.5. Antibiotic-free livestock reveal production chain flaws. Experts gathered as part of Novus International’s 25th anniversary celebration said removing growth promoting antibiotics requires inspection of every aspect of the operation and much greater cooperation in the industry.6. Adding copper sulfate to antibiotic-free piglet diets. Long before the advent of zinc oxide, another mineral used to dominate piglet feeds: copper sulphate. It was known to reduce or prevent piglet diarrheas and, as such, it improved animal growth rate and feed efficiency.7. Panel discusses impact of antibiotic-free demands on poultry production. There is no magic formula or product that will make removing antibiotics from poultry production easy. It’s a process, and one that requires attention to detail, more communication between growers and flock managers, better hatchery management, a change in culture, plus other subtle changes.8. Gut health vital to antibiotic-free poultry production. Biomin scientist cites studies linking good poultry gut health to reduced risk of necrotic enteritis.9. Video: Veterinarians speak on antibiotic-free poultry production. Veterinarians for Perdue Farms, Pilgrim’s Pride and Cargill Turkey Products weighed in on hot topics at WATT Global Media’s panel at IPPE.10. 2016 Nutrition & Feed Survey: Formulating poultry feed for antibiotic-free production. Annual survey reveals alternatives to antimicrobials for growth promotion, feed additive usage trends.