Publications by authors named "Montana R Riggs"

In the United States, cleaning poultry transport containers prior to arrival at the broiler grow-out farm is not currently a widely adopted practice in the industry. However, previous studies have shown that transport containers have an important role in cross-contamination before the broilers arrive at the processing plant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pressurized steam followed by forced hot air to clean transport container flooring and compare it to conventional cleaning procedures.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transportation of broiler chickens can lead to cross-contamination with pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, especially if transport containers are not cleaned.
  • The study aimed to measure how much Salmonella transfers from different cleaning treatments of transport drawer floors to the chickens over varying holding times (2, 4, or 6 hours).
  • Results showed that cleaned containers significantly reduced Salmonella levels in the chickens, but further improvements in cleaning methods are needed since some samples still tested positive after enrichment.
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Increased consumer concern for animal welfare has led some poultry producers to alter their stunning methods from electrical to controlled atmosphere stunning. The potential for different impacts on meat quality between commercially applied controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) and electrical stunning (ES) using current US parameters needs further evaluation. Three trials were conducted in a commercial broiler processing facility that uses separate processing lines for ES and CAS.

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Muscid flies, especially house flies (Musca domestica L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), are a major pest of poultry layer facilities. Augmentative biological control of muscid flies with pteromalid wasps has gained increased attention in recent years.

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The presence of Salmonella in air of poultry houses has been previously confirmed. Therefore, it is important to investigate the entry of Salmonella into broilers through air. The present study aimed to evaluate different levels of Salmonella Enteritidis aerosol inoculations in broiler chicks for colonization of ceca, trachea, and liver/spleen and persistence over time.

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