Economic analysis of interventions to improve village chicken production in Myanmar.

A cost-benefit analysis using deterministic and stochastic modelling was conducted to identify the net benefits for households that adopt (1) vaccination of individual birds against Newcastle disease (ND) or (2) improved management of chick rearing by providing coops for the protection of chicks from predation and chick starter feed inside a creep feeder to support chicks' nutrition in village chicken flocks in Myanmar. Partial budgeting was used to assess the additional costs and benefits associated with each of the two interventions tested relative to neither strategy. In the deterministic model, over the first 3 years after the introduction of the interventions, the cumulative sum of the net differences from neither strategy was 13,189Kyat for ND vaccination and 77,645Kyat for improved chick management (effective exchange rate in 2005: 1000Kyat=1$US).

Prevalence and incidence of Newcastle disease and prevalence of Avian Influenza infection of scavenging village chickens in Timor-Lesté.

A longitudinal study to monitor prevalence and incidence of antibodies against Newcastle disease (ND) virus and prevalence of antibodies against Avian Influenza (AI) virus in scavenging village chickens was conducted in 20 villages within 4 districts of Timor-Lesté. A total of 3600 blood samples was collected from 1674 individual birds in 300 household chicken flocks during three sampling periods (December 2008-February 2009, March-May 2009, and June-August 2009). The mean interval between household visits was 101.

Evaluation of strategies to improve village chicken production: controlled field trials to assess effects of Newcastle disease vaccination and altered chick rearing in Myanmar [corrected].

Previous research identified Newcastle disease and poor management of chicks (birds younger than 6 weeks of age) as major constraints to village chicken production in Myanmar. Based on these findings, controlled trials were conducted in 124 randomly selected households in nine villages in Myanmar over a period of 12 months to evaluate strategies to enhance survival of village chickens. Two intervention strategies were assessed: Newcastle disease vaccination using the thermostable I-2 vaccine and changes to the management of chick rearing (confinement and supplementary feeding).

Animal handling as an integrated component of animal and veterinary science programs at the University of Queensland.

Students in animal science and veterinary science at the University of Queensland (UQ) have similar introductory courses in animal handling in year 1 of their degree programs. Veterinary students take animal-handling instruction in farm and companion animals, whereas animal science students are instructed in handling farm animals, horses, and rodents. Veterinary students are introduced to rodents, and animal science students to dogs and cats, in subsequent years of the curriculum.

Protein utilisation and turnover in lines of chickens selected for different aspects of body composition.

1. Protein utilisation and turnover were measured in male chickens sampled from a line selected for high breast yield and a randombred control line (lines QL and CL, experiment 1) and in male chickens sampled from lines selected for either high or low abdominal fatness (lines FL and LL, experiment 2). In each experiment, 18 birds per line were given iso-energetic (12.