Free range

Abstract: The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging chickens (Gallus domesticus) is a good indicator of the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil because chickens feed from the ground. The prevalence of T. gondii in 76 free-range chickens from Guyana, South America was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT), and found in 50 (65·8%) of 76 chickens with titres of 1: 5 in four, 1: 10 in one, 1: 20 in five, 1: 40 in seven, 1: 80 in six, 1: 160 in eight, 1: 320 in four, 1: 640 or higher in 15. Hearts and brains of 26 chickens with titres of < 1: 5 were pooled in 5 batches and bioassayed in mice. Hearts and brains of 50 chickens with titres of 1: 5 or higher were bioassayed in mice. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated by bioassay in mice from 3 5 chickens with MAT titres of 1: 20 or higher. All mice inoculated with tissues of 30 infected chickens remained asymptomatic. Toxoplasma gondii isolates from 35 chickens were genotyped using 11 PCR-RFLP markers including SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, a new SAG2, and Apico. A total of 9 genotypes were identified, with 5 genotypes (nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7) unique to Guyana, 2 genotypes (nos 2 and 3) previously identified in chickens from Brazil, 1 genotype (no. 8) previously identified in chickens from Brazil, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and 1 genotype (no. 9) belonging to the clonal type III lineage that exists globally. Infection with 2 genotypes was found from 1 chicken. This is the first report of genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from any host from Guyana.

Abstract: There are few published studies describing the unique management practices, farm design and housing characteristics of commercial meat chicken and layer farms in Australia. In particular, there has been a large expansion of free range poultry production in Australia in recent years, but limited information about this enterprise exists. This study aimed to describe features of Australian commercial chicken farms, with particular interest in free range farms, by conducting on-farm interviews of 25 free range layer farms, nine cage layer farms, nine barn layer farms, six free range meat chicken farms and 15 barn meat chicken farms in the Sydney basin bioregion and South East Queensland. Comparisons between the different enterprises (cage, barn and free range) were explored, including stocking densities, depopulation procedures, environmental control methods and sources of information for farmers. Additional information collected for free range farms include range size, range characteristics and range access. The median number of chickens per shed was greatest in free range meat chicken farms (31,058), followed by barn meat chicken (20,817), free range layer (10,713), barn layer (9,300) and cage layer farms (9,000). Sheds had cooling pads and tunnel ventilation in just over half of both barn and free range meat chicken farms (53%, n = 8) and was least common in free range layer farms (16%, n = 4). Range access in free range meat chicken farms was from sunrise to dark in the majority (93%, n = 14) of free range meat chicken farms. Over half of free range layer farms (56%, n = 14) granted range access at a set time each morning; most commonly between 9:00 to 10.00am (86%, n = 12), and chickens were placed back inside sheds when it was dusk.

Abstract: Both, 50 Ross 208 (25 pullets and 25 cockerels) and 50 Prelux-bro (25 pullets and 25 cockerels) chickens were kept in extensive indoor rearing for 28 days From the 28 t h to 56 t h day half of the chickens remained indoors while the others had access to free range during the day Ross chickens weighed significantly more than the Prelux ones and the weight of extensive indoor reared chickens was not significantly higher than that of free range ones Free range chickens were significantly less fatty (P = 00229; percentage of abdominal fat of body weight at slaughter) than extensive indoor reared chickens Pullets were more fatty than cockerels (P = 00106 for percentage of abdominal fat of body weight at slaughter and P = 00207 for percentage of abdominal fat of carcass weight) Four cockerels and four pullets were chosen at random from each genotype (Ross 208 and Prelux-bro) from the extensive indoor and free range system of rearing for a comparative study of the chemical composition of meat The system of rearing did not significantly influence the chemical composition of leg and breast muscle with skin Genotypes and sex differed significantly only in the content of dry matter in breast muscle Breast muscle of Prelux chickens contained more dry matter than breast muscle of Ross chickens and breast muscle of pullets contained more dry matter than breast muscle of cockerels

Abstract: Chicken eggs are one of the most important foods in the human diet all over the world, and the demand for eggs from free range hens has steadily increased Congener-specific analyses of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were performed on 6 free range and 12 caged chicken egg samples collected in Taiwan The mean level of PCDD/Fs in the free range egg samples was 57 (179/0314) times higher than those in the caged egg samples Principle component analysis revealed that at least three characteristic patterns of PCDD/F congener were observed among the 18 egg samples The different PCDD/F congener patterns between free range and caged egg samples may reflect distinctive exposure scenarios among the free range and caged hens We suggest that the differences of PCDD/F levels and congener patterns between free range and caged egg samples give rise to the issues related to the safety of eating free range chicken eggs The present data may provide useful information for further investigation of the possible PCDD/F sources in the contaminated free range eggs