Poultry farming continues to grow every year around the world. Today, it has become one of the strongest, largest, and most innovative animal production sectors in the international market.

Mankind benefits mainly from two products, with regard to proteins of animal origin: chicken eggs and chicken meat. These foods with high nutritional value, have made the poultry a particularly valuable industry in the food sector. Thanks to these products, the world is now better able to meet the growing demand for food of the human population.

In 2021, global poultry production reached 137 million metric tons. Recent estimates suggest that this figure will reach 151 million metric tons of production by 2026. This will maintain the trend that has existed since 1966, where poultry farming in the world has been growing at 1.6% per year.

In order to promote the development of poultry farming, several factors need to be constantly innovated and developed. Among these, those related to poultry health through vaccination stand out.

What is the role of vaccination in poultry production?

Production poultry, such as laying hens, broilers, turkeys, or ducks, are raised under controlled and optimal conditions in poultry houses. These facilities must provide an environment that meets the needs of each type of bird. These conditions include temperature, humidity, feed and water consumption, litter type, ventilation, and management.

However, poultry may be exposed to pathogenic micro-organisms at some point in their production cycle. These agents may be bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, or protozoa. Despite the controlled hygiene conditions that can be taken, the appearance of diseases is a critical point to prevent in poultry farming.

One of the most effective preventive measures against infectious diseases in poultry production is vaccination. This consists of administering a harmless, controlled, and modified form or fragment of the infectious agent to the poultry. This allows the immune system to form a memory response against the actual pathogen when it enters the poultry. In this way, poultry immunity can control and overcome these diseases many times over.

The importance of vaccination in poultry farming is that it significantly reduces the morbidity and mortality of poultry from infectious diseases.

For decades, the poultry industry has developed a variety of vaccines against pathogens that negatively impact farms. Various mechanisms and tools have been developed to deliver these substances to poultry.

However, intensive, responsible, and modern production has required innovative mechanisms that incorporate the latest technological advances in vaccination.

Technological innovation in the poultry vaccination process.

The growth of the poultry industry has brought new challenges in disease control and epidemiology around the world. Major diseases such as Avian Influenza, Gumboro or Newcastle have challenged vaccination techniques and mechanisms.

Improvements at each stage of vaccination contribute to improved farm safety, better animal care, reduced stress, lower associated costs and optimized economic results. These processes have become internationally standardized methods that contribute to animal welfare and improve the poultry industry.

For this reason, Giordano Poultry Plast has initiated the independent project Valery Technologies, which is already having an international impact thanks to its specialized technology.

Valery Technologies offers innovative technological solutions in the processes of vaccination and drug administration for the poultry industry. These solutions consider all life stages involved in the production cycle.

On the other hand, Valery Technologies has developed solutions focused on the different routes of administration of these substances, from nebulization, injection, scarification to nasal and oral administration.

The technological innovations offered by Valery Technologies to the poultry industry have considered several essential factors in vaccination. These are, among others, the doses administered, the types of injection, the nature of the administrated liquids.

Electronic vaccination instruments: an innovative solution

For decades, the instruments used for vaccination have consisted mainly of injection syringes or manually administered aerosols. In recent years, mechanisms using compressed air (pneumatics) have been developed to facilitate the administration of vaccines. However, the innovative technology that Valery Technologies brings to the poultry industry uses electricity and automated systems.

The current era we live in is characterized by wide and deep development of computerized, electronic, and systematized technologies that improve production rates. The poultry industry must also participate in these improvements, especially in such critical areas as vaccination. For this reason, Valery Technologies has developed electronic equipment for poultry vaccination.

The “E-Concept” spray cabinet is focused on the vaccination of day-old chicks. This innovative high-tech equipment is automatic and works on-line thanks to a programmable controller.

This innovative solution from Valery Technologies is made of high-strength steel and is placed under the hatchery conveyor belt. It detects the speed and movement of the crates in which the chicks are transported. The unit then automatically adjusts to apply a dual circuit gel/spray to the chick boxes.

This electronic poultry vaccination instrumentation provides real-time control of the stages and birds being vaccinated. This helps reduce operating costs, increase worker safety, improve vaccination efficacy, and contribute to poultry welfare.

Advantages of Innovative Electronic Vaccination Instruments

The vaccination systems used today are changing as new technologies are implemented to optimize them. In this way, the equipment is innovative by using electronic mechanisms that increase the benefits for the poultry farm that uses them.

1. Improved efficiency: These poultry vaccination systems improve the efficiency of the process thanks to their automation. Human error in vaccine administration can negatively affect the process. Therefore, this innovative equipment reduces errors and increases vaccine protection.
2. Reduces poultry stress: This innovative vaccination instrumentation reduces stress on the animals during the process. Valery Technologies intends to apply the same principles and controls on the mode of administration to other poultry life stages and other livestock species as well. The aim is to reduce the stress caused by physical handling and the pain of injection, replacing it with faster and less impactful processes.
3. Cost reduction: The automated vaccination system reduces costs associated with vaccine loss or infectivity due to poor administration. In addition, vaccination reduces disease rates, resulting in less treatment and lower mortality.
4. Personnel safety: Innovative vaccination tools reduce worker exposure to hazardous agents or reduce potential accidents during vaccination.
5. Improved production rates: Vaccination reduces disease and mortality rates, resulting in better feed conversion and higher quality products. In addition, the use of these innovative tools reduces the damage associated with traditional vaccination methods.

CONCLUSIONS

Poultry farming is one of the most important livestock sectors in the world because of its impact on global nutrition, the international economy and animal health. Since the mid-1960s, it is an industry that continues to grow and increase its production, thus creating challenges related to poultry health.

Vaccination is a safe, effective, and economical way to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases on poultry farms. The administration of substances that immunize poultry can be done by various routes and instruments such as syringes or aerosols.

However, with the increasing number of poultry on farms and the speed of production, poultry farming requires technological improvements. These innovations must include new technologies and the benefits of electronic and automated systems that provide more economical, efficient, and safer vaccination.

For this reason, Valery Technologies, a subsidiary of Giordano Poultry Plast, has made available to poultry farmers its “E-Concept” cabinet system for the vaccination of day-old chicks. This modern vaccination system for poultry offers the advantages that technology brings efficiency, real-time management, automation, safety.

This type of innovative, electronically controlled instrumentation brings benefits to the poultry farm. These benefits include reducing associated costs, reducing stress on poultry, improving production rates, worker safety and optimizing vaccination process.