Poultry Diagnostics – Disease management to improved business performance

Traditional approach to Poultry diagnostic investigation is a response to problem. Whenever there is a problem like mortality or impaired production parameters, we seek diagnostic support.

Modern day intensive Poultry farming look at disease management like business management. Proactive practices to manage the disease are need of the modern day commercial farming. Serologic testing is an important tool used in the commercial poultry industry for diagnosis of disease and monitoring of flock health.

Poultry industry has seen substantial advancemet in diagnostic services over past few years. The days when farmers and veterinarians had to wait days or even weeks for test results are fast disappearing. Many of the new generation of tests can be conducted within hours, allowing management decisions to be made quickly – infected birds to be culled or quarantined – before issues get any worse.

Timely use of diagnostics not only helps to reduce the disease impact on the infected birds, but can also be used to develop strategic disease prevention programmes for entire flock or even entire area.

In order to combat the increased risk of spread of infectious disease in poultry due to intensified systems of production, rapid detection and diagnosis is very important.Rapid detection and diagnostic technologies allow for responses to be made sooner when disease is detected, decreasing further bird transmission and associated costs.

Poultry diagnostics requires not just a knowledge of a disease process but an understanding of the poultry production system. So Poultry consultants and diagnostic services need to have very close coordination.

In addition to traditional state and university-based diagnostic laboratories, private poultry consultants are establishing their laboratories which are highly relevant in current scenario. Poultry consultants have long played a role in poultry health and farm profitability. Poultry consultants coming up with privately owned independent diagnostic service give additional options for those needing services.

The keys to a successful poultry diagnostics laboratories are sound knowledge and skills in a diagnostic discipline, and the ability to merge this with an understanding of integrated poultry production.