Well it’s been a busy time here in the office – as I have been off having bone graft surgery at the end of June and am now having to put up with a slow, but necessary recovery. Many thanks to all of you who have been in touch sending best wishes for my recovery.

There have been some excellent conferences – including the European Poultry Congress in Norway recently, which was a great success and has generated interest from authors wishing to submit review papers to WPSJ. Thanks to the organisers for publicising the opportunity for full publication with us and for anyone else organising such meetings, do be aware that WPSJ is always happy to consider suitable reviews for the Journal. Any papers that have been previously presented at a conference are issued with footnotes detailing which meetings they were given at originally.

Looking ahead, the board is holding their annual meeting in Korea at Jeju Island – which is apparently a very beautiful part of the world and somewhere worthwhile taking the time to explore outside of the Asian Pacific Poultry Conference, to be held in the third week of October.

The current issue contains papers covering a spread of topics, from disease through lighting systems, consumer preferences as well as some specialist nutrition papers. One problem we have recently had to deal with is papers coming in that are far too broad in their scope, considering the advances in many area of poultry science in the last twenty years. So we are now only taking more specific reviews on aspects, especially those relating to nutrition and zootechnical supplements. In addition, authors increasingly expect papers to be published quickly – however this is not possible with this type of Journal, as we are always running six to nine months ahead in terms of publication. So please be aware that, even with a fast turnaround on an individual paper, it will not appear for at least 2-3 issues that are published.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Korea in October.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

It seems that we must get earlier and earlier with preparing issues for the journal – which is something authors can struggle to come to grips with. Typically the WPSJ runs about six months ahead in time for all issues and three months ahead in finalising proofs. This means that Dr Shay Hill and I are currently working on editing papers for the September issue, and I am writing this editorial for the June issue, even though it is only the start of April! There are many reasons for this – one is that we have to get the proofs coded and organised for the printers, which is the slowest part of production. Once this is done then the final papers are sent for online publication, which should be ahead of print publishing. As we still offer print publishing for members who specifically request a copy, this will remain the situation for the future. However many authors, who are used to online publishing (which is normally immediate once proofs are completed and sent back) struggle to see why there is a delay in getting papers out. I do hope this clears things up!

I must thank all of you who have written to me volunteering their reviewing services – this is greatly appreciated as, like all journals, we are increasingly facing time delays in getting papers reviewed so we can process them. I like to think we nag in a nice way – but we would be most grateful to anyone who cannot review to let us know as soon as possible, as not replying adds unnecessary delays.

So enough of the practicalities of publishing – and onto what we have coming up for 2014. There are some major conferences this year – including the nutrition meeting in Norway in June that I am planning on attending. Thanks to Birger Svihus and his team for inviting me along. Please do take a look at the regular events column to see what suits you and do attend – it’s important not only for keeping up to date with the latest science but also for maintaining strong networks between people in the poultry world. Regarding conferences – if any organisers need assistance with preparing proceedings or would like their proceedings published via the WPSA office, please let us know. We have standard templates available that you can send out to authors as well as the opportunity, through publishing contacts, to get proceedings printed.

On a sad note, we have obituaries in this issue – and I’m sure you will join with me in sending our condolences to the families of those valued poultry scientists who have passed on recently.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

Another busy year in the poultry science world – with several major conferences being held – notably the Norwegian meeting in June. Many thanks to the organisers there who were very helpful in letting authors know about publishing suitable reviews in the Journal from the topics they presented. This issue has several papers that touch on the same topics – which sometimes happens in publishing. When papers are unsolicited and are submitted unselectively, it is interesting that similar topics crop up – albeit with a different focus depending on the authors. We have more papers regarding disease and manure in this issue – both important topics. Necrotic enteritis, for example, seems to remain a major issue for poultry producers, albeit one which is better understood and rectified nowadays. As I write, we are preparing for our annual board meeting in Korea in October. There are many new developments in the world of publishing – open access to papers, changes in online publishing and so on – and it is my responsibility to update the Board regarding such issues. In addition, we move from strength to strength in terms of submission of unsolicited papers from around the world, and greater volumes of papers require higher degrees of management and selection. As such, we are currently reviewing methods for speeding up publication times for authors, whilst balancing the extra papers coming through. Watch this space! Hopefully I will have caught up with many colleagues and friends at Korea’s APPC – if not I wish you all well and trust that 2014 has been a good year for you.

Best wishes to all

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

First of all, welcome to the first issue of 2014 and, if belatedly, happy new year to all our members and readers. In this issue we have a lot of association news, which is indicative of the great activity of the branches and WPSA associations around the world, which is a major indication of the continued importance of poultry science globally.

In this issue we have various papers, covering aspects of genetics, immunity, welfare, nutrition and diseases. The spread of topics is encouraging, as, from an editorial point of view, we try to make the journal as varied as possible to appear to all readers, although sometime this is not always possible as we are highly dependent on the types of papers that have been submitted and processed in time for publication.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all those who help us produce the journal on a voluntary basis – especially the reviewers. We are always looking for new reviewers, to assuage the burden on our regular ones. However, anyone who reviews for the journal has our heartfelt thanks. In my discussion with other editors, we always talk about finding and keeping good reviewers for a range of topics, as these really are the main drivers for getting papers published, especially in areas where I have limited scientific knowledge!

We have a special mention this issue for Dr Gordon Rosen, who has been a tireless supporter of the WPSA for many years and initiated donations for supporting membership. Gordon is not only a colleague but also a good friend and mentor to many in the poultry science world – and we thank him for his generosity.

Finally, there are a range of poultry events in 2014 that are appropriate for a range of scientific disciplines. Check out the websites directly from the news and events section – or check out the WPSA website for the links to the information, I shall be attending certain meetings throughout the year on the hunt for new and novel review papers – and I hope to see you there.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

Poultry meat consumption in Kuwait has increased rapidly over the past 15 years. The objective of this report is to examine and explain the development of the Kuwait poultry during this period with a special focus on the reasons for the recent rapid expansion of the broiler breeder industry.

In 2011, 39,396 tonnes of poultry meat were produced in Kuwait with a value of $56.1 million, but this accounted for only 20% of the total poultry meat consumption (97.5 kg/person). The Kuwait poultry industry is economically competitive with imported poultry meat, but expansion is limited because of the availability of suitable land and water resources. Poultry companies therefore increase revenue by producing a higher proportion of higher value products (fresh/chilled meat, further processed chicken products and live bird sales). The industry now provides almost all its requirements for broiler chicken hatching eggs, but production efficiency is reduced in the late summer months when combinations of high temperatures and humidity give extreme climatic conditions. There is a need for research to improve production efficiency and training and education of staff to ensure a continued skill base for the industry.

The cuticle is the outermost layer, deposited on the palisade layer of the eggshell during the last 1.5-2 hr of eggshell formation in utero. It is a non-calcified, thin, water-insoluble layer composed mainly of glycoproteins with some carbohydrate and fat constituents. The cuticle functions as a protective layer which regulates gaseous exchange across the shell, acts as a first line of defence against microbial penetration across the eggshell and is associated with termination of calcite crystal growth during shell formation. The extent of cuticle deposition is influenced by hen age and strain. The physiological and microbiological characteristics of the hen eggshell cuticle are reviewed in relation to its protective functions.

The public wants assurances that animals used for food are raised humanely. Conventional cages for egg laying hens do not meet hen's behavioural needs, but cages have potential advantages such as improved liveability and respiratory health because of less aerial ammonia and dust as compared to non-cage systems. Providing amenities to cages might be a compromise that allows hens to reap some of the advantages of conventional cages and also better meet their behavioural needs. This review focuses on the perch as a furnishing and how its design and addition to the cage can affect welfare and production efficiencies of egg laying strains of chickens. Hens should have access to perches because of their high motivation and preference for perching. At night, hens like to perch at the same time which requires a straight perch space of 12 and 15 cm for White Leghorn and brown hybrids, respectively. Besides meeting a behavioural need, perches in cages improve bone strength, but the improvement is not great enough to prevent adult keel fractures and deformities. Perch access improves feather quality for the back but not for other feather tract areas. Foot pad, toe, and nail health are often improved with perch access in cages of smaller group sizes. With the exception of dirty and cracked eggs, perches installed in cages do not deleteriously affect hen performance. Commercial perches are available in different shapes (e.g., round, circular, or mushroom) and compositions (e.g., wood, plastic, or metal). There is no perfect perch relative to its material composition or shape. Wooden perches offer a rougher texture but harbour mites in crevices. Future research should concentrate on perch redesign that avoids slippery surfaces allowing hen's feet to better grip the perch, prevents keel fractures, is easily cleaned, and does not harbour parasites or pathogens.

Over the years a large body of information has accumulated for the amino acid glycine, which prove that this amino acid is critical to animal nutrition in order for feeding to be more economic, eco-sustainable and supportive of animal health and food safety. Underpinning these glycine efficacies are its multifaceted metabolic interrelationships with other essential amino acids, and the resultant physiological responses. Key among these interactions is the inter-convertibility between glycine and serine, the participation of glycine in sulphur amino acid metabolism, and its biochemical linkages with arginine. Crucial to this is the metabolic release of glycine in threonine catabolism and cellular application in N detoxification- all linked to body amino acid homoeostasis. This is the first of a two-paper series reviewing the biochemistry and multifunctional metabolic involvements of glycine and the impacts on physiological efficiency of sulphur amino acids, threonine, arginine and total crude protein, mainly in broilers.

Decontamination of egg shells is required to improve the microbiological safety of the fresh hen eggs used for human consumption or for hatching. Conventional chemical decontamination methods involving quaternary ammonium disinfectant, sodium hydroxide, phenol, hydrogen peroxide or formaldehyde, leave residues on egg shells that may damage the cuticle layer. Therefore new techniques of egg shells decontamination, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, have been developed. This review aims to evaluate the data from available literature and to provide a general review of UV light treatment application for egg shell decontamination. Data shows that UV treatment was effective for the inactivation of the bacterial population present on clean egg shells and recently contaminated shells. Combined treatments such as UV light with ozone or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) improved the inactivation of microorganisms. Recent advances in science and engineering indicate that treatment with UV light has a competitive advantage in comparison with traditional egg shell sanitation treatments for decontamination.

The principal salmonella serovar associated with infections linked to eggs and egg products in the UK, most European countries and North America is Salmonella enteritidis. However, other serovars have also been implicated in a number of egg-associated outbreaks, most notably S. typhimurium exhibiting a range of phage types. The present article reviews human egg-associated salmonellosis associated with non-S. enteritidis serovars, predominantly in the European Union (EU) but also world-wide, using information from published literature and epidemiological databases. There are also brief reviews of S. enteritidis and of mechanisms leading to egg contamination by salmonella. The numbers of egg-associated infections caused by non-S. enteritidis serovars are fairly substantial (for example 22% of outbreaks and 11.5% of more than 20,000 cases in the EU in 2008), and such infections have resulted in hospitalisations and deaths. Furthermore, in parts of the world where S. enteritidis historically has not penetrated laying hen breeding flocks, egg-related salmonellosis is a problem associated specifically with non-S. enteritidis serovars. Control measures to limit the incidence of S. enteritidis and S. typhimurium in poultry flocks are vital. It is therefore important that close surveillance of salmonellosis incidence and serovars in laying flocks is used to establish suitable biosecurity and vaccination programmes throughout EU Member States and elsewhere.

The aim of this review paper is to update, present and discuss the current research findings from recent studies regarding the efficacy of organic sources of microelements in poultry nutrition. Most intensively evaluated in poultry feeding studies have been organic forms, i.e., proteinates and amino acids complexes and chelates, of such microelements as Zn, Mn and Cu. The results of these studies are not always consistent, particularly in regard to performance indices; however, the majority of the findings from recent experiments indicate that organic minerals are an effective source of microelements, and can replace, with some advantages, inorganic forms of minerals in poultry diets. One of the main benefits is the option to use lower inclusion levels of minerals added in organic forms, which may reduce the mineral content in the resulting poultry excreta.

There are many challenges and opportunities in composting poultry litter removed from broiler houses. These include reducing operational costs and managing compost moisture, NH3-N losses, and odours. This review paper reports on systems for composting broiler litter that require little or no amendment, while controlling N emissions. Poultry litter, as removed from broiler houses, has a moisture range of 22-50%, N content of 3-5.9%, and a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 9-12. Recommendations, based on field studies and economic analysis, have concluded that composting broiler litter is most economically done with little or no amendment and at starting moisture levels around 40% or less. Pilot and field studies using various composting methods, some of which employ continuous or intermittent aeration regimes as well as static windrows or piles, have been reported. Related studies based on composting un-amended caged layer manure are discussed along with their application to broiler litter. Results suggest the most applicable system for broiler litter for producing a low moisture, high N product would be an in-vessel system with forced aeration, mechanical turning, and a high NH3 level (>160 ppm) in the ambient environment surrounding the compost. Such a system would not produce a mature compost, but would lead to a stabilised (10-18.6% dry matter loss), dry product (10-18% moisture), with high nitrogen content (12-15% total N loss) that could be marketed to nurserymen and gardeners, as well as general farmers.

Telomeres are specialised nucleoprotein end structures of eukaryotic chromosomes and protect and maintain genome integrity from recombination, exonuclease degradation and end-to-end fusion. Because of the end replication problem, telomere length in somatic cells tends to decrease with organismal age. Telomere shortening is known to occur in chicken somatic tissues and correlates with advanced developmental age. However, age is not the only determinant of telomere length in an individual. Several factors at the genetic and epigenetic levels are known to affect telomere length in different ways. Herein, we review several factors that affect telomere length in the chicken. Genetic factors include breed and sex, while the epigenetic factors include environmental and stochastic influences. Age, stocking density and living or housing systems were reviewed as environmental factors pertaining to the habitat of the organism. Factors such as oxidative stress, antioxidants in feed and restriction feeding were the stochastic factors that we reviewed.

Haemorrhagic Nephritis Enteritis (HNEG) is caused by infection with haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) and is one of the major diseases of geese in Europe. Young geese (four to 10 weeks old) are susceptible to infection, and both horizontal and vertical transmission of GHPV has been confirmed. Infections result in significant gosling losses, with reports of up to 80% mortality. The most frequent pathological changes; haemorrhagic enteritis and inflammation of the kidneys give the disease its name. Additionally, oedema of subcutaneous tissues and visceral gout has been observed. Although it has been shown that GHPV infects Muscovy and mule ducks, these do not present with clinical symptoms, but can serve as reservoirs of infection for other species, including geese. There are no effective treatments for HNEG, however, data suggest that vaccination of breeders confers maternal immunity to goslings and that vaccination of day old goslings may prevent disease. In addition, reducing stress levels in these animals may prevent progression of HNEG.

This review brings together and consolidates the large amount of research on acute phase proteins (APPs) that has been undertaken in chickens. Acute phase proteins are secreted from the liver as a result of inflammation or infection that can be measured in plasma. They have been well-characterised in other farm animal species and have been measured in a wide variety of poultry research areas. The acceleration in chicken APP research is in response to increased interest in ways the immune responses of the chicken can be measured and compared during infection or environmental or nutritional changes. All APPs that have been identified and characterised in chickens are described in the following review and their responses during infection discussed. The APPs are tabulated with basal values and classification to provide a comparative and useful reference. The ways APPs can be measured in chickens and the assays available are also described. This review will detail the functions of the positive APPs in chickens and their behaviour during an APR.

Mango (Mangifera indica) is an important fruit crop grown in the tropics mostly for its pulp. Mango seed, which represents between 20-60% of the fruit, has limited food or industrial use in most producing countries and is therefore wasted. The kernel contained in the seed (mango seed kernel: MSK) is a good source of carbohydrates (58-80%), contains moderate quantities of proteins (6-13%) and fat (6-16%). The protein of MSK has a good essential amino acid profile and its oil is a good source of stearic and linoleic acids. However, despite these attributes MSK contains a number of anti-nutritional factors (e.g. tannins, phytate, cyanide, antitrypsin, oxalate and saponins) which limit its utilisation in poultry diets. Amongst these factors, tannins are largely responsible for the poor nutritional value of MSK. Several processing methods have been used to reduce the concentration of anti-nutritional factors in MSK and improve its utilisation by poultry. The following paper reviews the composition (nutrients and anti-nutrients) of MSK, recommendations for its use in poultry diets and processing methods to enhance its utilisation by poultry.