Poultry Industry Research Papers

Scavengers: Friend or Foe of the Poultry Industry: Jeff Hill, MSc, BS, Livestock Welfare Strategies 

Traditional composting methods pose biological hazards.

In North America approximately 1,500,000,000 pounds of broiler and 187,500,000 pounds of layer hen mortalities must be disposed of annually. Composting has become the most commonly utilized method of on-farm carcass disposal. However, this method can result in significant biosecurity risk, especially as the current outbreak of HPAI intensifies.

Due to the management requirements to ensure a successful composting process, many producers allow, if not actively encourage, the scavenging of poultry carcasses from their disposal facility. In fact, scavenging of carrion has essentially become a defacto method of carcass disposal, especially in the South and Western US….