ATLANTA — Does a cleaner growout environment produce a healthier chicken? Researchers with the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program are conducting an exploratory research project focused on answering that question.
“There is growing interest in eliminating the use of prophylactic antibiotics in livestock, and we began to wonder if good on-farm practices could lead to usage reductions,” says Robert Wallace, GTRI research scientist and project director. “A complementary consideration is what impact any changes in current practices could have on broiler mortality and growth rates.”
The research team has tested 1,280 broilers (chickens raised. . .