Campylobacter bacteria counts increase after feather picking. This could be coming from contaminated machines, airborne contaminants or cecal discharges.
Campylobacter and Salmonella are leading causes of human bacterial foodborne disease. What is the role of the transport coops in spreading this contamination in broiler chickens?
Broiler transport cage drying and the application of a dry treatment (absorbent cornstarch powder) have been shown in poultry research to diminish the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter on transport cages.