PDI 637
Poultry Medicine Clerkship Syllabus
Instructor: R. M. Fulton, D.V.M., Ph.D., dipl. A.C.P.V.
Course Objectives:
- Understand modern poultry production and management
- Develop a working knowledge of how to diagnose, recommend treatment, and prevention of common poultry diseases.
- Improve understanding of pathogenesis of viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal diseases and how that deeper understanding enables a veterinarian to better prevent and treat diseases.
- Develop a working knowledge of on-farm biosecurity, the use of disinfectants and how to develop pest (fly and rodent) control programs and their importance as it relates to food safety.
- Develop an understanding of the veterinarian’s important role in “farm-to-fork” food safety programs.
- Develop an awareness of diseases of other (non-poultry) avian species.
Course Content:
This course will consist of didactic lectures (typically given in the morning), laboratory work (poultry necropsies and other diagnostic laboratory visits), and field trips (typically done in the afternoon).
Lectures:
Introduction to the poultry production and management
Biosecurity, commercial farms and small flocks
Viral diseases of poultry
Bacterial diseases of poultry
Parasitic diseases of poultry
Fungal and mycotoxin diseases of poultry
Metabolic diseases of poultry
Disinfectants
Diseases of gamebirds (pheasants, quail, partridges...)
Diseases of pet birds
Laboratories:
Avian necropsy technique
Necropsy of egg laying chicken mortality
Serology laboratory
Field Trips:
Egg laying chicken farm with in-line egg processing plant
Turkey hatchery
Turkey farm
Feed mill
Broiler chicken processing plant
Duck breeder, hatchery, grow out farm and processing plant
Small flock chicken hatchery
Course Objectives:
- Understand modern poultry production and management
- Develop a working knowledge of how to diagnose, recommend treatment, and prevention of common poultry diseases.
- Improve understanding of pathogenesis of viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal diseases and how that deeper understanding enables a veterinarian to better prevent and treat diseases.
- Develop a working knowledge of on-farm biosecurity, the use of disinfectants and how to develop pest (fly and rodent) control programs and their importance as it relates to food safety.
- Develop an understanding of the veterinarian’s important role in “farm-to-fork” food safety programs.
- Develop an awareness of diseases of other (non-poultry) avian species.
Duties of Student:
Perform sample (blood, swab and tissue) collection on course and clinical cases.
Perform necropsies on collected daily mortality and clinical cases.
Interpret laboratory results including histopathology.
Case presentation of necropsy cases at weekly Pathology Grand Rounds.
Accompany and assist instructor on flock health evaluations of commercial poultry flocks.
Housing and subsistence is the responsibility of the student.