COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE . DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCES . PURDUE UNIVERSITY
poultry for profit
Poultry Health
P-90
June, 1967
All-in, All-out Program
Joe W. Sicer, Extension Poultryman
One of the most important and most effective parts of a successful program for poultry health is the all-in, all-out program.
As the name implies, this is a program in which all the chickens (all of one age on the farm) are put in to their quarters at one time. They are kept for their productive period and then all are sold out before any new chickens are brought onto the premises.
The program can be used effectively in raising broilers, in producing ready-to-lay pullets, in handling laying flocks, and in the rearing of turkeys or other fowl.
The basic reason for its importance and effectiveness is that it is an excellent means of breaking the cycle of numerous poultry diseases and at the same time limiting the chances of exposing a flock to disease producing organisms to which it has had no opportunity to build any resistance.
Experience has taught that if the all-in, all-out program is not followed, it is often just a matter of time until infectious diseases build up to a level where mortality becomes excessively heavy, growth and development
are impaired and egg production is diminish-
ed.
The battery broiler raisers of the early 30's saw death losses reach intolerable levels because of the practice of starting new chicks
every few weeks in the same room or building. Recently, California surveys have shown differences of 20 to 30 eggs between all-in, all-out laying flocks and flocks on a continual replacement program.
Why mixing poultry of different ages is bad
Consider a laying flock as an example.
A healthy appearing flock of ready-to-lay pullets is housed in a clean house. There is no visible disease. The chances are, however, that during the growing period these pullets were exposed to some disease producing organisms and have developed a resistance to those particular agents. Some of the pullets may even be chronic carriers of some organisms. Because of good management, it is possible that none of these disease organ isms ever produced visible disease in the pullets, but these same pullets may be harboring and shedding disease organisms.
Bring in some new pullets at a later date. They may go into empty cages in the same house with the first flock, or in a separate floor pen in the same house, or in another house located near the one housing the first flock.
These new pullets carry some disease producing organisms which are probably different from those carried by the first flock. Like the first flock, they have also developed a resistance to the organisms they harbor,
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Horae Economies, State of Indiana, Purdue University and U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating. H. G. Diesslin, Director, Lafayette, Ind. Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.