The poultry sector is one of the most systematized and vibrant divisions of the agriculture industry of Pakistan. The poultry sector has shown a vigorous growth of 8 to 10 percent annually, which reveals its distinctive potentialNewcastle disease, is an acute, contagious rapidly spreading viral disease of domestic poultry and wild bird of all ages with mortality up to 100% in the infected flocks. It is caused by avian Paramyxovirus serotype-I. This disease is major restraint to attain acceptable production levels in commercial broiler. In Pakistan ND is commonly reported disease in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated flocks.
In the current study risk factors which were associated with the outbreak of Newcastle Disease regarding farm practices were identified and recommendations can be given for the control of ND on the basis of comparing current and previous (2011-2012) farm practices in environmentally controlled commercial broiler houses.
The results of this study are applicable on all the commercial broiler population which is being reared in environmentally controlled houses in Lahore District.Number of environmentally controlled houses was 128 environmentally control sheds in Lahore District. But only 96 farm managers guven consent for the visit of their farm so the sample was n= 96 environmentally controlled houses. Sampling unit was one environmentally controlled house. A questionnaire was developed about the risk factors which were considered to be associated with ND outbreak. A total n= 96 Environmentally controlled houses of commercial broiler affected and not affected by the ND outbreaks in and around Lahore District were selected with the help of convenient sampling method and their owner/manager were interviewed face to face and information was also collected from the farm record. Out of 96 ECH(Environmentally Controlled Houses) of commercial broiler 79 suffered from newcastle disease outbreak while only 17 ECH were non-infected during period of 2011-2012.
Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and odds ratio was calculated for the studied and supposed risk factors. Distance between farms less than 5Km, feed transporting vehicle, method of dead infected birds' disposal and type of labor on the farms were found as risk factors for the newcastle disease out breaks. Water quality, biosecurity, feed storage method, heat source used, farms managers, litter disposal methods showed a negative association with the spread of disease. E. coli and salmonella infection were mostly observed as secondary infections among the ND affected flocks. Avian influenza showed an association with newcastle disease. Infectious bursal disease and hydro pericardium syndrome showed no association with ND epidemics.