Amick Farms veterinarian Dr. Jason Sousa had been dealing with persistent Focal Ulcerative Dermatitis Syndrome (FUDS) across multiple breeder farms. This caused ulcerated lesions, lameness, and elevated mortality across flocks. Despite trying various antibiotic interventions, results have been inconclusive.
Dr. Sousa had several critical questions:
Traditional diagnostic testing is narrow by design. A PCR test can confirm whether a specific pathogen is present or absent. But, this approach only looks for one pathogen in a single bird.
Plus, individual bird testing is time consuming, and only works if you suspect a specific problem and know what to look for...
Instead, Barnwell's whole-panel approach captures thousands of birds and microbial species at once. You see the full microbiome picture across your flock, tracking pathogen and commensal loads over time.
As our Chief Science Officer says: Traditional diagnostics feel like looking through a keyhole. Barnwell gives you the whole picture.
Dr. Sousa wanted to trial a new litter amendment in his barns. He partner with Barnwell Bio to evaluate the product's microbiome impact pre- and post- application over several weeks:
⚠️ Confirmed, but short-lived probiotic. We saw elevated levels of probiotic species the week after placement. However, by the next week, their abundance returned to near-zero baseline levels.
✅ Significant pathogen load decline. Barnwell saw a meaningful decrease in Staphylococcus levels post-application. These species cause arthritis and tenosynovitis during high-stress periods.
🎯 Stronger treatment strategy. Seeing the short presence but immediate Staph impact, Dr. Sousa had an idea. Proactively use the amendment at pullet vaccination to reduce the chance of infection later in life.
No single-target blind spots. Barnwell's sequencing captures 300,000+ targets, covering what diagnostics may overlook.
Clarity on treatment ROI. See a product's complete microbiome impact and how long it lasts to inform smarter flock health strategy.
Detailed, barn-level results. Every barn has a unique microbiome. Producers get actionable results specific to their individual barns.
Proactive disease monitoring. Identify microbiome shifts before clincial signs emerge, and make intervention decisions prior to outbreaks.
