Much attention has been focused in recent years on the problem of stray voltage from electrical equipment in dairies. However, a UC Davis Cooperative Extension poultry specialist warns that recent field reports clearly indicate that stray voltage also can be a problem in poultry facilities. Writing in a recent issue of the California Poultry newsletter, poultry specialist Ralph Ernst cited several examples from the Midwest and Eastern United States where wayward electrical current was blamed for decreases in egg production and hyperexcitability in young turkeys. Stray voltage also can cause starvation, dehydration and other maladies, he says. Ernst advises poultry producers to make sure that all electrical equipment is properly grounded. Automatic waterers, especially, should be checked to make sure stray voltage is not a problem. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued a new publication on the subject, "Effects of Electrical Voltage/Current on Farm Animals" (Handbook #696).