{"id":28454,"date":"2019-09-09T13:24:56","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T11:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/challenging-times-for-broilers\/"},"modified":"2025-01-02T13:54:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T12:54:17","slug":"challenging-times-for-broilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/us\/challenging-times-for-broilers\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenging times for broilers? Phytomolecules, not antibiotics, are the answer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Challenging
\nby\u00a0Ajay Bhoyar<\/strong>, Global Technical Manager, EW Nutrition <\/em><\/p>\n

Anyone working with today\u2019s fast-growing broiler chicken knows that it is a sensitive creature \u2013 and so is its gut health. Thanks to continuous improvements in terms of genetics and breeding<\/a>, nutrition and feeding, as well as general management strategies, broiler production has tremendously upped performance and efficiency over the past decades. It is estimated that, between 1957 and 2005, the broiler growth rate increased by over 400%, while the feed conversion ratio dropped by 50%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These impressive improvements, however, have come at the cost of intense pressure on the birds\u2019 digestive system, which needs to process large quantities of feed in little time. To achieve optimal growth, a broiler\u2019s gastrointestinal tract (GIT)<\/a> needs to be in perfect health, all the time. Unsurprisingly, enteric diseases such as necrotic enteritis<\/a>, which severely damages the intestinal mucosa, hamper the intestines\u2019 capacity to absorb nutrients and induce an inflammatory immune response.<\/p>\n

The modern broiler\u2019s gut \u2013 a high-performing, but sensitive system<\/h3>\n

However, in a system as high performing as the modern broiler\u2019s GIT, much less can lead to problems. From when they are day-old chicks up to slaughter, broilers go through several challenging phases during which they are more likely to show impaired gut functionality, e.g. after vaccinations or feed changes. Good management practices go a long way towards eliminating unnecessary stressors<\/a> for the animals, but some challenging periods are unavoidable.<\/p>\n

The transition from starter to grower diets is a classic situation when nutrients are very likely to not be well digested and build up in the gut, fueling the proliferation of harmful microbes. Immunosuppressive stress in combination with an immature intestinal microflora results in disturbances to the bacterial microbiota. At \u201cbest\u201d, this entails temporarily reduce nutrient absorption, in the worst case the birds will suffer serious intestinal diseases.<\/p>\n

Phytomolecules \u2013 the intelligent alternative to antibiotics<\/h3>\n

To safeguard performance during stressful periods, poultry producers need to anticipate them and proactively provide effective gut health support. For many years, this support came in the form of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP): administered prophylactically, they were effective at keeping harmful enteric bacteria in check. However, due to grave concerns about the development of antimicrobial resistance<\/a>, non-therapeutic antibiotics use has been banned in many countries. Alternatives need to focus on improving feed digestibility and strengthening gut health, attacking the root causes of why the intestinal microflora would become unbalanced in the first place.<\/p>\n

Phytomolecules are secondary metabolites active in the defense mechanisms of plants. Studies have found that certain phytomolecules stimulate digestive enzyme activities<\/a> and stabilize the gut microflora, \u201cleading to improved feed utilization and less exposure to growth-depressing disorders associated with digestion and metabolism\u201d (Zhai et al., 2018<\/a>). With other trials showing positive effects on broilers\u2019 growth performance and feed conversion<\/a>, the research indicates that phytomolecules might also specifically support chickens during challenging phases.<\/p>\n

The effect of phytomolecules on broilers during a challenging phase<\/h3>\n

A study was conducted over a period of 49 days on a commercial broiler farm of an AGP-free integration operation in Japan. The farm reported gut health challenges in the second and third week of the fattening period due to vaccinations and changes to the animals\u2019 diets. The trial included 15504 Ross 308 broilers, divided into two groups. The negative control group included a total of 7242 birds, kept in another house.<\/p>\n

All the birds were fed the standard feed of the farm. The trial group (8262 birds) received Activo Liquid, which contains a synergistic combination of phytomolecules, administered directly through the drinking water. Activo Liquid was given at an inclusion rate of 200ml per 1000L of water (3.3 US fl oz per gallon of stock solution, diluted at 1:128), from day 8 until day 25, for 8 hours a day.<\/p>\n

The results are summarized in Figure 1:<\/p>\n

Figure 1: Improved broiler performance for Activo Liquid group (day 49)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Improved<\/p>\n

The Activo Liquid group clearly showed performance improvements compared to the control group. Livability augmented by 1.5%, while the feed conversion rate improved by 3.2%. This resulted in a more than 5% higher score in terms of the performance index.<\/p>\n

Challenging times? Tackle them using phytomolecules<\/h3>\n

Poultry producers take great care to eliminate unnecessary sources of stress for their birds. Nonetheless, during their lifecycle, broiler chickens face challenging periods during which the balance of the intestinal microflora can easily become disturbed, with consequences ranging from decreased nutrient absorption to full-blown enteric disease.<\/p>\n

The trial reviewed here showed that, after receiving Activo Liquid, broilers raised without AGPs showed encouraging performance improvements during a challenging phase of feed changes and vaccinations. Likely thanks to the activation of digestive enzymes and a stabilization of the gut flora, the broilers showed improved livability and feed conversion, thus delivering a much more robust performance during a critical phase of their lives. In times where the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics is no longer an option, phytomolecules allow poultry farmers to effectively support their animals during challenging times.<\/p>\n

References<\/h4>\n

Photo Source: Aviagen<\/a><\/p>\n

Adedokun, Sunday A., and Opeyemi C. Olojede. \u201cOptimizing Gastrointestinal Integrity in Poultry: The Role of Nutrients and Feed Additives.\u201d Frontiers in Veterinary Science 5 (January 31, 2019): 348.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jamroz, D., T. Wertelecki, M. Houszka, and C. Kamel. \u201cInfluence of Diet Type on the Inclusion of Plant Origin Active Substances on Morphological and Histochemical Characteristics of the Stomach and Jejunum Walls in Chicken.\u201d Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 90, no. 5-6 (March 23, 2006): 255\u201368.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Tav\u00e1rez, Marcos A., and Fausto Solis De Los Santos. \u201cImpact of Genetics and Breeding on Broiler Production Performance: a Look into the Past, Present, and Future of the Industry.\u201d Animal Frontiers 6, no. 4 (October 1, 2016): 37\u201341.<\/a><\/p>\n

Zhai, Hengxiao, Hong Liu, Shikui Wang, Jinlong Wu, and Anna-Maria Kluenter. \u201cPotential of Essential Oils for Poultry and Pigs.\u201d Animal Nutrition 4, no. 2 (June 2018): 179\u201386.<\/a><\/p>\n

Zuidhof, M. J., B. L. Schneider, V. L. Carney, D. R. Korver, and F. E. Robinson. \u201cGrowth, Efficiency, and Yield of Commercial Broilers from 1957, 1978, and 20051.\u201d Poultry Science 93, no. 12 (December 2014): 2970\u201382.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Ajay Bhoyar, Global Technical Manager, EW Nutrition Anyone working with today\u2019s fast-growing broiler chicken knows that it is a sensitive creature \u2013 and so is its gut health. Thanks to continuous improvements in terms of genetics and breeding, nutrition and feeding, as well as general management strategies, broiler production has tremendously upped performance and efficiency…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":51765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7996,7671,7672,7981],"tags":[4390,4392,4393,4394,4397,4012],"class_list":["post-28454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antibiotic-reduction-us-2","category-broiler-us","category-gut-health-us","category-poultry-us","tag-abr-us","tag-amr-us","tag-antibiotic-growth-promoters-us","tag-antimicrobial-resistance-us","tag-complementary-feed-us","tag-phytomolecules-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChallenging times for broilers? 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