Field trial to study the possibilities of using probiotic bacteria in drinking water replacing antibiotics/growth promoters in feed during broiler rearing and to investigate the effect of catalyst activated water (CAW) when combined with the probiotic in drinking water

Aurelio Tayao Dear Dr. Aurelio Tayao, Thank you for the interest shown in the technical article. A broad spectrum antibiotic containing fluroquinolone which inhibits DNA gyrase was used in the positive control group. The day old chicks used in the trial were culls. We followed the same procedure that normal broiler farmers here use, administration of prophylactic dose of antibiotic during first 3-5 days to control bacterial diseases (particularly E.coli & some times Salmonella gallinarum) coming from the hatcheries. Whatever the the weaknesses or infections that the chicks had, must have continued until the end of the trial causing mortality through out. Competitive extrusion, antibacterial compounds produced by the probiotic bacteria coupled with its immune stimulating properties must have contributed for controlling the moralities in treatment groups while CAW is known to reduce stress and improve immunity of farmed animals.

Steffen Hansen Thank you Dr. Steffen Hansen for your comment. In my conclusions, the last one, I have mentioned that as the trial included only one replicate (31 chicks) per treatment, more trials should be done with at least four replicates for each treatment before a solid conclusion is made. The point that I wanted to make is that a mixture of spores of Bacillus species could work beneficially when administered via drinking water because some of the spores may germinate in the reservoir by the time (at least 4 hours) the birds drink making sure that the vegetative cells are consumed instead of spores. And also we have seen that 48 hours old Bacillus subtilis culture showing good inhibition of growth of some Gram negative bacteria (well diffusion method).. CAW is a patented product which has been invented by Dr. John Willard of USA. A synonym for this is Willard Water.

Dr. Christopher Hettiarachchi, thanks for elaborating on trial design. The application of probiotics in the drinking water is a promising concept. I wonder if you have made any thoughts on dosage; maybe a dose response trial? Bacillus products are usually added with 10^6 per gram feed. Another important issue is also if the addition of the probiotic product creates slime inside the water tubes. In my opinion the concept of “catalyst activated water” is a scam. It is not possible to find any scientifically sound publications on this product. The suggested mode of actions on Dr. Willards homepage are also hilarious. I consider this “Dr. Willard water” in the same class as “Grander water” which is pure humbug.

Steffen Hansen Dr. Steffen Hansen I did not do a dose response trial. The bacterial density of the original solution was 2.44x107 CFU per ml, 100 ml of this was used for 1000 litres of drinking water. As you mentioned, there can be a build up of slime in the pipes & nipple drinkers which can hinder the water flow as the production cycle progresses but one has to do a trial to see how long it will take for slime to build up. About CAW, I happened to read an interesting, lengthy article written by Dr. Willard on the invention of this product. I used this in Penaeus monodon hatchery together with a probiotic/bioaugmenter without antibiotic during larval rearing in 6, 5000 liter tanks each. It synchronized moulting. I tried CAW product for plant on seed germination. It gave higher % of germination. Though more replicates are needed, the present trial with CAW has produced some positive results.

Kb Bohara Dear Dr. KB Bohara, Thank you for the comment. I am not interested in promoting CAW. I have nothing to do with this product or I have no connection with this company. What interested me in this product is the mode of action of its constituents on biological activities and that is why I included this in my field trial. The main point which I wanted to share with the community is that the mode of delivery of probiotic bacteria, particularly Bacillus species. The Bacillus species containing broiler feed contains only the spores because vegetative cells do not withstand pelleting process of feed manufacturing and the spores ingested through feed will take few hours for germination. But if we can deliver vegetative form of the probiotic bacterial cells with water, the effectiveness could be better. Also the administered bacteria can proliferate in the drinking water system with time displacing other undeniable bacteria such as E.coli. If this process last without blocking the drinking water system for 45 days, Hydrogen peroxide flush will remove the slime. Antibiotic free broiler rearing is a challenge unless feed millers and veterinary doctors are geared toward it.

Christoph Hutter Hi Christop Huter Yes I have used a commercial product containing a blend of organic acids in drinking water to curb bacterial infections in broiler rearing in evap. cooling houses. The optimum pH for growth of most Bacillus species is close to neutral and therefore, addition of an organic acid like lactic acid will bring pH of drinking water to around 4 (recommended pH). It is known that activity of probiotic bacteria is manifested when they are physiological active (growing actively), Bacillus sp. in a medium of pH 4 would not grow actively and probiotic activity can not be expected under such situation except some enhanced immune activity due to bacterial cell wall components. As it was stated, it could be a good treatment for dislodging the climes in drinking watering tubes & nipples.