Explore all the information onPoultry gut health
The efficient conversion of feed into its basic components for optimal nutrient absorption is vital for both broiler and broiler breeder production and welfare. Gut health, an intricate and complex area combining nutrition, microbiology, immunology and physiology, has a key role to play. When gut health is compromised, digestion and nutrient absorption are affected which, in turn, can have a detrimental effect on feed conversion leading to economic loss and a greater susceptibility to disease. In addition, recent changes in legislation on the use of antimicrobials, differing feed requirements and more efficient birds highlight the need for a better understanding of gut function and gut health.
by Sam Shafer
We know that young geese benefit from warmer drinking water, but what is the optimal water temperature? Poultry scientists take a closer look
A new investigation into goose health suggests providing drinking water that is at least 18? (64.4?) may boost the activity of digestive enzymes, promote intestinal development, increase water consumption, and even increase goose eye temperature. Based on their findings, the...
INTRODUCTION It is imperative to identify factors that inhibit the digestibility of nutrients for successful commercial poultry production. The non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) like substances of hemicellulose, cellulose, and pectin can reduce nutrient digestibility in poultry (Choct, 1999). Among the NSP, β-mannans are a group of hemicelluloses, which are present in many ingredients used for poultry feeds like soybean and other leguminous seeds. It occurs in the forms of...
I. Introduction Phytase, apart from increasing phosphorus (P) availability from plant ingredients, improves availability of non-P nutrients like Ca, amino acids (AA), and energy (AME) by facilitating the breakdown of phytate P and thus negating its antinutritional effects (Dersjant-Li et al. 2016). Phytase along with carbohydrase enzymes could improve productivity of chickens with a lower feed cost when proper downspec (reduction of nutrient levels in the diet) is applied. It is...
INTRODUCTION Finding effective strategies to improve chicken’s feed efficiency (FE) is a major goal to decrease overall production costs, preserve additional edible resources for humans, and reduce the ecological footprint of chicken rearing systems (Bottje and Carstens, 2009; Yan et al., 2017). Chickens of divergent FE differ in several phenotypic characteristics with the most obvious difference being the lower feed intake of high feed-efficient chickens compared to low...
in the second part of this interview, Dr. Koushik De, Director-Technical Services at Novus International South Central Asia, explains why we should care about Trypsin Inhibitor and how to deal with it in Soybean meal...
BACKGROUND The momentum of scientific paper publication toward mycotoxin is an increasing trend where 16,821 papers were recorded in Scopus since the first mycotoxin, aflatoxin (AF) was identified in the year 1965. Data clearly showed the significance of mycotoxin research which will be further discussed later in this review paper. Nevertheless, the global health issue arose from mycotoxin is still frequently ignored in many low-income countries, where mycotoxins affect staple...
Dr. Mário Penz (Cargill) talks about how to keep improving nutrition analysis, taking into account digestibility coefficients and ingredient quality, among other factors, during this Engormix interview....
The intersection of ancient wisdom and modern science is propelling a substantial leap towards profitability and sustainability in poultry production. Ayurveda, the time-honored system of holistic health, has paved the way for evidence-based approaches that align harmoniously with our environment. It places a strong emphasis on disease prevention and overall well-being, offering a balanced approach to livestock care that synergizes conventional and natural medicine. Ayurveda's wisdom...
1. Introduction The global demand for chicken-meat is increasing. Globally, poultry meat is expected to represent 41% of all the protein from meat sources in 2030 and exceed the 34% share for pig meat, 20% for beef and 5% for sheep meat [1]. In Australia, the 46.9 kg per capita chicken-meat consumption in 2021/22 is clearly superior to pork (27.7 kg), beef (19.1 kg) and lamb (5.5 kg) with a 47.3% market share [2]. To meet this high consumption, Australian broiler operations processed...
1. Introduction Coccidiosis is a major enteric infection of poultry that is estimated to cost more than USD 14.5 billion annual losses globally [1]. Although coccidiosis control using various anticoccidial chemicals, such as ionophores, coccidiocides, and coccidiostats, has long been a mainstream strategy in modern poultry production, alternative control strategies to antibiotics are necessary owing to the antibiotic ban [2]. Therefore, much effort has been made to develop...
Optimal soybean (SB) processing conditions is essential to ensure that antinutritional factors as trypsin inhibitors are deactivated while maintaining protein solubility and dispersibility. Heat processing is critical for improving amino acid digestibility of extruded SB for broilers. Excessive heat treatment can lead to denaturation of proteins, resulting in a negative impact on animal performance and microbiota composition. In this study, we investigated the effect of three different...
Dr. Ana Maria Villegas, Technical Services Manager for Gut Health Solutions at Evonik, discusses optimal processing conditions for soybean and its effects on gut health, during this Engormix interview....
Hear what Dr. Steve Leeson has to say about how feed additives can support gut health...
Fibre is a nutrient that has been largely ignored in feed formulation, not because it is unimportant, but because it is not well known what ‘fibre’ actually stands for. Firstly, the terms used to describe fibre in feed are confusing and the values they represent are inaccurate. For instance, ‘crude fibre’ is a 19th century relic that does not mean much in monogastric animal nutrition. Its continued use in feed formulation perhaps represents the single largest source...
The significance of gut health in poultry production cannot be understated, since it has a direct impact on bird performance, welfare, and overall production efficiency. A healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract is necessary for optimized digestion, absorption, and utilization of nutrients that has impact on overall performance of birds. Overall, good gut health is essential for healthy poultry production. Producers work hard to improve gut health through balanced nutrition, management methods,...
Despite extensive research on reduced protein (RP) diets in broiler chickens, the consequences of such practices for gut health and barrier function are not well defined. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of reduced protein and the source of protein. The control normal protein level diets had either meat and bone meal (MBM) or an all-vegetable diet (VEG). Accordingly, four diets were formulated; 1) VEG standard protein, 2) standard protein containing MBM, 3) RP (17.5% in...
I. Introduction Necrotic enteritis (NE), caused by Clostridium perfringens (CP) and exacerbated when birds are co-infected with Eimeria spp., is one of the most severe and common diseases resulting from intestinal mucosal damage (Bae et al., 2021). The stimbiotic (STB) concept has been recently introduced as a non-digestible and fermentable additive that stimulates the development of a microbiome comprising bacterial species that are principally involved in fibre...
I. Introduction Glycans are polysaccharides, essential biomolecules with well-established benefits for the host and abundantly used as prebiotics to support balanced microbiome function. Host produced glycans, such as mucins, are crucial for the defensive purpose of the intestinal epithelial barrier against pathogens (Coker et al., 2021). Glycans are often projecting on the cell surface and are frequently secreted molecules, thus presenting a perfect pathogen trap or...
Introduction The poultry industry is one of the most dynamic industries in world of agri-business, and feed is the backbone of this industry. But, with rising feed ingredients cost, making a good quality feed at low price has become a challenge for the poultry industry. To minimize the impact of rising prices of conventional feed ingredients, the other option is the use of unconventional raw materials. Many of these products contain high levels of plant cell wall...