flocks reach their full genetic potential. Professor Collett of the University of Georgia, USA has created a model encom- passing the key factors influencing gut health: the ‘Seed, Feed, Weed’ concept. Conscious of the parameters facing commercial operations, the programme has been designed to be sustainable, holistic, farm specific and cost effective. Re- sults obtained are measurable, ensuring benefit can be quan- tified. Professor Collett describes the concept using crops as an example, sowing seeds of the crops that you want to grow, fertilising the crops for optimum growth and weeding out other plants that may prevent your crop from flourishing.
Seeding with favourable organisms In a natural environment, the chick’s gut would be seeded with the micro-organisms from the mother’s GI tract through vertical transmission. With nest hatching they would also spend their early life in an environment containing the moth- er’s faeces, allowing the transfer of her microbiome and colo- nisation of the chick’s gut. Modern farming practices remove eggs and place them in an artificial environment for hatching, reducing the opportunity for the transfer of microbiota to ei- ther transovarial transmission or due to shell contamination. Many studies have shown that even low doses of favourable bacteria can significantly improve resistance to pathogen
colonisation. ‘Seeding’ the day-old chick’s gut with a probiotic ensures that a diverse population of microflora is able to de- velop, creating the framework for good gut health to build upon. As egg shell contaminant is the first seed stock for the chick, the importance of vertical transmission cannot be overlooked. Altering the microbiome of the breeder stock provides the first opportunity to influence the gut health of the chick, feeding Mannan Rich Fractions (MRF, Alltech) to the breeder has been shown to positively alter the microflora in both the breeder herself and her offspring.
Feeding a favourable environment Once a favourable population of micro-organisms has been established in the gut it is important to ensure that the sur- rounding environment is suitable for its growth and replica- tion. Most beneficial microflora are acid tolerant and there- fore grow best at a lower pH, while potentially pathogenic organisms, such as Clostridia and Campylobacter, are intoler- ant of acidic conditions. Feeding a buffered weak organic acid compound ensures that unfavourable bacteria are at a competitive disadvantage, thereby allowing organisms bene- ficial to gut health to prosper. Using a weak acid also ensures that the compound does not become inactivated while pass- ing through the proventriculus and gizzard, allowing it to
▶ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 1, 2020 9
Maintaining good gut health in the flock will minimise disrup- tion to produc- tion caused by disease
challenges.
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