FCR reduction in % (wood-lignans vs. control groups)


PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶


Healthy birds for best performance


Despite the trend towards vegetarian and vegan, the rising world population demands more animal protein. Poultry production provides a strong mainstay to meet this growing demand. Egg production and broiler farming are highly efficient and consequently represent an extraordinarily price driven market segment.


BY STEFAN HIRTENLEHNER, RND MANAGER, AGROMED AUSTRIA GMBH S GER 0,0


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26 -1,3 -1,2 -1,8 -3,2 -4,0 -5,4 -5,9 -3,9 -3,7 -2,9 -2,7 GRE BRA


ince the cost of feed in broiler production accounts for about two thirds of total production costs, it is a top priority, not only from an environmental view- point but from the economic perspective too, to pay


careful attention to adequate nutrition and efficiency. The better the feed conversion ratio (FCR), the fewer nutrients pass through the gastrointestinal tract unutilised. This also ensures that the feed does what it is supposed to, i.e. nourish the animals and is not excreted uselessly. Poor feed utilisation is doubly costly. On the one hand, expensively produced feed will not be metabolised and thus a higher proportion of the investment is lost and creates even more expense in disposal. On the other hand, unutilised nutrients can cause a slight but constant health burden for the animals, e.g. when unutilised protein enters the hindgut where it ferments into harmful biogenic amines and ammonium. The excretion of unutilised


Figure 1 – Overview of FCR- improvement due to supplementation with a wood-derived feed supplement relative to a control group.


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trace elements is associated with more water loss and thus has a negative impact on litter quality. This in turn increases the risk of foot pad dermatitis and finally, has a adverse im- pact on FCR, animal welfare and feed intake. In general, it is undisputed that the best feed conversion and performance can only be achieved by healthy animals, for which the high- est standards of management, hygiene and optimum feed quality are the prerequisites.


Cost of inflammation Although adjusting management and hygiene standards are probably the most effective parameters for improving perfor- mance, a high quality feed and well selected feed additives can add significant value by modulating the gut physiology of the bird. Inflammatory processes are a well known exam- ple. By definition, inflammation is a complex response of the innate immune system in tissues, involving the accumulation and activation of leucocytes and plasma proteins at the site of infection, toxin exposure or cell injury. Inflammation is triggered by a dilation of the blood vessels which promotes leuco cyte recruitment. While inflammation has a protective role in fighting infection and promoting tissue repair, it can also lead to tissue damage and disease. Accordingly, inflam- mation is a physiological defence mechanism but when it gets ‘out of control’ due to the immune response overshoot- ing, it does more harm than good to an organism. Even minor inflammatory processes can have a huge impact. Inflamma- tion of the gastrointestinal tract in farm animals, even if it does not lead to a full-blown clinical syndrome, can lead to a severe reduction in performance and thus to economic loss- es. The production and secretion of inflammatory signalling molecules, as well as changes in metabolism consume energy which is then not available for growth performance.


Inflammation control Not least due to regulatory restrictions on the of use of in- feed antibiotics, researchers have searched intensively for safe and natural alternatives for controlling pathogenic load and inflammation processes in livestock animals. A fairly novel and very promising approach is the supplementation of selected lignans as bio-active molecules. Lignans are natural polyphenols found in many plants, where they show protective properties against infection. With the use of wood


▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 5, 2022


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