Field evaluation of feeding spray-dried plasma in the starter period on final performance and overall health of broilers

Abstract

The effect of feeding spray-dried plasma ( SDP ) during the starter period was evaluated with a commercial broiler integrator on performance and overall health of broilers. The I See Inside ( ISI ) methodology assessing gut health in broilers was used as a tool to evaluate the impact of dietary interventions under commercial conditions. One hundred farms with approximately 1.1 million broilers were used at a Brazilian broiler integrator. Two groups of farms were fed either a control or an SDP diet containing 1% SDP, from 0 to 10 d of age. Diets were formulated to have similar nutritional density, containing zinc bacitracin and CuSO 4 from 0 to 28 d. After 10 d, both groups were fed common commercial diets. Performance data were analyzed together or by type of ventilation system: positive pressure or negative pressure. Birds were sent to market as they reached 3.05 kg; therefore, age at slaughter ( AS ) was evaluated as a dependent variable along with other performance measures. From the 100 farms in the trial, 35 (16 control and 19 SDP farms) were selected for the assessment of broilers health, biosecurity, and local management. For that, 6 broilers per farm at 14 ± 2 d of age were necropsied and ileum sampled for the ISI methodology evaluation. Biosecurity and management were also evaluated to obtain the influence of those parameters on animal health. SDP-fed birds demonstrated improved feed conversion ratio, reduced mortality, and 1 d less for AS ( P < 0.05) vs. control group ( P < 0.05) regardless of the type of ventilation. During necropsy, birds fed SDP showed lower coccidiosis and locomotor system lesions as the overall ISI score compared to controls. Histologic intestinal alterations were also lower in SDP-fed broilers ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding 1% SDP in the starter period to broilers resulted in improved performance and health under both good and bad management and biosecurity standards independent of the type of ventilation. Overall, there was good agreement between the ISI method and performance improvements observed.

Chemical Composition and Functional Properties of Spray-Dried Animal Plasma and Its Contributions to Livestock and Pet Health: A Review

“…Early consumption of 1% SDAP in broilers also improved intestinal health and feed intake, with lasting positive effects [121]. Feeding SDAP to broilers resulted in better overall health with reduced coccidia lesions and other pathologic alterations in the small intestine and cecum as observed in a study conducted by Belote et al [130]. Additionally, SDAP-fed birds, regardless of good or bad management practices, had lower histopathologic alterations in the ileum.…”

Intestinal health improvement with protected organic acids and essential oils for pullets raised under field conditions

“…These parameters have a great impact on the reduction of an organ's functionality, and unlike the measurement of villi and crypt length, the ISI goes deeper generating more information about the real status of the low-grade inflammation. Therefore, the ISI methodology is an important tool to assess intestinal health and has been used with different types of intestinal challenge models in poultry (Kraieski et al, 2017;Belote et al, 2019;Adewole et al, 2021;Belote et al, 2021). At the macro-intestinal level (sum of the scores given to duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum), the dietary supplementation of P(OA+EO) significantly reduced the ISI score of pullets at week 6 and 21, mainly due to the reduction in the morphologic alteration on serosa or mucosa layers, cell debris, and reddish on mucosa.…”

Mitigation Strategies of Air Pollutants for Mechanical Ventilated Livestock and Poultry Housing—A Review

“…According to the different internal and external pressures applied, mechanical/forced ventilation systems can be divided into those reliant on negative pressure ventilation, Atmosphere 2022, 13, 452 3 of 22 positive pressure ventilation, or isobaric ventilation [31,32]. Negative pressure ventilation refers to the use of exhaust fans to force the dirty air out of the farm, resulting in slight negative pressure in the livestock and poultry housing's fresh air under the action of atmospheric pressure into the farm [33]. Positive pressure ventilation refers to the use of fans to force the outdoor air into the livestock and poultry housing; the outlet air volume can be adjusted, but is always less than the intake air volume, resulting in slight indoor positive pressure [34].…”