December 14, 2018

After working at BVS for a year now and getting to witness first hand the ups and downs of ABF and Organic poultry production, I have become increasingly familiar with the array of nutraceutical products on the market and how to use them. Many of the products available for use in poultry claim either specific and broad protection or prevention against some of the most common poultry diseases. Often the products work better together, rather than on their own, but figuring out that magic combination usually comes after a lot of trial and error. Along the same lines, what might work for one complex, may or may not work for another. The goal of this article is to address, in a broad scope, some of the most common nutraceuticals out there and their main uses.

Oregano

– Has antibacterial properties which helps modulate microbial ecology in the gastrointestinal tracts
– Acts as an immune system modulator which helps improve digestion, promotes growth, and increases resistance to disease
– Functions as an antioxidant, protecting against oxidative degradation of food by free radicals
Uses: Necrotic enteritis prevention, coccidiosis control, performance enhancer
Directions: Available for feed and water

Yucca

– The saponin component of the yucca plant works to improve nutrient absorption by increasing intestinal permeability and assisting in the emulsification of fats
– The polyphenolics in yucca have antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant activity which act as an immune modulator which helps improve digestion, promotes growth, and increases resistance to disease
– Different yucca plants contain various amounts of saponins, but the Yucca schidigera plant can contain as much as 10% steroidal saponins in its stem dry matter
Uses: Necrotic enteritis prevention and treatment, coccidiosis control, performance enhancer
Directions: Available for feed and water

Essential Oils

– Work as a digestive stimulant that helps increase gastric and bile acids as well as pancreatic enzymes
– Functions as an antioxidant, protecting against oxidative degradation of food by free radicals
– Has antibacterial properties which helps modulate microbial ecology in the gastrointestinal tracts, although different plant extracts work differently on grampositive and gram-negative bacteria
Uses: Performance enhancer, meat quality stabilizer, coccidiosis control
Directions: Available for feed and water

Acids (Organic and Inorganic)

– Organic acids are weaker acids but have more antimicrobial properties
– Organic acids supplemented in the feed increase villi width and height as well as more frequent turn-over of intestinal cells
– Organic acids use in the feed often leads to improved nutrient digestibility
– Inorganic acids are stronger acids but have little to no antimicrobial effects
Uses: Lower water pH continuously or intermittently, lower crop pH pre-harvest, used in feed to decrease pathogens and improve digestibility
Directions: Available for feed and water

Copper Sulfate

– Has antimicrobial properties, especially when bound to an acid to make it less
available to the bird but more toxic to
bacteria
– When bacteria come in contact with copper, the copper works to either cause protein dysfunction of the cells, deplete the cells of antioxidants, or damage the cells outer membrane
Uses: Necrotic enteritis prevention and treatment, undefined enteritis control
Directions: Available for feed and water

Probiotics

– Many Bacillus spp. products are available as feed additives because they can withstand the milling process as they form hardy spores
– Many Bacillus species have the ability to synthesis antibiotics, most of which have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity
– Bacillus subtilis works to help activate macrophages which improve the immune response
– Other microorganisms, like Lactobacillus, work well as competitive exclusion products but are difficult to keep stabilized in the field and may require specific temperature to remain viable
Uses: Day of hatch for establishing gut flora, necrotic enteritis prevention and treatment, replenishing gut flora after treatment with copper sulfate or antibiotic, prevention of bacterial osteomyelitis
Directions: Available for feed and water

For More Information:

Author:

Dr. Meagan Slater, DVM, MAM
Technical Service Veterinarian

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