The use of antibiotic-free methods to reduce diarrhea and indigestion in poultry – examples of selected field cases.

Large-scale poultry production results in a number of factors that may negatively affect the health and welfare of birds. One possible consequence of this can be a temporary impairment of digestion and feed absorption, which macroscopically manifests as indigestion or a wet litter effect.

Gastrointestinal disorder in poultry

There are differences between food indigestion, wet litter syndrome and diarrhoea in poultry. It is also important to remember that all these problems can occur in birds simultaneously and are not mutually exclusive.

Poultry digestive indigestion is a disorder of digestion and absorption of nutrients, which is manifested by the presence of undigested feed elements in the manure. Wet litter syndrome is manifested by disturbances in the proportions between the liquid and solid fractions in faeces, and its observable effect is the hydration of manure and the loss of its proper structure.

Poultry diarrhea is the most severe form of impaired digestion and absorption, characterized by frequent passage of watery faeces, which may additionally contain elements of mucus, exfoliated intestinal epithelium and gas bubbles (visible as foam in the feces). Diarrhea in breeding birds may also have different colors - from green, through grayish, sometimes also tinged with blood.

These problems can be caused by disturbances in the bird's digestive tract physiology (e.g. enzyme dysfunctions, imbalances in the digestive microflora), environmental factors (e.g. poor litter quality, heat stress), nutritional factors (e.g. poor feed structure, poor fat quality, anti-nutritional factors) or infectious factors (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites). Lack of a quick reaction to the occurrence of risk factors or observed symptoms may lead to the weakening of the birds and the severity of symptoms, and consequently to inhibition of daily weight gain, an increase in the FCR coefficient, and the occurrence of pododermatitis. This leads to an increase in the daily mortality of poultry. The above factors are the direct cause of increased production costs.

Poultry diarrhoea - prevention without antibiotics

Since diarrhea is the main reason for the use of antibiotic therapy in poultry, below we present clinical cases in which preparations containing plant extracts were used (including Quercus robus, Agrimonia eupatoria and Garlic), particularly useful in the treatment of poultry diarrhea caused by various etiological factors .

The key to the successful use of antibiotic-free therapies is careful observation of the herd, quick response to any deviations from the physiological norm and the use of appropriate prevention during periods of increased risk of disorders.

CLINICAL CASE NO. 1

I. Herd

Broiler chickens, ROSS 308 line, 150,000 birds on the farm, 31st day of bird life

II. Clinical signs

A few days before the birds were partially weaned, sudden disturbances in the structure of the faeces were noted, with a loss of its compactness (an increase in the liquid fraction in the meal, Photo 1) and the appearance of undigested feed fragments (Photo 2).

The reason for the disturbance of gastrointestinal homeostasis may have been the previous addition of whole wheat grain from a fresh harvest to the complete feed. In addition to a change in faecal quality, a decrease in feed intake, a halt in weight gain, a worsening of the birds' differentiation and a deterioration in their welfare manifested by the development of pododermatitis were observed (Photo 3). At the same time, a deterioration in the quality of the litter and the microclimate in the facilities was observed.