Favourable conditions for broiler production are under pressure. Due to climatic changes with increasingly frequent hot spells, temperatures during production are increasing in many areas. On the other hand, economic conditions are becoming more and more demanding. Enormous losses in animal performance due to increasing stress have to be compensated. At the same time, scarcer raw materials require more sustainable management.
Why is heat stress such a challenge? There is the loss of performance on the one hand, a decrease in animal welfare on the other. The most obvious consequence is reduced growth. But heat also leads to a higher permeability of the intestinal wall and increases the risk of leaky gut syndrome and wet litter, both of which are causes for foot pad disease. A strong protection against these negative impacts is especially crucial in young animals that still need to establish a stable intestinal tract. Anta®Phyt MO is an all-natural way to counteract these risks. With the power of hops, it supports the digestion, stabilises against gram-positive bacteria and supports the immune system.
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Trial reveals the stress champion in broiler production
A recent trial conducted in India confirmed the properties of Anta®Phyt to strengthen animals against challenging climatic and hygienic conditions. In this trial, temperatures in the stable were increased to over 30°C during the day from the third week of life. As a further challenge, used bedding material was reused to capture the possible positive effects on gastrointestinal health during the trial.
For this trial, 200 male broiler chickens (Cobb 500) were randomly allocated into two treatment groups with 10 replications each (n = 100 in each treatment). The trial period lasted from day 1 to day 42. The first group (negative control, NC) received an ordinary diet, in the second group the NC diet was supplemented with phytogenic additive Anta®Phyt MO (200 g/t Anta®Phyt MO, APMO). Anta®Phyt is a unique combination of natural plants and their extracts with hops as the primary ingredient.
The birds were fed with starter (day 1 — 14), grower (day 15 — 28) and finisher (day 29 — 42). Diets and drinking water were offered ad libitum. The additive was given throughout the duration of the experiment. The experimental birds were exposed to cyclic heat stress with temperatures during the day was between 30 and 36°C from the 3rd to 6th week of age. Body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly. Litter samples were collected from each of the pens towards the end of the feeding trial at day 42.
Best allround support: Anta®Phyt
The results clearly demonstrate the potential of Anta®Phyt. As can be seen in figure 1, supplementation of Anta®Phyt supported body weight by about 2.2 % (42d; NC: 2.48 kg, Anta®Phyt: 2.53 kg, p = 0.072). Feed conversion ratio in the Anta®Phyt groups was significantly better as compared to the NC group on the day of slaughter (NC: 1.62, Anta®Phyt: 1.56, p = 0.002). With 99 %, survival rate was not affected, which points to a generally high health status. Litter moisture content decreased with Anta®Phyt supplementation to the diet, as compared with the NC group (NC: 25.64 %, Anta®Phyt: 21.36 %, P = 0.002).
Fig. 1: Anta®Phyt improves body weight, feed conversion rate and litter moisture under heat stress conditions
Anta®Phyt: your sustainable ally against performance losses
The results of this trial clearly indicate that Anta®Phyt can reduce the negative effects of challenging production conditions, such as lower body weight and higher feed conversion rate. Thus Anta®Phyt is a reliable tool to alleviate the effects of challenging production conditions and sustain performance and gut health stability in commercially reared broiler chickens.
How can Anta®Phyt best support your broiler production? Contact us for more information.