Risk factors for poor health and performance in European broiler production systems

Abstract

Background: Conventional broilers are currently one of the most efficient protein converters. Although decades of progress in genetic selection and feed formulation have lead to high standards of efficient broiler production, still a lot of variability is found between farms and between successive flocks. The aim of this study was to investigate risk-and/or protective factors for poor health and performance in conventional broiler-farms in Europe by developing eight multivariable linear mixed models. Three different models were used to investigate mortality (overall, first week, after first week), three models for performance variables (growth, feed conversion, European production index) and two models were related to slaughterhouse data (i.e. dead on arrival and condemnation rate). Results: Several factors related to management and housing were significantly associated with health and performance of broilers. The following factors were associated with increased mortality: floor quality, neonatal septicemia, ventilation type and other professional activities of the farmer. The factors associated with performance were chick sex, coccidiosis infections, necrotic enteritis, dysbacteriosis, light intensity adaptations, ventilation type, comparing daily flock results with previous flock results by farmer, daily check of feed and water system and type of feed. For dead on arrival three risk factors were identified i.e. daily growth, type of light adaptation and type of drinkers system. For condemnation rate seven risk factors were found, i.e. type of drinking system, daily growth, feed withdrawal time, type of ventilation, house size, septicemia after seven days and type of feed. Conclusions: These results imply that a multifactorial approach is required with adaptations involving both improvements in management, housing, health programs and an increasing level of professionalism of the farmer in order to improve broiler performance and health.

Informing Stewardship Measures in Canadian Food Animal Species through Integrated Reporting of Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Data—Part II, Application

“…In poultry, the broad classification of diseases explored in this manuscript have been identified as risk factors for poor performance in Belgium, for example, neonatal septicemia led to increased mortality, and enteric diseases (coccidiosis infections, necrotic enteritis and dysbacteriosis) were associated with poor performance [50]. Our previous work highlighted that >80% of total AMU quantity (including ionophores and chemical coccidiostats) were intended for enteric diseases [30], thus the cost for the prevention of these diseases contributes substantially to the overall production input.…”

Dietary Resin Acid Concentrate Improved Performance of Broiler Chickens and Litter Quality in Three Experiments

“…The performance and feed efficiency of broiler chickens is closely associated with their intestinal functions [ 5 ]. Enteric problems such as dysbiosis and wet litter syndrome have been recognized as risk factors for poor bird performance [ 22 , 29 ], and the associated skin lesions in footpads [ 29 , 30 ] further decrease profitability of broiler production through carcass condemnations [ 31 ]. Here, the effects of a novel resin acid-based feed additive RAC on broiler performance, litter quality, and FPD lesions were studied.…”

“…The authors concluded that due to the inhibition of collagen degradation in the extracellular matrix of intestinal tissue, in-feed resin acids may support gut barrier integrity and intestinal homeostasis [ 21 ]. Disturbed intestinal integrity, often referred to as gut leakage, results in wet litter syndrome and poor performance of birds [ 22 ], higher incidence of footpad dermatitis (FPD) [ 23 ], and increased translocation of enteric bacteria to internal organs [ 24 ].…”

Role played by the environment in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the food chain

“…With respect to the role of the production pyramid, clonal expansion of E. coli with resistance to 3rd‐generation cephalosporins has occurred in several Nordic countries, despite the lack of usage for poultry in those countries, and is suspected to be associated with international trade in breeding stock and ongoing contamination of the environment within breeding farms, breeder rearing farms and hatcheries (Mo et al., 2014; Myrenås et al., 2018). A European Union study of four broiler parent flocks identified closely related PFGE subtypes of avian‐pathogenic E. coli (APEC), which are normally resistant to multiple antimicrobials and result in reduced performance and disease (van Limbergen et al., 2020), in parent birds, newly hatched chicks and one‐week‐old chicks suffering mortality (European Commission, 2019). In laying hens, ARB introduced with replacement birds reduce during the laying period as birds become older and are rarely medicated, but resistant organisms still persist at a low level between flocks (Koyama et al., 2020).…”