Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133
STORRS,CT 06269
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Small poultry farms are looking for comprehensive and compatible interventions that support production while meeting demand for safe & quality products. Hence, improving sustainability for small broiler enterprises must focus not only on bird health and meat safety but also on reducing costs and maximizing productivity. Thus, this integrated proposal designed with stakeholder input aims to develop evidence-based, multi-stage recommendations for small enterprises including breeder farms, grow-out farms and processors, especially focusing on (1) microbial safety while sustaining broiler production, (2) product quality, and (3) cost-benefit analysis. Our overall goal in this project is to develop a probiotic- and postbiotic-based comprehensive, feasible, user-friendly and cost-effective strategy to promote broiler performance, health and meat safety along the production pipeline. Specifically, we aim to i) apply probiotics to reduce Salmonella contamination in hatching eggs and hatchlings while supporting embryonic development and hatchability (pre-harvest), ii) supplement probiotics to reduce Salmonella colonization in grow-out birds while supporting performance, reducing mortality and promoting health (pre-harvest) and iii) employ postbiotic wash treatments to reduce Salmonella load on poultry carcasses (post-harvest), as a means to reduce the variable costs associated with production. In addition, we will iv) perform cost-benefit analysis and v) develop comprehensive extension/outreach programs to meet farmers' needs and provide them with efficient tools for sustainable poultry farming. Ultimately, we expect to help promote the sustainability, viability and competitiveness of small poultry producers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Small farms are critical to US agriculture. They manage diversified operations and cater to the growing demand for locally sourced foods. Hence it is critical to promote their sustainability. Improving sustainability means not only focusing on bird health and welfare, but also reducing costs and maximizing productivity. Although these challenges are common to all poultry producers, given the inherent differences between small vs large commercial producers, the scope and impact of these challenges can be quickly amplified in a small setting. Therefore, to promote the sustainability of small farms, we aim to develop a feasible and cost-effective approach to promote poultry meat safety along the production pipeline while supporting broiler health and performance. Specifically, we aim to i) apply probiotics to reduce Salmonella contamination in hatching eggs and hatchlings while supporting hatchability (pre-harvest; applicable to breeder farms producing hatching eggs and those that practice on-farm hatching), ii) supplement probiotics to reduce Salmonella colonization in grow-out birds while supporting performance (pre-harvest; applicable to grow-out farms) and iii) employ postbiotic wash treatments to control Salmonella on poultry carcasses (post-harvest; applicable to small processors). In addition, we will perform cost-benefit analysis and develop comprehensive outreach programs to meet farmers' needs. We aim to achieve this by actively engaging farmers as key participants in the development and evaluation of the proposed approaches.
Project Methods
?Obj 1A. To reduce Salmonella populations via electrospray application of probiotics for sanitation of hatching eggs on small farms. Egg inoculation, treatment and microbial analysis: Hatching eggs (85 eggs/trial) will be obtained from the UConn farm. All settable eggs will be spot inoculated with SE cocktail (6 log CFU/egg) to simulate hatching egg contamination. The different treatments will consist of control (just water, no probiotic), PAA (wash water with 0.3% PAA), LR (wash water with LR), LP (wash water with LP) and PC (wash water with PC). A total of 255 eggs will be used in objective 1A (85 eggs/trial; three independent trials). In each trial, batches of 15 eggs will be placed on an egg tray and sprayed with one of five treatments (control, PAA, LR, LP and PC; 300µl; ~8 log CFU/egg). Sprayed eggs will be allowed to dry for 30 min prior to microbial analysis.Obj 1B. To reduce Salmonella-positivity in hatchlings for on-farm hatching scenarios using electrospray application of probiotics to hatching eggs.Egg inoculation, probiotic treatment: Inoculated hatching eggs will be randomly assigned to one of five treatments (Control, PAA, LR, LP and PC; 60 eggs/group). Eggs (n = 10/group) will be sampled to determine SE populations at the start of incubation. Each group of eggs will be placed in separate hovabators and incubated at 37.8°C and 55% RH for 17 days. On day 18, a sub-set of eggs from each group (n=10/group) will be sampled for microbial analysis. The rest of the eggs will be candled to remove infertile eggs and assessed for embryonic mortality. The remaining eggs in each group will be sprayed again with the respective treatments and placed in separate hatchers (36.8 to 37°C and 65 to 70% RH) until hatch. On day 19, 20 and day of hatch, ten embryos/hatchlings from each group will be sampled for microbiological analysis.Obj.1C. To improve hatchability and hatchling quality for on-farm hatching scenarios via electrospray application of probiotics to hatching eggs.Hatchability and hatchling quality: A separate trial will be set up with uninoculated eggs sprayed with different treatments (Control, PAA, LR, LP, PC; 160 eggs/group/trial) on day 0 (day of setting) and day 18 (day of transfer) of incubation. From day 19, the number of pipped chicks and hatched chicks will be recorded every 12 h until day 21.5 to calculate the spread of hatch or hatching window. Hatchability will be calculated according to the formula: [no. of hatchlings / total no. of fertile eggs] * 100. At hatch, five chicks will be randomly picked from each incubator (20 chicks/treatment/trial) for chick quality evaluation using the Tona and Pasgar scores.Obj.2A. To reduce Salmonella populations in grow-out birds via in-feed supplementation of probiotics. Probiotics and experimental diets: Probiotic preparations will be spray-dried and incorporated into the different treatment diets to obtain 2x108 CFU/kg of feed. The dietary treatments will consist of a nutritionally adequate, corn-soybean meal-based diet that contains either no probiotic (Control), diet + LR, diet + LP or diet + PC.Experimental procedure: All animal experiments will be conducted with approval from the UConn Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. In each trial, chicks will be randomly allocated to one of 4 treatments (36 birds/pen with 2 pens/group). The experimental groups will include Control (SE challenge, no probiotic in diet), LR (SE challenge and LR in diet), LP (SE challenge and LP in diet) and PC (SE challenge and PC in diet). Prior to the start of the trial (day 0), one bird from each pen will be randomly selected and sacrificed to confirm that the birds are devoid of any Salmonella. Birds will be placed on different treatment diets for 21 days, starting on day 0 of the trial. On day 3, the birds will be challenged with SE (10 log CFU/bird) by crop gavage. Three days after the challenge, two birds from each pen will be sacrificed to determine Salmonella colonization in the ceca, liver, and spleen. On day 7, 10, 14 and 21 of the trial, chicks (6 birds/treatment/pen) will be euthanized, and tissue samples will be processed to determine surviving Salmonella and lactobacilli populations.Obj.2B. To improve performance and health in grow-out birds via in-feed supplementation of probioticsExperimental diets and bird housing: The dietary treatments will consist of a nutritionally adequate, corn-soybean meal-based diet that contains no probiotic (Control), diet + LR, diet + LP or diet + PC for the duration of the study period (21 days). Different probiotics will be incorporated into their diets @ 2x108 CFU/kg of feed. All animal experiments will be conducted with the approval of the UConn Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Broiler performance: Health condition, mortality and feed intake will be assessed daily throughout the experimental period. Individual body weights will be recorded on a weekly basis. Feed consumed will be recorded daily on per pen basis, the uneaten food will be collected once daily before morning feeding. On day 21 (wk 3) post-hatch, birds will be sacrificed and carcass and breast weight will be determined.Objective 3. Application of postbiotic wash treatments to reduce Salmonella on poultry carcasses for small processors and study effect on carcass quality. Chicken carcass inoculation, wash treatment and microbial analysis: Whole chicken carcasses will be procured from the UConn poultry farm. Each carcass will be spot inoculated with the SE cocktail (8 log CFU/ml). Inoculated carcasses will be randomly assigned to one of five treatments (Control, PAA, LR, LP and PC). Batches of 5 carcasses will be submerged in 20L of sterile deionized water [with or without different treatments] maintained at 4ºC in a plastic tub for 30 min or until the carcass temperature reaches 4ºC. After treatment, carcasses will be removed and stored in a refrigerator. Carcasses (n=5/group/time point) will be sampled at 0, 1, 5 and 7 days of refrigerated storage to determine surviving Salmonella populations. In addition, immediately after dipping the carcass in treatments, the left-over water will be sampled to determine the presence of Salmonella in the treatment water.Quality analysis: Uninoculated chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) subjected to the different treatments will be refrigerated for 10 days. The pH, color (L*, a*, b* values) and lipid oxidation of breast meat will be determined on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 of storage.Objective 4: To conduct a cost/benefit analysis to evaluate the financial feasibility of the proposed approaches for small farms. The poultry experiments at UConn will serve as a pilot run for cost calculations (first estimate). Then we will calculate the costs associated with a scaled-up version of the program, including extension and outreach components (second estimate). The first will serve as a conservative estimate while the second will approximate the costs associated with a scaled-up roll out. This approach will facilitate the determination of the most cost-effective method for small farms.Objective 5: To engage stakeholders and disseminate results of the study to small producers through workshops, conferences, electronic and printed materials.The extension team will work with the stakeholder advisory committee (SAC) to determine how data from the extension/outreach and research teams will be used to develop educational materials to help inform producers. Specific outreach components include development and administration of farmer survey, development of educational materials, disseminate results of the project to small farms and processors and measuring the impact of outreach efforts.