Recipient Organization
UNIV OF CONNECTICUT
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133
STORRS,CT 06269
Performing Department
Animal Science
Non Technical Summary
Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing demand for poultry meat as a good protein source in the diet. To meet this demand, the poultry industry initiated several strategies to increase broiler meat production. One among them was the inclusion of antibiotics in the broiler diet. In effect, use of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGPs) helped improve bird health, growth and performance. However, use of antibiotics as feed additives led to concerns of antibiotic resistant pathogens and their implications to human health. Consequently, the FDA has curbed the use of AGPs in food animals including poultry. This restriction led to problems with performance, increased production costs and rise in diseases in poultry. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective alternatives to help promote the health and performance in Poultry. Among the different alternatives tested, feeding probiotics to chickens was shown to improve body weight gain and feed conversion ratio in chickens. In modern-day broilers, the period of embryonic growth accounts for almost half of the lifespan. Also, this period of development is critical to chick performance following hatch. Hence, any approach that can support and promote embryo growth is expected to have a positive impact on performance in broilers. Specifically, this study will apply probiotics on eggs and study their effect on performance and health in Poultry. Additionally, the scope of the project will be expanded to include not only the assessment of performance but more importantly, immune competence during immunosuppressive conditions such as bacterial challenges. To determine the influence of in ovo probiotic application on bacterial population growth, in vitro Salmonella, E. coli, or Campylobacter challenges will be performed. This is crucial because of the non-AGP movement that the poultry and livestock industry is facing.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Integrating technological advances into poultry systems. This will include collaborative research on incorporating engineering and technology to enhance system efficiency and sustainability through infrastructure development of blockchain production.
Establishing and adopting husbandry practices to a changing industry landscape. This collaborative research will encompass a multi-disciplinary approach to create a resilient poultry production system through optimal management of inputs and outputs in an ethically responsible manner.
Project Methods
To evaluate the effectiveness of different lactic acid bacteria (probiotic) either singly or in combination given to fertile broiler or layer eggs during incubation on parameters as indicated. Fertile eggs will be prepared according to the methodology described (Macalintal et al., 2017a, b). The scope of the project will be expanded to include not only the assessment of gut health but more importantly, immune competence during immunosuppressive conditions such as bacterial challenges. This is crucial because of the non-AGP movement that the poultry and livestock industry is facing. At day of hatch, hatch parameters will be evaluated including hatch of fertile eggs and mortality. All hatched chicks will be fed either a wheat or a corn-soy based diets throughout the duration of the study i.e. 42 days. Production performance including body weight and feed intake will be assessed on a weekly basis such that feed efficiency can be calculated. Blood samples will be collected at different time points to assess immunoglobulin titers. To determine the influence of in ovo probiotic application on bacterial population growth, in vitro Salmonella, E. coli, or Campylobacter challenges will be performed. Finally, post-hatch chicks will be evaluated post-slaughter at Day 42 to determine the extent to which in ovo administration of probiotic can help mitigate the immune challenges and antibiotic use.