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Poultry Grist

INAUGURAL ISSUE A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 | FALL 2020

We would like to welcome you to this our first edition of the Grand Valley Fortifiers Poultry Grist. As is the tradition of all GVF Grists, this is intended to be an informative update about the science of making poultry feeds on-farm along with the management of flocks. In this premiere edition we have articles by Mark Snyder our Poultry Production Improvement Specialist, Dr. Lloyd Weber and myself. We will provide a new perspective on poultry feeds and ingredients, providing more knowledge and insight regarding the use of your own grains and the potential they offer to improve the farms efficiency, reduce feed costs and reduce your poultry operation’s footprint on the environment. In addition, we will try to have a number of guest articles from individuals who have a provincial perspective on poultry production as well as opinions of other leading experts. As always we count it an honour to serve our customers, and although we have many years of experience we consider ourselves a young and growing poultry nutrition group. We have much yet to learn and some unique perspectives and experiences to share. It is our hope that you enjoy this first edition of the GVF Poultry Grist. Do not hesitate to provide us with your comments, ideas, and questions regarding poultry topics for future GVF Poultry Grists. Sincerely, Dr. Martin Clunies, PhD., Monogastric Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

MAKING POULTRY FEEDS ON-FARM

Twelve Month Update

by: DR. MARTIN CLUNIES PhD., Monogastric Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

he decision to make your farms’ poultry feeds on farm is predicated on a number of relevant factors. The first is, “what are the comparative costs for feeds manufactured on-farm versus those purchased from a commercial feed mill; before variable costs and fixed costs are allocated?”. The next is the capital cost of building an on-farm feed mill as this determines the feed mill costs allocated per tonne of manufactured feed. How easy or complex is it to run the mill, both in the technology used and man hours per tonne, and finally what is the capacity of the mill? The first part of making the cost comparison, is to have a feed program designed, which can be easily costed monthly or weekly in which the ingredient costs can be included to generate the overall or blended feed costs. This can then be compared to commercial feed costs. Capital costs include all the costs associated with the construction of the feed mill. The capital cost of constructing an on-farm mill should be amortized over the useful life of the assets that you have purchased, which would be at least 20 years. If your mill was built to manufacture 10,000 tonnes per year and you financed this project at 3.5% per annum, the capital cost of each tonne of feed over that 20 years would be $6.94 per tonne. In order to show that $6.94 per tonne is a number that can be justified, let’s compare that to the cost per tonne of a commercial mill. The capital cost of a 250,000 tonne per year commercial mill would be around $28,000,000. Using the same financing rates and an amortization of 20 years, the capital cost of feed over that period would be $7.78 per tonne. This exercise shows that with a capital investment, you can be competitive with the commercial mills in manufacturing your complete feed on farm.

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The last 12 months have been a busy one for the poultry team at Grand Valley Fortifiers. During that time we have added a dedicated poultry specialist with Ryan Snyder joining our team. Ryan is a doctoral student completing his studies on coccidiosis in broiler chickens in the Department of Epidemiology of the Ontario Veterinary College. Ryan has an article in this Grist detailing some of the results of his research. There have been two new on-farm mills that have been commissioned, and while there have been challenges, results have been on good, on average. With the CFIA approval of Soulstone Poultry Inc. and other on-farm mills as commercial feed mills, there are a number of poultry producers feeding mash to their broilers with good results. During the last year we have worked with customers on a wide array of projects; from the traditional commercial production systems, to RWA for Broilers and Turkeys, Organic, Non-GMO, Omega-3 Broiler and Eggs programs for their operations. Having worked for more than a decade with RWA Broiler and Turkeys in Ontario and for more than 8 years in the USA we appreciate the opportunity to be innovative with producers on

Poultry Footprint A word on poultry footprint, in our region of North America: corn represents the greatest conversion of energy from the sun to organic matter. Corn also provides the greatest yield per acre of our commercial grain crops, so the more corn and corn products that can be used in poultry diets represents the most efficient conversion of farm acres to poultry products. Also, the impact of using your own corn has a huge impact on the utilization of nearby resources. More to follow on this topic in future issues.

Feed Particle Size Just as with pellet/crumb equality the particle size of the mash feed has a big impact on the feed consumption of poultry. While adult birds are selective eaters or pickers they appear to be less so than younger birds. Poultry are by nature pickers and given the choice, have a given preference for a particular particle depending on their age and beak size. Starting young broilers on mash feeds, where 7 and 14 day weights are important determinants of weight for age at marketing can be challenging, mainly due to the resulting increased variation in early body weight. Tests regarding particle size distribution of mash feed from the hopper in the barn versus the mash feed from the feed pan the birds eat from revealed that the birds consumed most of the feed particles greater than 700 microns, leaving a disproportionate amount of the finer particles in the feeder. When we compare the nutrient profile of the ingredients in the hopper and the feeder what we see is the mash in the feeder was higher in protein, which gives the appearance that the

bird was selecting for a lower protein. In actual fact, the protein sources for this feed was finely ground and so the birds were selecting a greater proportion of the coarser corn particles. Decreasing the particle size of the corn, and increasing the grind size of the protein source resolved most of the selective eating of the young chick and reduced the early variation in body weight at 7 and 14 days of age. ■

GUT HEALTH

by: DR. LLOYD WEBER Poultry Veterinarian, Lloyd Weber Consulting Service

rguably the digestive system is the hardest working organ in the bird. It has been well documented that the performance of a commercial chicken flock is highly dependent on the gut health status of the birds. The digestive tract is analogous to a tunnel running through the body. With its many folds, villi and micro villi the digestive tract provides a very large surface area for digestion and absorption of nutrients. Due to the direct contact with the surroundings, the digestive system also functions as an environmental sensing organ. The digestive tract contains a diverse community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc., all mixed with consumed feed and water. This diverse collection of organisms, food and water is often referred to as the “Gut Microbiome”. The development of this gut microbiota begins at hatching as bacteria are picked up from the environment, and matures over a period of 3-4 weeks. If digestion or absorption is compromised an imbalance of the gut microbiotia can occur, which will affect the bird’s health and performance. Important roles of the gut microbiota include preventing the growth of less favourable or pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, in addition to contributing to the development and maturation of the bird’s immune system. Birds lacking a good gut microbiota usually have poorly developed immune tissues and have been shown to be more susceptible to disease. The balance of the microbiota of the gut can be affected by the environment and bird management. The bird’s environment is broad term, which includes feed, litter, biosecurity, light, air, and water.

Factors affecting the gut are:

Feed: This is likely one of the most important factors to gut health. The feed needs to provide easily digestible nutrients to the bird, and encourage a beneficial gut microflora, Dr. Zuidhof of the University of Alberta emphasizes the importance of gut health starting at placement (Figure 1). The gut to body weight ratio is highest during the first 13-days than at any other time in the bird’s life. Newly placed chicks are eager to reach Figure 1: Chick intestinal weight: body weight is at its highest within 2-weeks of age Gut (% of eviscerated BW)

the frontier of these market opportunities. The USA poultry business is a most interesting space to work in, with many categories of production, with fast, early success becoming first movers’ advantage. Omega-3 broiler with its nutritional advantage is a difficult category selling against the low-fat themes, reversing the low fat trend by recognizing that some fats are good . This is a contradiction to the current wave of low fat popularity. The last three years we expanded our layer nutrition footprint with cage free housing or aviary systems. More recently, we looked to upgrade our broiler feeding program, and for customers wishing to do so we offer a crumbled Pre-starter fed for the first 7 to 14 days. While results differ from producer to producer, broiler growth now appears to be 1.5 to 2.5 days behind for 2.0 – 2.2 kg birds fed pellets. However, the improved feed conversions and lower feed costs, drier litter, lower mortality and condemnations that producers feeding mash are achieving make a compelling argument for more poultry producers to research the ROI of on-farm mash feed manufacturing. We have also been busy running broiler trials which include; mash feeds versus crumbles/pellets using the same formulations for both, mash versus crumb pre-starters, RWA versus medicated programs, and comparison of different genetic strains on mash and pellets. With research trials being conducted in both the USA and Canada, we remain excited about the potentials. While all the results are not yet collated the results have been most interesting to say the least. All of these will trial results will be reported in future editions of the GVF Poultry Grist.

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Poultry Grist feed as soon as possible therefore having extra feed readily accessible to the flock starting at day of placement is crucial. The feed texture is also important, coarse dietary real grain particles improve digestion by promoting a more athletic gizzard. This increases acid and helps enzymes to help break down nutrients in the upper intestine leaving little undigested material to feed clostridial bacteria in the lower gut. Litter: All birds pick in the litter which is typical of their natural behaviour. The foreign bacteria or protozoa picked up from the litter stimulates an immune response which contributes to the development of healthy gut immune tissue. The gut lining forms an interface between these foreign materials such as feed, litter, pathogenic bacteria and the bird. The gut microbiome balance has an essential role in minimizing gut inflammation. Dr. Nurmi1 pioneered the concept that early exposure to favourable bacteria actually prevented challenge by pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella. This concept has been coined as the “Probiotic Effect”. “Raised Without Antibiotics” production systems depend on establishing immunity against coccidiosis and this is only accomplished by cycling the coccidiosis vaccine in barn via litter picking. Coccidiosis outbreaks occur when the bird picks up too many pathogenic coccidia and overwhelm the immune system. A low number and early ingestion of coccidia gives the bird time to develop immunity without mortality or clinical coccidiosis. Avoiding excessively wet or dry litter is an important objective. Having too high a litter moisture at the wrong time provides a good medium for pathogen growth, and also promotes foot pad ulcers leading to ascending infections and lameness. Overly dry litter promotes a dusty environment and disrupts coccidiosis vaccine cycling. Incorrect brooding temperature or high ammonia levels as a result of excessive litter moisture contributes to stressful conditions resulting in low feed intake and low average daily gain. Biosecurity: This involves the active reduction of infectious agents in the bird vicinity. For example; a high population of darkling beetles results in poor biosecurity since these insects can carry many pathogens such as Salmonella, infectious bursal disease virus and E.coli and are often present in the litter. Cleaning and disinfection effectively reduces the amount of ‘bad’ bacteria in the environment, making it less likely for the bird to encounter a virulent pathogen. Figure 2: comparison between a normal intestine (top) and a case of clinical coccidiosis (bottom)

Light: The brightness in the barn must encourage good feeding behaviours in the flock. Too much light can be stressful and promotes excessive litter-eating leading to a disruption of the gut flora and over-cycling of coccidia (Figure 2). Too little light can impact flock performance by reducing feed intake. Air: Poor air quality, resulting in high relative humidity and ammonia concentrations, damages the bird’s defence mechanisms in the respiratory tract which lead to increased susceptibility to viral or bacterial outbreaks. Wet litter and its negative effects are often preceded by an extended period of high relative humidity. Wet litter is a perfect medium for bacterial growth and even mild infections can be costly. A low level of E.coli can have a heavy impact on flock performance by redirecting the use of quality nutrients away from growth towards immune system functions to fight pathogen colonization. Water: The normal low pH of the crop, proventriculus and gizzard favours the growth of lactobacilli, which aid in the digestion of carbohydrates. The benefits of acidifying the drinking water works similarly, where it helps maintain the low pH in the crop and gizzard, leading to efficient digestion of nutrients and promotes probiotic growth2. In addition to improving bird performance, including buffered organic acids helps maintain water line function by descaling drinkers and nipples. Water quality is also an aspect of biosecurity. Consistent infections and poor performance are often a result of contaminated water lines. The bacteria first colonize the digestive tract then enter general circulation settling in the liver, lungs and heart. The incorporation of chlorine dioxide(Di-O-Clean), chlorine or hydrogen peroxide at the proper dose effectively removes biofilm and kills pathogens in the water line. The digestive tract is closely associated with the birds’ outside surroundings; in order to achieve the best performing flock, the environment needs to be suited to promote a healthy gut. Factors which contribute to a healthy intestinal tract are a proper diet, dry litter, heightened biosecurity, adequate lighting, good air quality and an appropriate water sanitation program. Mismanagement of any of these elements can disrupt the fine balance of the bird’s digestive system leading to poor flock health and performance. ■ 1. E. Nurmi, M. Rantala. New aspects of Salmonella infection in broiler production. Nature, 241, (1973), pp. 210-211 2. Hamid, Humera & Shi, H & Ma, G & Fan, Y & Li, W & Zhao, Lihong & Zhang, J & Ji, Cheng & Ma, Qiugang Influence of acidified drinking water on growth performance and gastrointestinal function of broilers. Poult Sci, 97, (2018), pp. 3601-3609

INTRODUCING RYAN SNYDER

e are excited to announce and introduce the newest member to our poultry team, Ryan Snyder, who joined us in June as our Poultry Production Improvement Specialist. Ryan comes with a rich poultry background and extensive education. He grew up on a broiler chicken and turkey operation in Haldimand County, Ontario. The Snyder family has deep roots and many connections in the broiler industry in Ontario. Following his bachelor’s degree at the University of Guelph, Ryan worked for a local agricultural research facility focused on organizing nutritional and health research trials for all poultry species. This experience inspired Ryan to pursue further education to fulfill his curiosity and passion for research. In 2015, Ryan began his graduate program in the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, where he as been studying coccidiosis in broiler chickens with his advisor, Dr. John Barta.

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Ryan had four areas of research during his thesis. First, he investigated cocci cycling in farms using either anticoccidial medications or the coccidiosis-vaccine. Next, he measured how much the anticoccidial medication effectiveness has deteriorated through over-use during the past few decades, and how this situation could be improved using a coccidiosisvaccine at a broiler farm. He looked at coccidiosis-vaccine deliver methods, how to measure their success, and how to make improvements in order to promote strong immunity to the cocci. Finally, he developed some new tools to use DNA to detect and quantify the several different cocci species. Ryan expects to defend his thesis this coming fall. As our Poultry Production Improvement Specialist, Ryan will be working with our poultry customers across the GVF Group of Companies. Ryan seeks to advance our customers’ businesses using data collection and tracking, benchmarking, and research. He is our link between customers, veterinarians, and the sales and nutrition teams here at Grand Valley Fortifiers. As Ryan’s title suggests, his role expands beyond broiler production and he will also service our layer and turkey customers. We welcome Ryan to the team as we usher in a new era of poultry production at Grand Valley Fortifiers. ■

COCCIDIOSIS IN BROILER PRODUCTION

by: RYAN SNYDER Poultry Production Improvement Specialist, Grand Valley Fortifiers

occidiosis is a parasitic disease in the intestinal tract of chickens caused by a group of organisms referred to as Eimeria species. Cocci are hostspecific meaning that the Eimeria species cannot infect other animals. There is another group of Eimeria species that are unique to turkeys too. Not only are they host-specific, they are specialized in which region of the gut they infect. Some infect the upper part of the intestines, while others infect the midgut, or ceca. There can be some overlap in the areas that are infected by different species. In addition to this, some species cause more harm than others. For instance, Eimeria tenella infects the ceca and causes the bloody droppings typically observed in cocci outbreaks, and is more deadly than Eimeria acervulina, which only reduces feed efficiency. These pathogens are different from viruses and bacteria in how they replicate and transmit from bird to bird. They have a strange life cycle that requires an environmental stage. The cocci essentially leave the chicken to undergo their environmental stage for a day or two before being picked up by the next chicken. Transmission occurs when the fecal material of an infected bird is ingested by another. Let us not forget that broilers have access to their droppings, and natural chicken behaviour includes foraging by ground pecking, which accelerates transmission of cocci from bird to bird in a barn. The severity of disease depends on the exposure to the cocci: the more exposure, the bigger the impact (except when drugs or immunity is present). The estimated annual burden of coccidiosis to the global poultry industry is 3 billion USD due to the costs of disease prevention and treatment, and reductions in production including mortality and poorer feed conversion. Thankfully, the pharmaceutical industry has developed many products to help control the impact of these parasites. For decades, these compounds have eliminated the threat of coccidiosis from poultry production. There is no doubt that the poultry industry would not be as successful as it is today without the discovery and use of these products. These anticoccidial medications, or coccidiostats, are classified as either chemicals or ionophores. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of coccidiostats is not what it used to be. Although shuttle and rotation programs have been employed, there has still been an over-usage of these products that has led to the development of drug resistant Eimeria species. This drug-resistance tends

to be specific to a farm and a product, based on the history of anticoccidial usage at a facility. However, multidrug resistant cocci have been detected at some facilities. Therefore, regular testing to determine which products are effective will optimize the coccidiosis control program. Alternatively, a live-coccidiosis vaccine can be used to prevent disease. First developed in the 1950s, the vaccine was more popular in longer-lived poultry such as layers and breeders, who had more time to recover from adverse effects of the vaccine. Coccidiosis-vaccines for broilers has become more popular over the last 2 decades as anticoccidial medication effectiveness has declined, and the demand for chicken to be antibiotic free has grown. In Canada, the vaccines we have available are live cocci parasites which is necessary for the chicks to develop immunity, however, may cause some damage to the gut. Some vaccines included cocci strains that have been modified (attenuated) to have less impact on the chick while still allowing the chicken to develop immunity. The vaccine is applied to day-of-hatch chicks at the hatchery by applying the vaccine on top of a box of chicks for them to preen off each other. For the chicken to be protected from a severe cocci challenge, it needs to be exposed more than once, like a vaccine booster. A farmer can promote multiple exposures by allowing the cocci to cycle in the barn. Each cycle is about one week, and it can take up to 3 or 4 cycles for a flock to be protected. The barn environment must be maintained properly, typically with increased humidity, to allow the cocci to cycle. If the cycling is prematurely halted, the chickens will not develop immunity and be at risk for an outbreak later in production. Cocci vaccines typically include only the Eimeria species that are observed in that type of production. For instance, breeders and layers are vaccinated for Eimeria brunetti and Eimeria necatrix (among others), whereas broilers do not need protection from these cocci. New in-feed alternatives are continuously researched and developed around the globe as a replacement for antibiotics and anticoccidial medications, but no “silver-bullet” has been found. Some of these technologies can be used alone, or in combination with other in-feed products or the cocci- vaccine. An annual rotation between anticoccidials and cocci- vaccine can help reduce anticoccidial resistance therefore improving drug effectiveness in flocks after the vaccine. Alternatively, a bio-shuttle program uses both a live-vaccine followed by an anticoccidial for roughly 10-14 days starting around the second week. This program allows the flock to develop immunity while reducing any negative impact of the cocci during the peak challenge period. Coccidiosis remains a significant threat to poultry production. From the gut health perspective, understanding and controlling cocci becomes even more important when other diseases, such as necrotic enteritis come into play. Gut health is pivotal to the success of antibiotic free production as the broiler industry changes. Grand Valley Fortifiers is continuously investigating new products and technologies aimed at optimizing nutrition and gut health that poultry need for our customers to be successful. ■

Thought for the Day “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness but one of power, love and sound judgement.” - 2 Tim 1:7 “…There is no reason to live in fear when you have the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit within you. Fear will enslave you, but Christ has come to set you free. Ask God to free you from any fear you are experiencing and to open your eyes…” - An exerpt from Experiencing God Day by Day devotional by Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby