New Therapeutic Reduces Disease in Poultry
Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and US Biologic, have good news for poultry producers.
They have come up with an oral solution to an antibiotic alternative that fights against poultry coccidiosis.
Poultry coccidiosis is a parasitic intestinal infection. It is the most prevalent disease in broilers worldwide causing 3.5 billion dollars in losses a year.
Veterinarian Kelli Jones spoke about the serious issues the disease can create for growers at the Poultry website
Jones: “Coccidiosis in layers is very common in the industry but it’s often overlooked or missed entirely if you don’t have mortality or bloody fecal droppings. You may see just a drop in egg production, impaired growth rate, poor feed conversion, the poor pigment in the eggs, lack of uniformity, nutritional deficiencies, bacterial infections. All of that can be a secondary cost of coccidiosis in layers, in addition to your control costs.”
The oral product is delivered in a probiotic powder that can be mixed into the current feed without any additional treatments. Researchers say treated chickens had improved gut health, less infectious bacteria in their feces, and a marked reduction in the spread of disease.
To get an idea of what a game-changer, poultry in Alabama generates more than $15 billion in revenue each year. It accounts for 65.6% of annual farming revenue
The Florida poultry industry has 78.5 million broilers and 11.3 million layers.
According to the Georgia Poultry Federation, broilers and eggs are Georgia's two largest agricultural commodities, making up nearly 40 percent of the state's production value.
