Summer Management in Commercial Broiler & Layer Poultry in Indian Scenario

Summer Management in Commercial Broiler & Layer Poultry in Indian Scenario

In the summer season, as the temperature increases, poultry suffers from the condition called heat stress, also known as summer stress. This is a condition of imbalance between heat generation and heat loss in the body. This condition not only brings poor performance in birds but is also responsible for huge economic losses in terms of poor growth, lowered production, and higher mortality. This condition becomes a greater challenge when coupled with a high humidity environment, making the birds even more vulnerable. According to research, poultry is most comfortable in an environmental temperature around 22-28°C (known as their thermoneutral zone). Once the temperature rises beyond this point, poultry show symptoms of heat stress:  reduction in feed intake, poor growth, poor production, and increased mortality.

In general, birds are susceptible to high environmental temperature due to an absence of sweat glands, their full body of feathers, their higher body temperature, and the fatty nature of the birds. This heat or summer stress not only brings lowered performance in poultry but also leads to immunosuppression issues, which can result in disease outbreaks and cause heavy mortality. This is mainly due to an absence of sweat glands in poultry making it impossible for them to dissipate heat. In this, males are found to be more prone to heat stress than females.

Ultimately, heat stress causes acid-base disequilibrium, or the inability to cool the body to maintain normal body temperature. Panting allows birds to release heat through an evaporative cooling kind of method, but high humidity coupled with high temperature causes insufficient panting to control body temperature resulting in heat stress.

Behavioural, neuroendocrinal, and physiological changes are observed in birds during heat stress. Behavioural changes can include decreased feed intake, increased water intake, panting, less walking, and elevated wings. Physiological changes include oxidative stress, acid-base imbalance, and respiratory alkalosis. Internally the bird may experience decreased protein digestion and absorption, increased metabolic disorders, Increased chances of disease prevalence, and fertility issues. Production challenges can include reduced feed intake, poor feed conversion ratio, reduced body weight, impaired meat, and egg quality, and, as mentioned before, increased mortality.

There is forecast of a warmer than average summer this year due to weather phenomenon and global warming. Even the temperature of North India was more than average in
February itself indicating that there will be more summer heat than the normal. Therefore, the prediction is likely increase in average temperature than the normal. In this summer season, as the temperature increases, poultry suffers from the condition called heat stress, also known as summer stress. This is a
condition due to imbalance between heat generation and heat loss in the body. This condition not only brings poor performance in birds but is also responsible for huge economic losses in terms of poor growth, lowered production and higher mortality. Poultry farmers have to take all the precautionary measures to handle the heat problem to save the birds from heat catastrophe.

What is heat stress?

When the birds are ‘heat stressed’ they have difficulty in achieving a balance between body heat production and body heat loss. This can occur at all ages and in all types of poultry. Poultry is most comfortable in an environmental temperature around 22-28⁰C (known as their thermoneutral zone). In other words, heat stress is the result of unsuccessful thermoregulation in the animals, as they absorb or produce a higher quantity of heat than they can lose. Exposure of birds to high
environmental temperature generates behavioral, physiological and immunological responses, which impose detrimental consequences to their productivity.

Cold isn’t really a problem for chickens, they have feathers to protect them and tend to do well in the winter, even in very cold climates.

But heat can be a very serious issue.

In areas of high humidity (above 50%), temperatures above just 25⁰C (75⁰F) will cause some mild heat stress.

Above 30⁰C (85⁰F), heat exhaustion will increase rapidly.

At 35⁰C (89⁰F) the bird will not be able to lose heat fast enough and is likely to suffer a stroke brought on by the heat.

In areas where humidity is not an issue chickens can survive (but not necessarily be comfortable) until the temperature reaches 40⁰C (104⁰F).

At that point, problems can become severe and quickly lead to heat stroke. And heat stroke in chickens generally proves fatal, if not managed properly.

Why are the poultry more prone to heat stress?

The poultry birds are susceptible to high environmental temperature due to their physiological buildup such as absence of sweat glands making it impossible for them to dissipate heat, their full body of feathers, their higher body temperature and the fatty nature of the birds. The heat or summer stress not only brings lowered performance in poultry but also leads to
immunosuppression issues, which can result in disease outbreaks and cause heavy mortality. In this, males are found to be more prone to heat stress than females.Therefore, breeders have to take extra care in summer to prevent fertility problems in breeder males.

What are the contributory factors of heat stress?

1. Environmental factors such as sunlight, thermal irradiation, air temperature, humidity. When the environmental temperature is above the thermoneutral zone, the animals activate thermoregulation mechanisms to lose heat through behavioral, biochemical, and physiological changes and responses
2. At temperatures above 35⁰C, the bird is likely to experience heat stress as having a high body temperature of 41⁰C and absence of sweat glands makes it difficult for them to dissipate their heat to the surroundings
3. Stocking density; more birds in the shed increases heat and humidity
4. Bird related factors such as body weight, feather coverage and distribution, dehydration status, metabolic rate, and thermoregulatory mechanisms
5. Heat stress can be classified into two main categories, acute and chronic. Acute heat stress refers to a short and fast increase in environmental temperature (a few hours), whereas under chronic heat stress the high temperatures persist for more extended periods (several days). In the former acute condition there will be more mortality

What are the signs of heat stress in poultry?

• Panting
• Prostration
• Spreading the wings away from the body
• Increased respiratory rate
• Squatting/low to ground
• Reduced feeding
• Increased drinking/resting
• Pale wattles and comb
• Lethargy, limp, unsteady gait, or unconscious
• Heat stress causes acid-base disequilibrium, or the inability to cool the body to maintain normal body temperature

Behavioural, neuroendocrinal, and physiological changes are observed in birds during heat stress. Behavioural changes can include decreased feed intake, increased water intake, panting, less walking, and elevated wings. Physiological changes include oxidative stress, acid-base imbalance, and respiratory alkalosis. Internally the bird may experience decreased protein digestion and absorption, increased metabolic disorders, increased chances of disease prevalence, and fertility issues. Production challenges can include reduced feed intake, poor feed conversion ratio, reduced body weight, impaired meat, and egg quality, and, increased mortality .

Effect of heat on food safety

There is increasing evidence to demonstrate that heat stress can have a significant deleterious effect on food safety through a variety of potential mechanisms

• The negative effects of heat stress on broilers and laying hens range from reduced growth and egg production to decreased poultry and egg quality and safety
• Chronic heat exposure negatively affects fat deposition and meat quality in broilers.
• Productivity of laying hens flocks also be affected by a multitude of factors, which is probably one of the most commonly occurring challenges in many production systems
• Decreased feed intake is very likely the starting point of most detrimental effects of heat stress on production, leading to decreased body weight, feed efficiency, egg production and quality
• Heat stress leads to reduced dietary digestibility and decreased plasma protein and calcium levels
• Heat stress during the growth period of broilers has been associated with undesirable meat characteristics and quality loss
• Transportation of broilers from farms to processing facilities under high temperature conditions has also been shown to cause meat quality losses
• In laying hens, heat stress has been shown to negatively affect egg production and quality
• During heat stress, foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter colonize and disseminate along the human food chain causing a major public health and economic concern in poultry and egg production

Why disease incidence is more in summer?

• Alters antibody and cell-mediated immune responses, thereby immunosuppressing effect and increasing susceptibility to pathogens

• Vaccine failures are common in summer season
• Summer stress also results in immuno-deficiency and disease outbreaks in poultry
• Heat stress in summer leads to reduced feed consumption, lower body weight gain, high feed conversion ratio (FCR) and dehydration
• It also causes a variety of changes in gastrointestinal tract including alteration of the protective microbiota as well as decreased integrity of the intestinal epithelium increasing enteric infections such as Necrotic Enteritis
• An increase in energy demands, increased culls and high mortality are observed due to heat stress

What are the common poultry diseases during summer?

The most common infections that occur are bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic and are shown in the below Table 1. Newcastle Disease and bronchitis vaccine reactions can occur in birds hyperventilating because of heat stress. Vaccination failure is mainly because of  stresses like extreme temperature or relative humidity causing immunosuppression.

Summer favours increase in vector population such as flies, beetles and mosquitos and these act either as intermediate hosts or carriers of infectious agents including Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza. House flies are considered intermediate hosts for tapeworms and may transmit ascarids to caged birds. Flies mechanically carry ascarid and other nematode eggs on their feet from manure to pens, feed, and water and rats in the shed transmit salmonella and tapeworms.

Disease monitoring during summer season

Accelerate monitoring of bird’s health with advanced diagnostic testing. Serum antibody levels decrease during summer months. Evaluating antibody titers for various poultry pathogens, has become an important flock management tool for poultry. Determination of the presence, absence or level of specific antibodies to a disease entity may be determined through the use of certain serological tests e.g. ELISA tests, plate agglutination tests, hemagglutination tests and micro or tube agglutination tests. Consulting reputed serological laboratories is important to prevent any disease outbreak. Adopt prevention is better than cure policy.

Serological monitoring required for the following infections

Broiler Breeders: Newcastle Disease (NDV), Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE), Egg Drop Syndrome (EDS), Marek’s Disease (MD), Chicken Anaemia Virus (CAV), Avian Influenza (AI), Avian Pneumovirus (APV), REO virus, Salmonella and  Mycoplasma Gallinarum/Synoviae (MG/MS)

Layers: Newcastle Disease (NDV), Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE), Egg Drop Syndrome (EDS), Avian Influenza (AI), Salmonella, Mycoplasma Gallinarum/Synoviae (MG/MS)

Broilers: Newcastle Disease (NDV), Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), Salmonella, Mycoplasma Gallinarum/Synoviae (MG/MS)

General management tips in poultry farming in summer

The main concern is to keep the birds cool: The following steps can help birds combat heat stress in summer months:

1) Housing Management, 2) Water Management, 3) Feed Management and 4) General Management

1) Housing Management

House management consists of both inside the shed management, and outside the shed management.

Outside the shed:

1. Provide 1 meter overhang to cut the direct sun and rain into the house
2. Thatching of the roof with green grass or agricultural waste can help reduce shed temperature. Paddy straw can be used for this purpose
3. Whitewashing the roof with lime helps to reduce the temperature inside the shed
4. Applying sprinklers above the shed to cool the roof
5. The use of gunny bags on the side walls (grill) of the shed over which drip water is set
6. Allowing trees to grow near the shed to provide shade on the shed
7. Prohibit wild birds, which can carry diseases like Avian Influenza from entering the shed
8. Provide ridge ventilation to help remove hot air from inside the shed

Inside the shed:

1. Use cooler fans
2. Use foggers
3. Provide a continuous supply of cool water (if not possible, periodically flush the water to provide cooler water for birds)
4. Reduce litter thickness (ideally around 400-450 grams per square foot)in deep litter rearing

2)  Water Management

1. Water management is crucial in heat stress management. In summer, water consumption goes up 3-4 times feed intake. So, a good quality, cool water supply is essential
2. A water hygiene process must be followed because bad bacteria can prevail rapidly under poor conditions, which will lead to disease conditions
3. Water pipelines must be cleaned well and flushed with organic acids or hydrogen peroxide periodically. Treat water with a quality acidifier and sanitizer. In general, try to balance the water pH in acidic conditions
4. As feed intake is less during times of increased temperatures, nutritional water acidifiers should be used to help combat heat stress
5. Protect the storage water tank with wet gunnies or provide shade on the roof top to avoid direct sunlight on it
6. Avoid exposure of water supply pipes to direct sunlight; if it is inevitable insulate the pipes with heat protecting  material
7. Give electrolytes in water. Especially in the morning and evening water
8. Additional vitamins and minerals are essential to improve resistance and to overcome heat stress

3)   Feeding Management Resistance

1. Research shows feed intake is reduced by 1.25% with every 1⁰C rise in temperature. Further, it is observed that there is a decline in feed intake by almost 5% with every degree rise in temperature from 32-38⁰C. Knowing this it’s best practice to feed a good quality feed during times when heat stress can occur
2. Feed consumption is reduced in summer. To overcome nutritional and productive losses it is suggested to supplement the diet with 10-15% more amino acids, vitamins, and minerals rather than increasing the protein level directly
3. Feeding should be done during the cooler hours of the morning or evening but too much gap in feeding time is not advisable
4. Increase the number of feeders and drinkers during feeding time to reduce competition among birds
5. Adding antioxidants is shown to be helpful to reduce stress and improve feed consumption while maintaining or improving body weight gain. (Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Selenium)
6. A high-energy diet should be provided during summer because birds lose more energy while panting
7. Energy in feed should be supplemented with oil rather than grain because fat has the lowest heat increment value compared to carbohydrates and protein
8. Increase calcium and phosphorus levels to overcome thin eggshells more often seen during summer due to
   respiratory alkalosis (more carbon dioxide is lost due to panting). Provide sodium bicarbonate in the feed
9. Instances of viral challenges increase during this time as immunosuppression is common. Fumaric acid is shown to have good antiviral properties and can help to reduce viral challenges. A combination of coated benzoic acid and fumaric acid may be used as an acidifier
10. Chelated trace minerals, a supplement of organic trace minerals such as selenium, zinc, copper, or manganese, and methionine source
11. Essential oils have a broad range of action from being immunomodulators to performance enhancers. Adding essential oils – especially thymol and carvacrol – to the diet can help mitigate summer stress challenges and improve meat yield and overall performance
12. Use of MOS and B- Glucans during heat stress conditions is convincing due to the possibility to reverse or compensate physiological alterations induced by heat stress and by restoring immune function and promoting robust inflammatory responses
13. The addition of ammonium chloride, potassium chloride, and/or sodium bicarbonate has shown improved performance in broilers by improving water quality and feed intake
14. Probiotics can be used to help control the corticosterone level and the excessive release of pro-inflammatory agents. Lactobacillus-based probiotics enhance goblet cell count in the duodenum and jejunum of heat-stressed broilers thereby improving the feed conversion ratio
15. Since a hot humid climate favors the growth of moulds/fungi in feed the consistent use of an antifungal is recommended

4)   General Management

1)   Vegetation around poultry shed so as to give shelter on the shed

2)   Insulation of roof

3)   Providing fans and air coolers

4)   Farmers should do the shifting, transportation, de-beaking, and vaccination during the night or cool hours of the day

5)   Birds severely heat stressed may be dipped in cold water for 2-3 minutes keeping their neck and head above water level

6)   Control movement of visitors as they may carry disease causing infectious agents

7)   Control of flies as they increase in summer months

 

Summer poultry management

The following steps can help birds combat heat stress

1. Housing management
2. Water management
3. Feed management
4. General management

Water management is crucial in heat stress management. In summer, water consumption goes up 3-4 times feed intake. So, a good quality water supply is essential. A water hygiene process must be followed because bad bacteria can prevail rapidly under poor conditions, which will lead to disease conditions. Water pipelines must be cleaned well and flushed with organic acids or hydrogen peroxideperiodically. Treat water with a quality water acidifier and sanitizer. In general, try to make the water pH in acidic conditions (5.5-6). As feed intake is less during times of increased temperatures, nutritional water acidifiers should be used to help combat heat stress.

Housing management can be divided into two parts, inside shed management, and outside shed management.

1. Thatching of the roof with green grass or agricultural waste can help reduce shed temperature. Paddy straw can be used for this purpose.
2. Whitewashing the roof with lime helps mitigate the temperature inside the shed.
3. Applying sprinklers above the shed.
4. The use of gunny bags on the side walls (grill) of the shed over which drip water is set.
5. Allowing trees to grow near the shed to provide shade on the shed.
6. Prohibit wild birds, which can carry diseases like Avian Influenza, from entering the shed.
7. Provide 4-6 feet of roof overhang to protect birds from direct sunlight.
8. Provide ridge ventilation to help remove hot air from inside the shed.

Inside the shed

1. Use of fans
2. Use of a fogger
3. Provide a continuous supply of cool water (if not possible, periodically flush the water to provide cooler water for birds)
4. Reduce litter thickness (ideally around 400-450 grams per square foot)

Feeding Management

Research shows feed intake is reduced by 1.25% with every 1° rise in temperature. Further, it is observed that there is a decline in feed intake by almost 5% with every degree rise in temperature from 32-38° C. Knowing this it’s best practice to feed a good quality feed during times when heat stress can occur.

1. Feeding should be done during the cooler hours of the morning or evening but too much gap in feeding time is not advisable.
2. Increase the number of feeders and drinkers during feeding time to reduce competition among birds.
3. Adding antioxidants is shown to be helpful to reduce stress and improve feed consumption while maintaining or improving body weight gain.  (Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Selenium).
4. A high-energy diet should be provided during summer because birds lose more energy while panting.
5. Energy in feed should be supplemented with oil rather than grain because fat has the lowest heat increment value compared to carbohydrates and protein.
6. Feed consumption is reduced in summer. To overcome nutritional and productive losses it is suggested to supplement the diet with 10-15% more amino acids, vitamins, and minerals rather than increasing the protein level directly.
7. Increase calcium and phosphorus levels to overcome thin eggshells more often seen during summer due to respiratory alkalosis (more carbon dioxide is lost due to panting).
8. Instances of viral challenges increase during this time as immunosuppression is common. Fumaric acid is shown to have good antiviral properties and can help to reduce viral challenges. A combination of coated benzoic acid and fumaric acid as an acidifier (as AVIMATRIX® feed supplement) can help to reduce stress and improve the performance of the flock.
9. MINTREX® chelated trace minerals, a supplement of organic trace minerals zinc, copper, or manganese, and methionine source HMTBa are shown to help heat stress conditions. HMTBa molecules undergo absorption through diffusion, which doesn’t require energy. Thus, using minerals with HMTBa can reduce heat stress during summer and help improve performance.
10. Essential oils have a broad range of action from being immunomodulators to performance enhancers. Adding essential oils – especially thymol and carvacrol – to the diet can help mitigate summer stress challenges and improve meat yield and overall performance.
11. Use of MOS and B Glucans during heat stress conditions is convincing due to the possibility to reverse or compensate physiological alterations induced by heat stress and by restoring immune function and promoting robust inflammatory responses.
12. The addition of ammonium chloride, potassium chloride, and/or sodium bicarbonate has shown improved performance in broilers by improving water quality and feed intake.
13. Probiotics can be used to help control the corticosterone level and the excessive release of pro-inflammatory agents. Lactobacillus-based probiotics enhance goblet cell count in the duodenum and jejunum of heat-stressed broilers thereby improving the feed conversion ratio.
14. Since a hot humid climate favors the growth of mould/fungi in feed the consistent use of an antifungal is recommended.

General Management

1. The depth of litter should be 2-3 inches on the floor.
2. 10% extra floor space should be provided in summer. Bird overcrowding only contributed to heat stress and must be avoided.
3. Shifting, transportation, debeaking, and vaccination should take place during the night or cool hours in the morning.
4. Birds severely heat stressed may be dipped in cold water for 2-3 minutes to provide relief. Be sure to keep their head and neck above the water level.
5. Use foggers in the shed, which can reduce the shed temperature up to 5-10°C depending on the quality of the fogger.

The house should be situated away from other buildings to facilitate the free movement of air. “Summer management is crucial not only to improve the performance but to gain profit in adverse conditions. So, effective use of feeding, Water, shed management brings the good health of birds and thereby profit to the farmer”.

 

SUMMER MANAGEMENT IN LAYERS

Farm Management

• Before summer starts, check the working condition of foggers and sprinklers.
  • Thatching of roof with paddy straw or sugar cane leaves will reduce temperature inside the shed.
  • Apply white lime above the roof top to reflect the light. To prepare white lime, use 10kg limestone, 2kg cement and 20 liters of water.
  • Use a drip water system made of gunny cloth on the sides of the shed to reduce the temperature inside by 2-3 °C.
  • Provide one-meter overhang to reflect the direct sun and rain into the house.
  • Clean the cobweb from side mesh of the shed to increase ventilation inside the shed.
  • Keep the ventilator on roof top to remove hot air and gas from shed.
  • Providing fresh cool water below 25°C at noon is effective for internal cooling of body (heat sinks) and reducing symptoms of heat stress.
  • Cover the exposed water pipelines with gunny cloth to prevent the water getting heat.
  • Place about 200 kg of ice in 20,000 liters of water from 12pm to 4pm.
  • Flush water from drinker line for 2 to 3 times in summer, till the chillness is felt on palm of the hand.
  • Check the nipples for water pressure and adjust the nipple height for birds to drink water easily.
  • During peak summer, the fogger should be used based on running time of 2 minutes for every 10 minutes method.This helps to maintain the shed cool and at the same time controls the humidity.
  • Electrolyte should be given at 1g/liter of water. It is suggested to give electrolytes in cold water.
  • Do not disturb the chickens during the hottest hours of day by adapting work and lighting schedules early morning or at night.
  • Avoid having too many birds in a single cage, as it prevents air flow among the birds. This can be achieved by reducing overall stocking density by 10%.
  • When humidity is low during daytime, the best method of cooling is evaporative cooling, by using fogger, sprinklers or cooling pad.
  • Whereas, in evening time when the humidity is high, increase the air movement using fans, which will reduce heat stress in open house.
  • Using fans without evaporative cooling system may be harmful in extreme hot weather, since it is only hot air that is blown into the house.
  • Transport the birds during early morning or at night. Place fewer birds in each carrier case and keep empty cases in the truck to make room for ventilation around the birds during transport.

Nutritional Management

• Before the start of summer, choline chloride (60%) at 500g/ton of feed was fed. During summer, the dose should be increased to 1kg/ton of feed.
  • In summer, feed should be dense with nutrients by adding 15 – 20% of extra vitamins and minerals to compensate the reduced intake.
  • Feed removal prior to the hottest part of day has been shown to be beneficial in reducing mortality.
  • Feeding in thelater part of the day ensures enough calcium availability for optimum shell calcification.
  • Allow midnight feeding between 11.30 pm to 1am to compensate the reduced feed intake of birds during daytime.
  • Crude protein level in feed should not be increased and the protein to be used from a vegetable source only.
  • While keeping the protein at same level, amino acids may be increased to compensate the reduced feed intake.
  • Deficiency of lysine and arginine increases the heat load in birds. Use of soya, til cake and sunflower helpsin achieving the required arginine and lysine levels in feed.
  • Replace 10 to 15% calories (energy) of carbohydrate and protein origin in the feed by addition of 1 – 2 % fats or oil, as their heat increment value is less and gives better cooling effect in the body.
  • Similarly, oxidative rancidity of fats and oils in feed will be prevented by addition of antioxidants namely butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), i.e. by using Endox™ T Dry at 80 – 200g/MT of feed.
  • Reduce dietary fiber by 1-2 percent, when initial diets are formulated with high fiber content, as it generates considerably more heat compared to carbohydrates during digestion.
  • The phosphorous requirement increases during heat stress. An increase of phosphorus up to 5% is appropriate under heat stress conditions.
  • The ratio of chloride to sodium in the diet should be maintained between 1:1 and 1.1:1 in hot weather conditions, with a target dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) of about 250 meq/kg.
  • Supplementation of vitamin C and chromium through Chromflex™ C Dry at 250g/MT of feed will be beneficial and necessary to maintain integrity of blood vessels and gluconeogenesis.
  • The synergistic effect of chromium and vitamin C to combat the heat stress, as chromium helps to improve the blood glucose utilization and prevent mortality due to hyperglycemia. Whereas, vitamin C helps to control the increase in body temperature and plasma corticosterone concentration.
  • Immunomodulators like 1,3 beta glucans i.e. Aleta™ at 500 g/MT of feed should be given to prevent the diseases during summer and boost up immunity.
  • Betaine at 500g/ton of feed should be given which helps to maintain water balance in body cells against extra cellular osmotic gradient and acts as methyl donor.
  • Suppressed growth rate, water consumption, electrolyte balance and eggshell quality can be partially alleviated by the supplementation of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), potassium chloride (KCl) and ammonium chloride (Na4Cl) (2–3 kg/MT of feed) during heat stress.
  • Vitamin E captures and neutralizes the free radicals formed in the body, due to excessive oxidative metabolism. However, vitamin E cannot be synthesized in poultry, which must be supplied at 100 to 200 ppm in feed to meet nutritional requirements.
  • During heat stress, villi height shortens which leads to less absorptive surface area and resulting in reduced nutrient absorption. Therefore, supplementation of ButiPEARL™ Dry at 300g/MT of feed stimulates the villi growth and serves as primary energy source for intestinal epithelium.
  • Supplementation of probiotics like CLOSTAT™ 11 Dry at 500g/MT of feed not only reduces the unfavorable changes in indigenous bacterial microbiota, but also improves the production performance and immunity by restoring the microbial balance and maintaining the natural gut stability during heat stress.
  • Dietary supplementation of vitamin A (8,000 IU/kg diet) can also alleviate the detrimental effect of heat stress on egg production induced by immune challenge.
  • Vitamin K supplementation is recommended particularly at the time of debeaking or during the threat of coccidiosis due to prolonged blood clotting time in heat stress.
  • Wet feed in summer and longer storage of feed invites rapid growth of mold and toxin formation. Good quality toxin binders like TOXFIN™ 300 Dry at 1kg/MT should be used in feed.

Health Management

• Before summer starts, Newcastle Disease (ND) killed vaccine must be given. After summer, ND killed vaccine or ND live vaccine must be given.
  • The summer stress conditions invade the problem of Mycloplasma gallisepticum (MG) by reducing the immune system and allowing many other opportunistic invaders to attack the birds, which are E. coli, Viscerotropic Velogenic Newcastle Disease (VVND), avian influenza, infectious coryza, fowl cholera, etc.
  • Apart from this, diseases like infectious bronchitis (IB), coccidiosis and factors like wet litter, climate and nutritional changes, etc. allow the MG to become more active.
  • Also, migration of birds during climate change would certainly influence the avian influenza (AI) virus transmission cycle and directly affect virus survival outside the host.
  • The most effective method of preventing the problem from the source is to boost the immunity in birds by the way of supplementing immunostimulants (Aleta™), regular vaccination for IB, effective coccidiosis programs, good biosecurity and sanitation.
  • Regular sanitization and acidification of drinking water with AcidLAC™ W Liquid at 1ml/4 litres of water and periodic cleaning of water tanks is necessary, since the undergoing water level increases the bacterial counts in water during summer (mainly E. coli& chronic respiratory disease [CRD]).
  • In summer, increased intake and excretion of water by birds lead to wet litter condition and ammonia production. Hence, it is important to include ammonia binder like BioCURB® Dry at 200g/MT of feed, which will reduce ammonia production by proper degradation of protein and help in maintaining litter dry.
  • Maintain strict cold chain during transport, storage and administration of vaccines.
  • Do not withhold drinking water from the flock when vaccine is provided through drinking water.
  • Adjust the amount of medications and volumes of water used for water vaccination to reflect the increase in water consumption of the flock during hot weather.
  • Vaccination should be carried out during cool hours as infectious bronchitis and related vaccines are particularly heat sensitive and vaccination response will be affected.
  • At high temperatures, there may be rapid evaporation of disinfectant solution resulting in less contact time. So, appropriate disinfection program is to be followed between the batches and on farm.
  • Ensure proper disposable of dead birds (6 ft diameter and 6 ft depth for 10,000 birds).

 

Expert tips on heat stress management in layers

Housing management tips
Open shed

• Poultry house should be in the East-West direction to manage proper sunlight
• Roof height should at least protect from direct sun rays
• Increase air moment inside the farm using the fans
• Roof should have good insulation and good support of foggers
• Avoid any obstruction of the tree and any other shades to protect the bars
• Shed width should not be more than 30-35 feet for hot climatic conditions with high humidity

Environmental shed

• Proper electrical voltage should be managed as in summertime electricity shortage is a common phenomenon, if possible, set up an electrical transformer in the shed to maintain the electrical voltage

Water management tips

• In normal weather conditions, feed intake to water consumption ratio is 1:2 but in summer it is usually 1: 3
• Farmers should supply cool water directly from the pumps to drinking pipes between 10 AM to 4 PM which should not be held anywhere in between
• Farmers should provide sufficient electrolytes, especially vitamin A and C, in the early morning, it will help the birds
• Regularly flush out the hot water.

Feed management tips

• Feed should be given to the birds in a cooler part of the day early morning 3- 3:30 AM and in the late evening from 4:30-5.30PM
• Birds should not be fed in the middle part of the day
• Feed should be formulated as per the consumption, in normal conditions feed intake is 120 grams but in summer it is 90-95 grams, the feed formulation should be such that nutrition in 90 gm is the same as that of 120 grams
• Sodium bicarbonate is very helpful and it should be used in the feed as per the requirement in a hot climate.

General management tips

• Avoid any kind of activities like shifting, transportation, vaccination should be done in cooler parts of the day, if possible, it should be skipped
• Provide proper cross ventilation in shed
• Use a good quantity of foggers in the shed and it is better if one can use sprinklers above the shed
• Use white paint inside and outside as well
• Wet gunny bags should be used outside the shed, especially during mid-day (11.30 AM – 3.30 PM)
• Provide mid-night feeding (10.30 – 11.30 PM), during this time, water and feed intake would result in strong eggshell quality

Loss to layer farmers
In summers, even a managed farm can have losses of Rs 3-4 per month per bird and if it is not managed properly, the loss can be up to Rs 8-10 per month per bird.
Lower consumption is a common phenomenon
In summers, usually, there is 15% body weight loss in broilers and 8-13% egg production reduction can be observed in layers. On the other hand, consumption is also dropped by 15%. So, generally, farmers can’t lose the marker rate in summers due to reduced consumption, if it is managed well.
Summer management needs personal attention for keeping the birds comfortable. Initially, birds try to manage it naturally by reducing their feed intake, but continuous heat stress results in mortality. To overcome this, we should take care of water management and feed management.
Water management tips
Water intake is usually 2-2.5 times of feed intake. But we find in an experiment that this ratio varies as per the temperature, at a peak temperature of above 40 degrees, it even increased up to 8 times of feed intake. So, water management is the prime factor to control heat stress. But water intake is reduced as the temperature increases, and the water pipeline gets heated, which needs to be flushed frequently. In summer, the feed to water intake ratio should be 1:4, if it is not so, farmers should take immediate action to correct it.
In summer, Metabolic Energy (ME) is reduced by 10% but reduced feed intake causes a 25% reduction in ME intake, and birds remain in a negative energy balance and they use the reserved energy from fat which causes Fatty Liver Syndrome when this continues the liver bursts causing the fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome.

Feed management tips

• Provide first feeding of 60 gm by 4 AM and stop by 9 AM. Once it is over, digestion and metabolism will take another 3 hours and by 12 o’clock, a decline in heat increment will start.
• Start the water management, macrolides should be added to water and it should be kept cool or at least in a drinkable condition.
• Feed the rest 40 gm by 4.30 or 5 PM, and the feeders must be empty by 8.30 PM.
• Add electrolytes in drinking water @ 1gm per liter by 9 AM and continue till 12 noon.

But if birds are fed after 10 PM, high egg-producing birds will keep on eating without bothering about heat stress and the mortality rate would be higher with such birds.
Disturbance in electrolyte metabolism is another major cause of heat stress, as the temperature rises, potassium and phosphorus are excreted and sodium level increases. In such conditions, birds try to manage by pumping out the sodium and controlling the potassium, and more energy is spent which comes out as heat. In the normal condition of metabolism, 30% of the maintenance energy is going into managing the electrolyte balance. In case of stress, it goes up to 40%. That means, in a total of 150–160 kilo calories given for maintaining per kg of metabolic weight, 15–20 extra kilo calories will come out as additional heat. This loss of 10% is due to electrolyte mismanagement. If one takes care of the above factors, mortality will definitely come down.
Other than this, sheds should have fans, especially in humid conditions, evaporative cooling is not possible when humidity is not below 65%, and disturbing the air is most important.
Use of foggers
The use of foggers is like a double-edged sword, farmers use the foggers to spread the water in the shed but they have to carefully notice the buildup humidity, if there is no wind movement, they should switch on the fans. Else, increased humidity will cause more mortality. In case they don’t have fans, other factors like more cold water should be considered.
Cold storage of eggs – A boon or a bane
Cold storage is used for a long period of storage, the eggs will be kept below 10 degrees and once it is out of the cold store sweating will occur, they should be sold within 24 hours else spoilage will be quick. But in AC room storage, the temperature is maintained at 25 degrees and it can be stored for 15 days. Cold storage is not recommended in the production belts but in the consumption belts.
Production difference in an environment controlled (EC) and open shed
Environment control sheds are common in commercial broiler farming, it is gaining acceptability in layer farming, but production difference will be 4-5% compared to open sheds. Managing layers in EC sheds in summer is not a big challenge but in winter if not properly managed fattening will be a problem. In peak summer, changing the light hours and dark hours will help, that is switching off the lights between 10 AM to 4 PM and switching on the light later, adjusting 6 hours can economize the power usage.
Improving maize quality in Bihar
Bihar is comparatively new to maize cultivation. Even 30 years ago, when Tamil Nadu started maize cultivation, the quality was low, but now the farmers are tuned to it and the quality has improved over the years. With the government intervention, maize production has grown from 30000 Tons to 700000 Tons. In the coming years, Bihar will be equally competitive. Fortunately, for the last 3 years, toxins have not been a problem with the Bihar crop. At present, producers (farmers) and consumers (poultry industry) don’t know each other, and if this can be changed, farmers would quickly adapt and produce as per industry standards.

 Practical Feed Formulating Tips For Summer

Its April and summer heat has started. For broiler farmers in India, summer management of poultry is all about Fans, Foggers, Sprinklers, Curtain management, Space management, feeding time, Feeder lifting, Electrolyte supplementation, Mortality control etc. Ambient temperature for rearing birds is 24 to 26°C. Temperature above that gradually induces stress. Intensity of stress increases proportionately with increase in temperature. Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) weight, activity including enzyme secretion, enzymatic activity, nutrient absorptive surface area and villi dimensions are reduced significantly due to intense heat stress. According to studies done, body weight is reduced by approximately 15-20 % with an increase in 10°C than ambient temperature. Also, there is 5 % reduction in feed intake for every 1°C rise in temperature between 32-38°C.

Apart from managing the house temperature, there is also a requirement to make changes in the nutrition and formulation of birds for summers. In this article, we will be covering different practical changes in feed formulation for broiler diets in summer.

Increase DAA levels of diets

Bird utilizes much more amino acids during heat stress. Supplementation of good quality protein rich raw materials with higher digestibility is required in summers. Ideal protein formulation with digestible amino acid levels suits perfectly for summers. For summers, the digestible amino acid levels need to be increased 3-5%. Cost of this addition can be minimized either by use of cost effective local available ingredients or by including a Multi-Protease in the diets. Cost of Multi-Protease can be easily adjusted by considering 0.2% CP or 1% DAA matrix. Incorporation of good Multi-Protease enzyme is most ideal to reduce amino acid variability, protein wastage, litter ammonia and stress. It will balance all essential amino acids, optimize performance, and reduce cost of production.

Apart from this, deficiency of arginine and lysine increases heat load which must be taken care of in feed formulations. Additional fortification of Lysine, Methionine, Lysine to Arginine ratio will ensure better breast meat yield in summer stress. Arginine, Tryptophan, Valine and Glutamine are known for their direct/ indirect response to immunomodulation and feed intake.

Formulation Tips

• Increase Digestible Amino Acid levels of diet by 3-5%
• Use either protein ingredients to increase amino acids or Multi-Protease
• Multi-Protease is cost effective way to optimize Amino acids without change in diet
• Breakeven point of Multi-Protease comes at 1% DAA or 0.2% CP replacement
• Lysine, Methionine, Arginine, Tryptophan, Valine and Glutamine levels are important

Increase AME of diet

During summer feed intake will drop due to stress and limited feeding hours. To compensate nutrient requirement, it is suggested to increase the AME of diets by 40-50 Kcal/kg. And this increment is suggested to be provided through fat/oil. Increasing fat levels in diet generally reduces digesta passage time and optimizes absorption of nutrients. Fat metabolism also has the lowest heat increment ensuring body cooling effects. Good quality fat and oil also enhance palatability and optimizes finished feed energy levels. If Me is enhanced by use of grains and oil seed meal, it’s better to make sure Non-Starch Polysaccharides levels are within limits. These Anti-nutritional factors increase gut viscosity and may result in feed passage. If these levels are high use of a good thermostable Xylanase, Beta-Glucanase, Mannanase, Cellulase and Amylase can help.

Formulation Tips

• Increase AME of diet through oil by 40-50 kcal/kg
• Use good quality oil with Antioxidants and Emulsifier
• Select oil based on Lipid Evaluation Test (MIU, FFA, PV, FA Profile and AME calculation)
• Use thermostable Multi-NSP enzymes if ME is increased through grains and oilseeds

Dietary Electrolyte Balance (DEB) Impact

DEB is calculated as (% of Na/ 23 + % of K/39.1 – % of Cl/35.5) * 10,000 Where 23, 39.1 & 35.5 denotes atomic weight of each Na, K & Cl electrolytes respectively and 10,000 is the multiplication factor. We have observed a severe bicarbonate ion (NaHCO3) loss during summer stress & respiratory alkalosis. Increase of NaHCO3 in diets are recommended to control the loss and reduce stress. Keeping optimum DEB in summer is essential for better feed intake, day gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), osmotic balance and effective evaporative cooling of body to relieve stress. Increased DEB by 10 to 15% in summer is recommended than winter. Use of potassium chloride (KCl), ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), NaHCO3 along with regularly used NaCl will help in attaining desired levels of DEB. Practically, the DEB levels are kept more than 220 during summers. Na comes in diet from Salt, Soda bicarbonate, MBM, Fish meal and K comes from Soya and other salts. In a well-balanced diet with high soya and MBM DEB is never a challenge. Challenge comes when lots of alternates are added which is also less digestible.

Formulation Tips

• Keep DEB levels over 220 in summer
• Increase DEB with Salt, Soda bicarbonate, Potassium Chloride addition
• DEB is higher for high Soya based diet
• If alternate ingredients are used more add salts to balance DEB
• Addition of electrolytes through water can also help in temporary basis

Other Additives
There are some additives which have a significant role to play under heat stress. These additives can assure you a high ROI and are worth including in feed. Other essential additive levels need to be increased based on feed consumption. All Vitamin and Mineral levels need to be increased by 10-20% during summer stress so that even if bird consumes less feed, these essential nutrient levels are maintained in birds. Storage of vitamins, enzymes, and probiotics in a cooler place of feed mill avoids the efficacy loss due to environmental extremities.

Inclusion of Vitamin C and Vitamin E at a level of 100-200 ppm is recommended for stress relief and immunity. Similarly, minerals like Manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) plays key role in improving immunity. Supplementation with Vitamin D3 is useful during summer stress to fulfil any deficit of calcium absorption and for better bone mineralization. Choline chloride dosage may be increased during summer stress to ensure effective utilization of fat & nutrients, prevent fatty liver & partial methyl donor effects. Addition of betaine that acts as a methyl donor and maintain osmotic balance of body will be useful as an on-top application during intense summer stress. Some anti-coccidial decrease tolerance to heat and some depresses water intake. These should be avoided for summers. Nicarbazine and Monensin are not suggested to use. Other additives which always aids are immunomodulators, emulsifiers, probiotics, gut health promotors, broad spectrum toxin binders and enzymes.

Formulation Tips

• Increase Vitamin and Mineral levels by 10-20%
• Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, Choline and Betaine inclusion is beneficial
• Anticoccidials Nicarbazine and Monensin needs to be avoided
• Storage of additives needs to be done at a cooler place
• Immunomodulators, probiotics, enzymes, emulsifiers, broad spectrum toxin binders etc. are always helpful

Compiled  & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)

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Reference-On Request.