Replacement of antibiotics in feed by a blend of Quebracho and chestnut extracts preserves broiler productivity and improves gut health

REDONDO, ENZO A.; REDONDO, LEANDRO M.; CABRAL, C; BRUZZONE, OCTAVIO A.; GARCE, V; LIÑEIRO, M; BATTAGLIA, M; FERNANDEZ-MIYAKAWA, MARIANO E.

Torino

Congreso; VI Mediterranean Poultry Summit; 2018

Mediterranean Poultry Network of the WPSA

The removal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) from animal diets has resulted in searchfor alternative which are cost effective. A blend of hydrolysable and condensed tannins(Silvafeed® Nutri-P), derived from the Italian Chestnut (Castanea sativa) and ArgentineanQuebracho (Shinopsis lorenzii) has been shown to improve productive parameters andprevent infectious disease, e.g., necrotic enteritis, under different commercial conditions.The objective of the study was to compare a ?standard? commercial AGP (COM) and aprogram replacing AGP with Nutri-P added at 0.1% in the diet. Three of 6 tunnel ventilatedcommercial broiler houses (20,000 birds) were assigned to COM (AGP rotation) and otherthree to Nutri-P. This assignment was kept during 7 production cycles. Complete necropsieswere performed in 10 birds from each treatment at 21 and 35 or 42 days of age in each cycle,and footpad and intestinal lesions were analyzed. Caecal contents were taken and microbiotaanalysis was performed by 16S sequencing. Body weight (BW) and mortality (MR) wereobtained weekly and feed consumption was obtained at the conclusion of each cycle. Averagebody weight (BW), feed intake (FI), and mortality-corrected feed conversion ratio (FCR)were calculated. Averaged over the seven cycles, intestinal health was improved by theaddition of NP. The severity and the number of animals with gross intestinal were reducedby Nutri-P. The number of animals with duodenal lesions were not statistically differentbetween treatments (COM: 6.6%; Nutri-P: 4.4%) but significant differences (p