The Significance of Gut Health in Poultry Farming: A Comprehensive Analysis
Dr. Sundus Gazal1, Dr. Sabahat Gazal2, Dr. Anvesha Bhan3 and Dr. Shalini Pandey4
1,2,3Division of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, SKUAST-Jammu
4Department of Veterinary Microbiology, RPS Veterinary College, Mahendragarh
Introduction:
The increasing human population has created an emerging global agrarian crisis due to limited available land resources. As the world’s population continues to burgeon, the demand for efficient and sustainable means of food production has never been more pressing. These growing demands have ultimately signified the role of livestock in catering the nutritional demands of the population. Among the livestock species, poultry sector has emerged to be the fastest growing enterprise over the years with their significant contribution to the total animal protein production as well as consumption. Accompanying this growth, the poultry industry is faced with an enormous challenge to maintain the health and well-being of the birds. Amid the myriad factors that contribute to successful poultry farming, one often-underestimated element stands out: gut health. The gastrointestinal tract of poultry is not merely a conduit for digestion; it holds the key to their overall health, growth, and productivity. In this comprehensive article, we embark on a journey to unveil the intricate web of significance woven around gut health in the world of poultry.
The Gut Microbiota and Its Role:
At the heart of understanding gut health lies the gut microbiota, an intricate symphony of microorganisms residing in the avian gastrointestinal tract. This intricate ecosystem significantly influences various physiological processes, including digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune response. The presence of a diverse and balanced gut microbiota translates into optimized nutrient utilization, bolstered immune defenses, and enhanced resistance against diseases. Gut health relies on the maintenance of the delicate balance between the host, the intestinal microbiota, the intestinal environment, and dietary compounds. This balance can be significantly affected by factors such as management of the birds, feed quality and the environment. When gut health is optimal, there is complete digestion of the feed and absorption of the nutrient components. If there is a disruption to the normal processes in the gut, incomplete digestion and absorption of nutrients can occur, leading to malabsorption and gut imbalance. If there is any imbalance in the gut environment, gut health gets compromised which can adversely affect the health and performance of the birds.
When digestion and absorption is not optimal, there is malabsorption of nutrients resulting in more nutrients being available to the small intestinal bacteria that can lead to an overgrowth of the bacterial population. A further consequence of malabsorption is the passing of proteins, sugars and fat into the ceca causing an overgrowth in the microbial population and a shift away from the beneficial fermentative bacteria.
Digestive Efficiency and Nutrient Absorption:
The gut microbiota operates as a remarkable partner in digestion. Its orchestrated efforts break down intricate feed components—such as complex carbohydrates and proteins—releasing essential nutrients that are subsequently absorbed by the avian body. A harmonious gut microbiota, with its array of beneficial bacteria, enhances the efficiency of digestion, ensuring that vital nutrients from the feed are harnessed to their fullest potential. Vitamins such as vitamin K, and water-soluble vitamin B such as biotin, cobalamin, folates, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin and thiamine are synthesized by microbial communities in the gut. A healthy gut optimizes digestibility, reduces nutrient excretion and mitigates ammonia and other gas emissions within the poultry housing environment which may pose an environmental and health risk. Conversely, a disrupted or imbalanced gut microbiota may disrupt digestion, dampen nutrient absorption, and ultimately culminate in diminished growth rate.
Immune System Support:
The gut and the immune system are inextricably linked, their alliance forming a formidable defense against external threats. A thriving gut microbiota nurtures the development and maintenance of a resilient immune system. The microbiota found in the poultry gut promotes the beneficial development of the intestinal mucus layer and epithelial monolayer, the exclusion of pathogenic microorganisms, polysaccharide degradation, and energy provision in the form of amino acids and short chain fatty acids. This facet assumes paramount importance in poultry farming, where disease outbreaks can wreak havoc on flock health and productivity. The intestinal microbiota is involved in modulating host immune system, influences the normal structural and functional organ development, and host metabolism. This microbiota stimulates the production of immune-regulating substances, thereby fortifying the avian body’s capacity to fend off pathogens. The gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), a considerable portion of which resides within the gastrointestinal tract, houses immune cells integral to safeguarding poultry health. Mucosal immune responses to resident intestinal microbiota can distinguish commensal from pathogenic bacteria. The gut microbiota is also involved in the modulation of B-cell response and immunoglobulin A (IgA) production. IgA plays an important role in regulating the composition of the gut microbiota by specifically binding to the bacterial epitopes.
Disease Prevention:
The gut microbiota operates as a natural bulwark against pathogenic invaders. The harmonious interplay between beneficial bacteria and potential pathogens unfolds a tale of competition—where beneficial microbes vie for resources and space, curbing the colonization of harmful organisms. The bacterial community of the intestinal microbiota form a protective barrier which lines the gut, preventing the growth of less favourable or pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens. This principle is known as competitive exclusion. Theories suggest that the commensal (or friendly) microbiota dominate attachment sites on the gut cells reducing the opportunity for attachment and colonization by pathogens. Another proposed mechanism is that the intestinal microbiota can secrete compounds, including volatile fatty acids, organic acids and natural antimicrobial compounds (known as bacteriocins), that either inhibit the growth of, or make the environment unsuitable for, less favourable bacteria. Sustaining a healthy gut microbiota through diligent management practices can markedly reduce the reliance on antibiotics and other therapeutic agents, charting a more sustainable trajectory for the poultry industry.
Stress Management:
Stress occurs as a result of a biological response to an internal or external stimulus that poses threats to the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism. Commercial poultry production is faced with a variety of stresses, including environmental, nutritional, and internal stress which decrease production and reproductive performance and affect the health status of poultry birds. Poultry suffer from various environmental stressors such as heat stress, cold stress, feed restriction, stocking density, pollutants, and many more. Stress can exert a deleterious impact on gut health by disrupting the equilibrium of the gut microbiota and undermining the integrity of the intestinal barrier.
The consequences manifest as impaired nutrient absorption, heightened vulnerability to infections, and compromised overall performance. A resilient and diverse gut microbiota equips birds to better navigate these stressors, bolstering their holistic well-being.
Strategies for Maintaining Gut Health:
The maintenance of optimal gut health necessitates a holistic approach, a symphony of nutritional balance, judicious management practices, and rigorous biosecurity protocols. Some pivotal strategies include:
Balanced Nutrition: Furnishing a meticulously balanced diet that fulfills the birds’ nutritional requisites is the bedrock of gut health. Well-crafted diets provide the substrate for the flourishing of beneficial gut bacteria, and the nutrients essential for overall health. Dietary fibre has been found to have an enormous impact on the gastrointestinal tract development, digestive physiology, including nutrient digestion, fermentation, and absorption processes of poultry. It has been suggested that moderate level of insoluble fiber may increase chyme retention time in the upper part of the GIT, stimulating gizzard development and endogenous enzyme production, improving the digestibility of starch, lipids, and other dietary components. Organic acids are compounds with acidic properties that occur naturally and include carbon. The inclusion of organic acids in poultry diets can improve gut health, increase endogenous digestive enzyme secretion and activity, and improve nutrient digestibility. These organic acids can help not only decontaminate feed but also have the potential to reduce enteric pathogens in poultry. The acids can cross the bacterial cell wall and disrupt the normal actions of certain types of bacteria, including Salmonella spp, E. coli, Clostridia spp, Listeria spp. and some coliforms.
Probiotics and Prebiotics: The introduction of probiotics—live beneficial bacteria—into feed or water, and prebiotics—non-digestible compounds—into diets can invigorate the gut microbiota. These interventions cultivate an environment conducive to optimal gut health. Probiotic supplementation brings about various effects like: modification of the intestinal microbiota, stimulation of the immune system, reduction in inflammatory reactions, prevention of pathogen colonization, enhancement of growth performance, alteration of the ileal digestibility and total tract apparent digestibility coefficient and decrease in ammonia and urea excretion. Prebiotics like mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), inulin and its hydrolysate (fructooligosaccharides: FOS), as well as other prebiotics are important contributors to the modulation of the intestinal microflora and stimulating a potential immune response, as well as stimulating the development of beneficial microorganisms. Prebiotics can also help reduce pathogen colonization in the GIT.
Hygiene and Biosecurity: Adhering to stringent biosecurity measures thwarts the ingress of pathogens, curbing the potential for gut health disruptions arising from disease outbreaks. Biosecurity is the efficient use of common hygiene procedures that make a remarkable difference between success and failure in a poultry operation. Biosecurity includes Structural biosecurity which encompasses all aspects related to facilities and equipment and Operational biosecurity which includes operations routinely performed on a farm on a regular basis, such as personnel entry, vehicle entry and disinfection, pest control, waste disposal, etc. In addition, only authorized people should be allowed to enter the farms, since they are the most common animate factor involved in disease transmission: this includes farm employees, veterinarians, truck drivers, intervention teams (vaccination, beak treatment, loading and unloading of birds), external workers in charge of repairs and maintenance, etc. Effective implementation of cleaning and disinfection procedures are essential to reduce the risk of health challenge.
Water Quality: Water is the most important nutrient for poultry and plays a key role in thermoregulation, digestion and absorption of nutrients. The provision of uncontaminated and clean water is pivotal for sustaining gut health. Water quality directly impacts digestion and gut microbiota composition. Excellent water quality is important as chickens consume twice as much water as feed. The microbial, chemical and physical quality of water should be monitored regularly.
Reducing Stressors: By mitigating stressors through effective management practices, proper ventilation, and prudent stocking densities, poultry farmers can proactively safeguard gut health. The most common signs of stress in poultry include aggression and fighting, loss of weight, feather shedding, decreased egg production, lethargy and sluggish attitude and loss of appetite.
Stress can be reduced in poultry by providing adequate space, management of heat stress by providing proper ventilation, adjusting feeding schedules, and flushing and cooling waterers. Electrolytes and vitamins can also be added to drinking water to help birds cope with heat stress. Enrichment can reduce stress by providing birds with the outlets for expressing their natural behaviors such as adding straw bales for pecking and scratching, providing opportunities for dust bathing through sand or other substrates, and adding perches or platforms for chickens to roost on.
Conclusion:
The panorama of gut health in poultry farming surpasses the periphery of digestion—it intricately weaves through growth, immune defense, disease resilience, and the holistic well-being of the avian inhabitants. A thriving gut microbiota unfurls a tapestry where nutrient utilization is optimized, immune systems fortified, and the industry’s sustainability bolstered. By embracing the profound implications of gut health and implementing apt strategies, poultry farmers can orchestrate a crescendo of production practices, elevating flock performance, and contributing to the production of nourishing, safe, and sustainable poultry products to satiate the appetites of a burgeoning global populace.
