Excess weight may cause or predispose horses to problems like joint pain, laminitis and insulin resistance, or it may indicate an existing metabolic disorder. Nutritional management of the overweight horse is key – and not quite as simple as some may think.

At what weight is a horse overweight?

Assigning a specific weight to define obesity in horses is impossible due to differing bone structure and muscling. Instead, evaluating fat deposition over the horse’s body is a better method to estimate body condition. Body condition scoring (BCS) systems have been developed to apply a numerical score to the horse’s condition based on fat coverage over target areas of the body. While BCS systems are subjective, they do provide a systematic method for evaluating body condition. One of the most widely accepted scoring systems is the 1 to 9 Henneke scale, where 1 is extremely emaciated and 9 is very obese. Horses scoring above a 7 on this scale are considered overweight. For more information specific to body condition scoring, you may visit McCauley's dedicated page.

Why is the horse overweight?

Determining why the horse is overweight can be helpful. Sometimes the answer is as simple as the horse receiving feed when little or no feed is required. Unfortunately, the answer is often much more complicated. Metabolic disorders such as Cushing’s disease, insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) may predispose the horse to obesity. Some horses carry extra weight simply because they are very efficient at converting dietary energy (calories) to fat.

Nutritional management of obese horses

Feed should be adjusted according to body condition and season. One of the primary keys to achieving desired body condition is to balance the number of calories consumed with the number of calories used. The number of calories used changes with age, climate and activity level. As a result, the calorie consumption will likely need to change throughout the year to maintain a healthy body condition. Warmer weather means less energy is used to maintain body temperature, and as pastures grow lush and calorie-rich, winter feeding quantities need to be decreased to maintain a healthy weight.  

If reducing or eliminating feed does not accomplish the desired weight loss, grazing on lush pastures should also be limited. This may be accomplished by splitting time between pasture and stall, using a grazing muzzle or placing the horse in a dry lot and feeding hay.

Pastures are often deficient in many trace minerals. A typical trace mineral salt block will not meet the horse’s mineral requirements. If the amount of feed provided is below the minimum requirement, then supplemental vitamins and minerals will be needed. In such cases, vitamin and mineral supplements should be fed daily rather than fed free-choice.

When feeding hay to overweight horses, choose mature grass hay. The more mature the hay at harvesting, the lower the digestible calories. Sugar and starch concentrations are usually lower as well. Many metabolic disorders require avoidance of sugars and starches, making mature grass hay the best choice for reducing calorie intake.

Horses on a hay-only diet should receive a minimum of approximately 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight per day. Feeding hay at this rate is essential to maintain normal, healthy gut function and to avoid the development of vices like wood chewing. As always, the hay should be free of dust, mold and other contaminants.

Summary

• Use a body condition scoring system to evaluate the horse’s fat deposition.

• Reducing caloric intake and/or increasing caloric output is crucial to weight reduction.

• While calorie restriction is important, the other essential nutrients (e.g., protein, vitamins and minerals) cannot be ignored.

• For optimal health, the goal is to achieve and maintain the ideal body condition throughout the year. This may require fine-tuning the diet regularly to adjust for seasonality and other factors, such as changes in activity level.

Have a question or comment?

¿Está buscando reconstruir o remodelar sus instalaciones de producción porcina? La expectativa de asumir el esfuerzo riguroso puede ser abrumadora. Russell Gilliam, gerente comercial de cerdos en los Estados Unidos para Alltech, tiene una lista de las áreas que él considera las más importantes para la reconstrucción de una instalación porcina que busca bajar los costos e incrementar el confort de los trabajadores y los cerdos. Gilliam hace preguntas importantes a considerar e incluye consejos útiles de sus 20 años de experiencia en la industria porcina.

La siguiente es una lista de verificación con las sugerencias de Gilliam, consolidada a partir de su charla durante ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech 2017.

¿Cuáles son sus objetivos?

¿Qué le gustaría lograr? ¿A qué tipo de mercado le venderá? ¿Qué le funciona actualmente en su granja?

Imagine su operación ideal. ¿Cómo se ve? ¿Cómo no se ve? Si tiene una operación ideal en mente, puede proceder a tomar las decisiones técnicas que producirán la instalación que le ayudará a lograr sus objetivos.

Lista maestra de verificación para la remodelación/reconstrucción de instalaciones de producción porcina

Alojamiento 

• Corrales o naves

Estos puedes variar según la ubicación de su granja, debido a las leyes y regulaciones.

Preguntas a considerar: ¿Qué tan grandes son sus corrales? ¿Cuántos cerdos entran por corral? ¿Qué tan grandes son los cerdos?

• Sistemas de alojamiento

"Normalmente, seleccionamos nuestro sistema de alojamiento, basados en los animales en la granja, y podemos olvidarnos de la oportunidad de aumentar la seguridad y la comodidad del trabajador al reemplazar las puertas", comentó Gilliam.

Preguntas a considerar: ¿Esto funciona para los animales y para los empleados?

CONSEJO: Una puerta de acceso podría ser más fácil de usar para los empleados. Un acceso más fácil significa un mejor cuidado de los animales y mejoras en el desempeño animal.

Instalaciones

• Equipo de supervisión 

¿Las instalaciones serán estrictamente para producción, o también se realizará investigación?

• Ventiladores

Existen diferentes exigencias basadas en la ubicación y el clima. Su selección debería ser en función de las expectativas sobre la calidad del aire en su área.

• Calentadores

¿Qué tipo de calentadores realmente se necesitan? ¿Se usarán para lechones o cerdos jóvenes, o es necesario calentar la nave durante todo el ciclo de vida?

• Piso de concreto

Verifique el ancho de las ranuras. ¿Son demasiado anchas? A veces, las pezuñas pueden atascarse en ranuras demasiado anchas, y esto puede causar lesiones.

Verifique el espesor de las rejillas. ¿Son lo suficientemente fuertes como para soportar a los cerdos?

Investigue sobre el proveedor. ¿Tienen un buen historial en la industria?

LED o iluminación de bajo costo

La iluminación de bajo costo puede reducir los costos por adelantado.

La iluminación LED puede extender la duración del día para los cerdos, estimular su consumo de alimento y ayudar a los trabajadores.

Aunque es más costosa, las luces LED pueden ayudarle a ahorrar dinero a largo plazo. Necesitará menos luces, y éstas tienden a durar más tiempo que las luces de bajo costo. También puede verificar sobre los subsidios de energía disponibles en su país para reducir los costos de electricidad.

CONSEJO: "Los cerdos no ven muy bien, debemos asegurarnos de contar con la iluminación adecuada en las áreas donde comen y beben", dijo Gilliam.

Alimento balanceado

• Alimentación electrónica o manual

Los sistemas de alimentación electrónica permiten a los productores verificar los hábitos alimenticios de sus animales en tiempo real: si están comiendo, cuándo comen y cuánto consumen. Esta información la puede ver el productor en su teléfono inteligente en cualquier lugar.

La alimentación manual permite cambios o alteraciones al caminar por las instalaciones. Además, elimina la preocupación por averías tecnológicas.

• Tolvas

¿Cuántas tolvas se necesitan? ¿Funcionarán en conjunto? ¿Cuántas fases alimentarán?

CONSEJO: Si alimenta en múltiples fases, considere agregar más tolvas.

• Sistemas de alimentación 

Existen numerosos sistemas de alimentación en el mercado. Cumpla con sus expectativas, sin olvidar el volumen de alimento que requiere en la instalación.

CONSEJO: "Tenga en cuenta cuántas veces el sistema de alimentación tendrá que dar vueltas en las esquinas en sus instalaciones, algunas tecnologías pueden cruzar más fácilmente que otras", dijo Gilliam.

• Comederos

¿Qué tipo de genética están alimentando? ¿Cómo comen? ¿Todo el día? ¿Tres veces al día?

CONSEJO: Para los cerdos que comen cierto número de veces al día, asegúrese de que el comedero sea más grande y con mayor espacio, esto ayuda a reducir la agresión.

Agua

• Medidores de agua

"Soy un gran admirador de los medidores de agua", expresó Gilliam. "Realmente siento que nos ayudan a tomar decisiones de producción tempranas basadas en la salud de nuestros cerdos, y nos permiten identificar cuándo los animales están estresados".

• Dosificadores de medicamentos para el agua

Los dosificadores para el agua facilitan las intervenciones de agua. Las intervenciones se pueden realizar más rápidamente y se pueden observar para garantizar la respuesta deseada. Existen diferentes modelos y tipos de dosificadores de medicamentos, estos deben coincidir con su propósito y tasa de uso.

• Bebederos

¿Quién está bebiendo: las cerdas, los lechones o los cerdos en crecimiento-terminación? ¿Los bebederos estarán colgando o instalados en la pared? ¿Usará bebederos circulares tipo cazoleta, tazón o barras de pico?

Considere evaluar diferentes tipos de tecnología de chupete.

CONSEJO: Evite el rocío. Además del desperdicio de agua, la aspersión puede asustar a los lechones. "Si rociamos su cara, podrían crear renuencia para ir a beber", dijo Gilliam.

Reflexiones finales

Gilliam expresó que los siguientes tres elementos son sus elementos no negociables: dosificadores de medicamentos para el agua, medidores de agua e iluminación LED. Los beneficios adicionales, especialmente para la salud y el bienestar de los cerdos, superan con creces los costos adicionales.

Las nuevas tecnologías, como los sensores, también puede beneficiar a su operación. Los sensores en las cerdas permiten la conveniencia y la eficiencia en múltiples áreas. Pueden recibir un mensaje en su teléfono cuando la cerda esté lista para parir. Esto reduce en gran medida los costos de energía y es mejor para el cuidado general de los cerdos.

Una de las innovaciones más emocionantes son los sistemas de supervisión electrónica. Gilliam lo llama "el futuro (del negocio porcino)". Éstos le permiten controlar las instalaciones de forma remota, ver problemas en corrales específicos y luego comunicarlos a sus trabajadores.

"Puedo conectar cada parte de mi granja en mi teléfono inteligente y luego enviar la información, directamente por internet, para que los gerentes de mi granja puedan verla", dijo Gilliam.

Reconstruir o remodelar sus instalaciones puede ser estresante. Sin embargo, saber dónde economizar y dónde invertir su dinero le ayudará a tomar mejores decisiones para su operación y, como dijo Gilliam, "brinde a sus animales la oportunidad de alcanzar un óptimo desempeño".

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Dr. Kayla Price, poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada. Click below to hear the full interview:

After you read or hear this interview, you may never look at an egg quite the same way again. Dr. Kayla Price is poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada. Price joined Tom Martin from Ontario, Canada, to talk about eggshell quality and why it matters.

Tom:                          For this discussion, we're focusing on the outside of the egg. Let's first go to the basic question: What is eggshell quality? What does that mean?

Kayla:                         I think eggshell quality means different things to different people. And when we focus on the outside of the egg specifically, we’re looking at things like eggshell thickness, what is the eggshell strength, how difficult or how easy is it to actually break that egg. And then, what does that egg look like in terms of dirty spots on it, or anything else to that effect. The external quality is very different than the internal quality. But, for this podcast, we're just focusing on the outside of the egg.

Tom:                          And do the uses of eggs vary according to how they are graded?

Kayla:                         Absolutely. If you look at the grading system — and it's only a little bit different where I'm from in the Canadian grading system versus in the U.S. or even globally — there are some basic commonalities. We’re looking at eggs of different sizes, which can go from small to large, extra-large or jumbo. Most of what you see that comes to the table is going to be that larger size, whereas the other sizes may be beneficial in terms of eggs that come in cartons, so they're already cracked, versus the eggs that would be table eggs. You also have lower-graded eggs that may have a small crack on them or a small dirt spot, but the inside is still usable.

Tom:                          Are there specific strategies for developing quality shells of different sizes?

Kayla:                         In general, the hen is always going to be laying the same part of the egg, whether that egg is small, large or extra-large. So, when we talk about eggshell quality, we’re really talking about it in general. We really want that hen to be getting the nutrients and the management that she needs in order to build the shell of that egg.

                                    That being said, with the hen, she's laying the same amount of shell components whether she's young and laying a small egg or whether she's older and laying a larger egg. So, in that bird that is older or toward the extra-large, that same amount of shell component is going to cover a different amount of space versus that same amount of shell component on a small egg. But again, we can use the same management techniques regardless of the size of that egg, because you're trying to avoid those under-grade eggs, which are your dirty eggs or your cracked eggs, regardless of the size.

Tom:                          Okay. Now, if I’m going after a premium quality egg, what are the essentials that I need to take into consideration?

Kayla:                         When I start thinking of the word “premium,” I'm really looking for an egg that is going to have a good, hard shell to it, so it will not break easily. It won't break when it’s at the farm, when it’s moving to the processing plant and, ultimately, it won’t break when it's in the carton before we break that egg to put in the skillet. We’re looking for that outside eggshell quality just as much as that internal quality, like making sure that the yolk looks good and the egg white looks good.

                                    In terms of the essentials, there are a couple of things to consider. You can start looking at the nutrition of the bird — what goes into making that eggshell just as much as the internal component — and you also have to start thinking about management: the health of that bird, how old is that bird and what needs to be changed depending on the age, the environment and, to a small extent, the genetics. The things that we can change would certainly be nutrition management, health and environment.

Tom:                          At what point in bird's life cycle should producers start thinking about egg development and eggshell quality?

Kayla:                         I think that's a really interesting question because when people start thinking about eggshell quality, the first thing that comes to mind is when the hen actually starts laying that egg, which is about halfway through her full lifespan. If you only start looking at eggshell quality halfway through, then you’re really only capturing half the potential. I think it's really important to start having that conversation when that poulet or hen starts to be placed in her housing system and continue all the way through the growing phase, before she reaches the age of maturity to be producing an egg and then also continuing it through. The idea being that you're setting up the bird for proper body confirmation and skeletal development, which are going to have an impact on the eggshell quality — shell thickness, —  just as much as they impact the size of the egg and how well the bird can lay that egg. So, again, I think it's important to start thinking about things from the very start, as opposed to when that hen starts laying that egg.

Tom:                          Why should calcium receive particular attention?

Kayla:                         Calcium is something that people always go to when they start thinking about eggshells because many people know the eggshell has a good amount of calcium within it. So, this is the first thing that people start thinking about. It is incredibly important because the eggshell itself is about 95 percent calcium carbonate. One of the main components of calcium carbonate is calcium. So, this is something that certainly needs particular attention.

Tom:                          Is the size of the calcium particle important?

Kayla:                         Yes, it is. This is something that people in the industry are taking more notice of. It’s important to talk about the different sizes. So, you can go from a fine calcium particle size to a medium calcium particle size to a coarse calcium particle size.

                                    What’s important is, you have to think of the fine calcium size as giving that quick shot of calcium. The bird can absorb it quite quickly because they don't need to break it down at all. But, if you start moving toward the coarse calcium, this one is good because it takes more time for that bird to break down the calcium and a longer amount of time for that bird to absorb the calcium. This is important as the bird goes into nighttime and starts really putting that calcium onto the shell or laying down that shell, because when it’s nighttime, she’s not eating. This slow release or slow breakdown of coarse calcium really helps out during this time.

                                    It’s not that you only need one or only the other — you need a good combination of both. This changes as the bird gets older. As the bird gets older, you’re tending toward going more and more coarse but still having a certain amount of fine particle size in there. It’s really about knowing your ratios, and that's where the nutritionist can help in terms of how to deal with the fine-to-coarse calcium ratio.

Tom:                          What other nutrition elements such as minerals can impact eggshell quality, and how?

Kayla:                         In terms of other nutrition elements, I think it's important to start thinking about what they are. As I said before, when people think of eggs, they often think of calcium in terms of the actual eggshell, but there are other components to it.

                                    In the eggshell itself, you have an inner as well as an outer shell membrane. That outer shell membrane is the calcium carbonate, and the inner shell membrane is made of many other components. You want to make sure that you're building strength, not just in your outer shell membrane, but also in that inner shell membrane. This is really where other nutritional elements come into play — like minerals, which have a very important role in building that eggshell, somewhat in terms of the outer, but also somewhat in terms of the inner shell membrane.

                                    For example, minerals like copper, which helps a little bit in collagen formation in terms of that eggshell membrane. Similarly, minerals like manganese and zinc, each sort of playing their own different role. Then you can look to minerals like selenium, which supports the reproductive tract itself.

                                    So, these elements, and components like that carbonate component of calcium carbonate, or all other elements that are important for the actual eggshell quality, have very different roles to play within the whole system itself.

Tom:                          How is eggshell quality impacted by gut health? Is there a direct relationship?

Kayla:                         It's more of an indirect relationship. I always say that the bird is ultimately a gut with lots of things attached to it. That can be applied to any bird that we want to talk about because, ultimately, what we're putting into the bird and having that bird eat, we want it to be able to translate into the performance factors as well as health factors.

                                    In this case, with the laying hen, a hen that is going to provide us our table eggs, we want our feed ultimately to translate into table eggs, or more table eggs, at the end of the day. So, if we have a gut that is healthy and that is acting the way we want it to, it means this gut is able to absorb nutrients and translate those nutrients as well as absorb things like calcium, like minerals and, ultimately, translate that so it can be used within that reproductive tract or other places within the body. So, direct, perhaps not, but certainly indirect, and there is a role between them.

Tom:                          What are some of the more common problems being encountered today by egg producers that they're trying to work around or work through?

Kayla:                         There are always many different kinds of problems, and new problems evolve as we keep raising these birds. But I think the one specifically related to the egg itself at the moment would be — that isn’t related to viral issues, which are certainly happening in the industry and are very important and I wouldn't want to ignore — but relating specifically to the egg, would be looking at things like deep cracks in the eggs, especially as people start either thinking or moving toward, or are already using, these alternative housing systems. You want to make sure you have a nice strong egg that is not going to be easily cracked by other things happening within the system just as much as you want to make sure you have a good internal eggshell quality, and you want to make sure that you are able to maintain that food safety aspect so that you're able to provide safe food or safe eggs, ultimately, for the public that is consuming those eggs. So, those would be common problems encountered by egg producers. And, again, the biggest one being those downgraded eggs, which would be your cracks, which would be your dirty eggs.

Tom:                          What does it mean to support the good guys in relation to eggshell quality?

Kayla:                         I think it's a very interesting phrase, “supporting the good guys.” It relates back to this indirect relationship between gut health and eggshell quality. So, ultimately, with gut health, we want to make sure we're maintaining a healthy and well-balanced gut, meaning that in the gut, there can be good microbes or good bacteria. There can be bad bacteria or bad microbes, or those that are potentially bad. Those that are potentially bad are opportunistic. Given the right environment, they will become bad or they will become a problem.

                                    When we relate back to gut health, we want to make sure we have this balance between our good guys, our potentially bad guys and our bad guys. In order to help with gut health and, ultimately, help with how that gut is able to digest and absorb nutrients and then translate this within the body to help with the egg and the eggshell, we want to make sure that we're supporting those beneficial bacteria — or supporting the good guys. The end goal is to maintain good gut health.

Tom:                          How do you manage and sustain that balance?

Kayla:                         There are a couple different factors. It's never just one thing that's going to solve the problem. Everyone always looks for that silver bullet, but when it comes to animals and to biology, a silver bullet is almost an impossible goal. You want to make sure that there is a good combination of management practices. We want to make sure that we're using the best practices in managing the birds, just as much as biosecurity on the farm — which is incredibly important as we start thinking about other viral or bacterial problems that can potentially impact these birds — and the type of nutrition that these birds are receiving.

                                    We want to make sure that they are receiving the best nutrition possible with the best ingredients possible. We want to make sure that those ingredients are free from contaminants like mycotoxins and use minerals in their best possible form that are most available and well-absorbed by the bird. This would be things like organic trace minerals versus what is very commonly used as inorganic trace minerals.

                                 And then also making sure when we talk about management, we want to make sure that there's proper water quality. At the end of the day, we just want to make sure we have a good combination program within the diet and the nutrition, a good feed additive program, to help with that just as much as a good management program and good biosecurity.

Tom:                          Dr. Price, when we began the conversation, I said we were going to focus on the outside of the egg, but I'm wondering, does the internal quality of an egg in some way impact the quality of its shell?

Kayla:                         That’s an interesting question because we're still talking about the egg itself. But when we talk about the internal quality of the egg, we're really talking about aspects like the yolk color, what the yolk looks like or how high that yolk is, just as much as what the egg white looks like and how that egg white spreads. So, in terms of if the internal eggshell quality is going to have a direct effect on how easily or if the shell cracks, possibly not. I think this is more of an indirect relationship where if you're focusing on a good quality internally and externally, ultimately, you're going to have a good-quality egg overall. That’s really the target: making sure we have a good-quality egg that is safe for consumers.

Tom:                          Are there some programs for enhancing eggshell quality that you recommend?

Kayla:                         I think this goes back to that combination program. Again, it's important to look at not only management, biosecurity and nutrition, but also the feed additive program.

                                 We touched a little bit on organic trace minerals and making sure that you're using organic trace minerals that are bioavailable to the bird, supporting good absorption and using other additive components that can help in terms of supporting those good guys or supporting the beneficial bacteria within the gut.

                                    This can mean using components like mannan-enriched fractions, which help selectively remove bad bacteria and allow room for good bacteria to thrive. There are plenty of other feed additive components that can be built into a program to make sure that you have a comprehensive program on the feed additive side. That can be combined with a full program on the nutrition side and with management and biosecurity.

Tom:                          Are there any emerging trends in poultry out there that you're watching that have captured your interest and attention?

Kayla:                         Yes. There are always some new and interesting things. Unfortunately, sometimes it relates to viruses. I think something to watch in the layer world — people have been talking about this virus — is false layer syndrome. We are certainly watching how this can be handled. This is one of many emerging things, along with making sure that we have the right biosecurity to avoid any other possible avian influenza outbreaks, which we haven't seen at all lately. Hopefully, we will not see any in the future. And, of course, making sure that we do what we can to achieve fewer cracks and dirty eggs.

                                 So, there are a couple of different things to watch out for. Another one is the constant concern about food safety and making sure that we're producing safe food for our consumers and being transparent in showing that we’re producing safe food for our consumers. 

                                    Those are a couple of different things that really grab my attention and I will continue to follow.

Tom:                          Dr. Kayla Price is poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada.  And thank you so much for joining us.

Download our FREE egg shell quality poster

A good start for fish larvae is not only crucial to health and development — it also impacts producer profitability.

Weaning on dry feeds with an unbalanced diet can result in deformities and high mortality rates. High-quality starter diets are therefore essential. Providing nutritional solutions for the specific needs of larvae in their most critical life stage benefits the fish during their entire lifecycle. Supporting the healthy development of all organs, including the skeleton, for an ideal start begins with optimal nutrition.

Extensive studies at the Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre have revealed the essentials for a weaning diet, which will significantly minimize deformations in sensitive fish species. This allows us to wean fish larvae with confidence knowing that the vast majority will fully develop into healthy fry without any abnormalities.

Three things producers look for in starter feeds:

• High survival rate and minimal deformities

• Optimal skeleton development as a foundation for future growth

• High digestibility for optimal performance and water quality

Benefits for hatcheries and farms

By delivering nutrients in a way that can be handled easily by the maturing digestive tract of fresh water larvae, we can offer hatcheries more security when weaning freshwater larvae from Artemiaonto a dry diet. Deformities can be scaled back to a minimum with a more even growth rate, thereby resulting in less frequent grading. The end results are healthy larvae and fry, more revenue, more efficiency and less work.

A new generation of starter diets

Alltech and Coppens International are working closely together to bring a new generation of fish feed to the marketplace. Coppens’ Essence, designed with Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology™ and gut health technologies containing Bioplex® and Bio-Mos®, reflects this approach.

Through highly bioavailable, organically bound trace elements, we can ensure optimal skeleton development with a special larval diet that can largely replace live Artemia. Essence also promotes optimal tissue development which reduces factors associated with deformity and low fry survival rates, making this feed truly unique. Due to its high digestibility and excellent performance, this starter diet is ideal for recirculation aquaculture system farming conditions.

Essence is tailored to the specific needs of the early life stage of many freshwater fish, such as cyprinids, pikeperch, catfish, tilapia and koi, which are characterized by many as living jewels.

For more information, please contact aquasolutions@Alltech.com or info@coppens.com.  

Have a question or comment?

Cada año, la industria avícola está viendo un aumento de peso de 50 gramos en un ave de 42 días. Mediante el uso de la nutrición perinatal para guiar las respuestas epigenéticas, podemos mejorar la calidad, la inmunidad y la adaptabilidad de estas aves de rápido crecimiento incluso antes de que nazcan.

El Dr. Peter Ferket es profesor de nutrición y biotecnología en el departamento de ciencias avícolas de la Universidad Estatal de Carolina del Norte, y autor de más de 500 publicaciones y siete patentes. Es conocido por su trabajo de nutrición y desarrollo perinatal y otros factores nutricionales que afectan el rendimiento y la calidad de la carne, el valor nutricional de los alimentos, los coproductos de la industria y el manejo de nutrientes. 

En un entrevista reciente, el Dr. Ferket habló sobre las mejoras en la calidad de los pollos y pavos antes de nacer. A continuación una traducción editada de la entrevista. 

¿Qué tan lejos hemos llegado en la avicultura?

Considerar lo que la industria avícola ha hecho en los últimos 60 años, es increíble. Hace sesenta años, para el pollo llegar al mercado consumidor, tomaba 12 semanas. Era tan solo una pequeña ave esquelética, pero ese mismo pollo de engorde de 1,8 kilogramos hoy se alcanza en casi 30 días.

Si pensamos en el potencial genético para el crecimiento de estos increíbles animales, estamos viendo una mejora del 1 por ciento cada año en el desempeño en vivo. Eso es un aumento anual de 50 gramos en el peso de un ave de 42 días.

También es un gran desafío. Con el potencial genético de estas aves, en realidad es más difícil entender cómo alimentarlas y cumplir con los requerimientos nutricionales de ese animal de rápido crecimiento.

¿Esto se atribuye a la ciencia genética?

Sí. Hemos aprendido mucho, no únicamente, sobre seleccionar y comprender la variabilidad para seleccionar animales de cierto crecimiento, ahora también, debido a la ciencia genética y la capacidad de comprender sobre los genes y los perfiles asociados con dichos genes, poder medir ciertos rasgos y seleccionar basados en estos, sigue siendo una clase de ciencia de selección natural.

Pero al contar con las herramientas, podemos satisfacer rápidamente estas necesidades y obtener rasgos que son deseables no solo para el bienestar del animal, sino también para su desempeño de crecimiento, calidad de la carne, etc.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre genética y epigenética?

La epigenética es la expresión de los genes. Por lo tanto, los genes son como el anteproyecto. La epigenética es como tomar parte de ese gen o ese perfil y realmente crear algo, es como construir una casa. Empezamos con un anteproyecto, y los "carpinteros" trabajan, toman ese plano y comienzan a producir un producto.

La epigenética toma una cierta parte de ese gen y dice: "necesito expresar esa parte del gen y convertirla en proteínas, convertirla en algo que ahora pueda crear lo que realmente se quiere crear". Es el tipo de respuesta fenotípica. Lo que llamamos "fenotipo", desarrollar al ave cómo se ve, se comporta y crece.

 ¿Cómo entra en juego la tecnología genética CRISPR?

Esta es una técnica para intentar modificar ese gen y cómo se expresa. Aún estamos empezando a aprender cómo hacer esto con los animales. Lo estamos usando con muchas plantas, en el momento. Esta es una técnica muy nueva que nos permite modificar el gen. Es decir, en realidad no se es una modificación genética, el CRISPR simplemente dice: "saquemos una pieza que no está funcionando bien y hagamos que funcione mejor".

¿Qué impacto puede tener la nutrición especialmente al inicio de la vida del ave?

Alguna vez, han escuchado el dicho: "Somos lo que comió nuestra madre". Normalmente, cuando somos jóvenes, no importa si es somos humanos, un pollo o incluso una planta, ya que apenas está comenzando el crecimiento; necesitamos sentir cómo es el entorno y luego adaptarnos mediante respuestas epigenéticas a dicho entorno para adaptarnos a la vida en la que estaremos.

Con la nutrición temprana, podemos hacer ciertas cosas como proporcionar nutrientes en períodos críticos para que los genes se expresen de la manera que nos gustaría. Es decir, más adaptados al entorno en el que crecerá ese animal.

Por ejemplo, si queremos, ciertos tipos de respuesta fisiológicas, que un animal esté más adaptado al clima cálido, lo exponemos a un clima cálido durante un período corto cuando es joven. Si queremos ahora desarrollar al animal para que sea más eficiente en cuanto a un nutriente específico, podemos reducir el nutriente, hacer que el animal trabaje un poco más duro para este propósito, y que regule partes de su genoma o su expresión génica y su maquinaria para que sea más eficiente al obtener esos nutrientes, lo cual normalmente dura por el resto de su vida.

Por lo tanto, con la nutrición temprana, tenemos la oportunidad de manipular la nutrición, la fisiología y ese tipo de cosas de manera que estén mejor adaptadas para la vida posterior.

¿Podemos hacer que esa ave tenga un buen inicio incluso antes de que nazca?

Sí. Es lo que sorprendentemente hemos estado trabajando durante los últimos 10 años. Lo primero que descubrimos es que el primer alimento del pollo no es su primer bocado cuando eclosiona. Al igual que todos nosotros cuando somos embriones, estamos rodeados de líquido amniótico, el fluido que rodea a ese embrión. El pollito, al igual que los humanos y otros animales, se alimenta de ese líquido amniótico justo antes de nacer. Ese líquido amniótico contiene nutrientes proporcionados por la madre. Pero, a veces es deficiente o no tiene ciertos minerales o nutrientes necesarios para encender la "maquinaria" para que el animal se desarrolle bien. Ahora complementamos ese primer alimento: el líquido amniótico. Cuando ese pollito lo consume, obtiene un mejor complemento de los nutrientes que necesita para crecer.

¿Cuál es el resultado y la diferencia?

Utilizamos la nutrigenómica para evaluar el metabolismo, y descubrimos que si queremos que un animal tenga una mejor inmunidad, sabemos que hay ciertos tipos de componentes que podemos agregar en la dieta, o en ese alimento amniótico in ovo, esto mejora la regulación de algunos aspectos y el balance en la nutrición o la inmunidad. Tenemos el desarrollo para ser mejores.

Podemos agregar ciertos nutrientes que ayudarán al crecimiento de los enterocitos: las células intestinales. O si queremos un mejor desarrollo del músculo de la pechuga, o un mejor comportamiento de alguna manera, o si los animales están más alertas, existen ciertos nutrientes críticos que sabemos que juegan un papel importante en el metabolismo que influye en tales rasgos.

 ¿Qué es la impresión nutricional y cuál es el impacto sobre el ave?

La impresión nutricional es muy parecida a la historia de la epigenética. La impresión es un condicionamiento adaptativo que utiliza la nutrición para permitir que se adapte a lo que nos gustaría. Por ejemplo, me gustaría desarrollar un animal que sea más eficiente en la utilización de fósforo. Ya que el fósforo de la dieta es costoso, si se puede mejorar la utilización de fósforo, tendremos menos residuos en el medio ambiente.

La impresión sería por un corto período de tiempo cuando son muy jóvenes. Suministramos una dieta muy baja en fósforo, y eso le permite al sistema del animal decir: "Necesito más fósforo. Aumentaré la regulación de mis sistemas para que sean más eficientes en la utilización del fósforo". Esto se imprime por el resto de sus vidas.

La impresión es algo biológicamente muy conservado en la naturaleza, como las huellas de una madre sobre un niño. Esto ocurre desde muy temprano. Lo mismo ocurre en la adaptación a algún tipo de temperatura ambiental. Podemos hacer lo mismo con la nutrición. Podemos adaptar a los animales a ciertas aspectos nutricionales a lo cual nos gustaría que sean más eficientes posteriormente en la vida.

¿Cómo afectan estas tecnologías genéticas y nutricionales a la mesa del consumidor promedio?

En primer lugar, creo que las personas están preocupadas de que estamos manipulando los genes. Pero, solo hablamos de genes naturales que nosotros todos tenemos.

Estamos empezando a entender qué es lo que activa a un gen para lo bueno y para lo malo. Al hacer eso, podemos alimentar a un animal de manera que se adapte mejor a la vida. Lo bueno es que ahora nos podemos asegurar que el animal tenga un mejor bienestar, que el alimento, por ejemplo, sea más saludable y que el animal sea más resistente a las enfermedades.

A la final, hay muchas cosas buenas para el consumidor. Una gran parte activa de mi trabajo es tratar de encontrar técnicas y formas de mejorar la resistencia del animal a los enteropatógenos para no agregar antibióticos en el alimento. Podemos usar compuestos naturales en la dieta junto con el propio sistema del animal para poder mantener la salud sin tener que depender de cosas como las que teníamos en el pasado, como los antibióticos y los medicamentos.

Parece un trabajo realmente interesante. ¿Qué es lo que más disfruta al respecto?

Lo que más disfruto es la investigación. Son cosas emocionantes. Pero lo más emocionante de mi trabajo es que soy un maestro. Soy un profesor. Se trata de infundir sueños en la mente de nuestros estudiantes, la creatividad, lo que es posible, tomar algo que aprendimos en la ciencia y dejarlos crear una oportunidad. Creo que eso es lo que me hace ir a trabajar todos los días con gran alegría. Puedo ver que mis alumnos y quienes me rodean utilizan parte de la información que aprendemos en ciencias para crear y hacer cosas mejores. Siempre les digo a mis alumnos: "Tomen esto y vayan a salvar al mundo".

El Dr. Peter Ferket habló en ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech (ONE17). Para escuchar más charlas de la conferencia, suscríbase a Alltech Idea Lab. 

ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18), que se celebrará del 20 al 22 de mayo en Lexington (Kentucky, EE. UU.), brindará una oportunidad única a todas las personas interesadas en el pujante sector de la cerveza y la destilería, incluidos los consumidores, para participar en una conversación global sobre las innovaciones, los desafíos y las tendencias del sector. 

Una sesión de temática específica, concebida para formar e inspirar, permitirá a los asistentes adquirir nuevas perspectivas de la mano de reputados expertos en la elaboración de cerveza y la destilería, así como intercambiar ideas con colegas venidos de todo el mundo.

Entre el elenco de destacados conferenciantes se encuentra Chris Morris, maestro destilador de Brown-Forman Corporation. Morris ha dedicado toda su carrera profesional a la industria del bourbon y actualmente es la persona responsable de preservar el sabor de los afamados y galardonados whiskies de las destilerías Woodford Reserve y Old Forester.

La sesión dedicada a la cerveza y la destilería de ONE18 incluirá:

• Las tendencias recreativas en la cerveza artesanal > El mercado de la cerveza artesanal está cambiando y las tendencias recreativas van a irrumpir con fuerza en todas las cervecerías ¿Cómo se regulan las bebidas alcohólicas cuando se combinan con cafeína? ¿Cuándo será obligatorio incluir en el etiquetado la información nutricional? ¿Buscará el consumidor preocupado por la salud opciones más “light”? Acompáñanos para explorar todas las oportunidades.
• Pasado, presente y futuro de la ginebra > La ginebra está viviendo su momento de gloria gracias a unas ventas espectaculares. Conoce una breve historia de este licor y lo que le depara el futuro a la industria. Descubre también la experiencia de un productor especializado en cultivar ingredientes aromáticos para elaborar ginebra y cómo logra hacer que cada ginebra sea distinta. Participa, además, en la cata de varios estilos de ginebra y cócteles artesanales organizada por nuestro equipo especializado en licores.
• Licores en plena agitación > ¿Qué se necesita para crear una nueva tendencia en el marketing de las bebidas alcohólicas? La irrupción de Lush Life Productions supuso un profundo cambio en la relación de las empresas licoreras con los bármanes y consumidores. ¿Es el marketing basado en la formación el futuro de la venta de licores? Descúbrelo de la mano de una de las voces cantantes de la industria y averigua cómo está transformando el panorama del marketing de licores.

*Temas sujetos a cambios.

ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference es el lugar para aprender de la mano y conocer a algunas de las mentes más brillantes en liderazgo empresarial. El impresionante escenario principal de este añocontará con la presencia de Jack Welch, legendario ex presidente y ex director ejecutivo de General Electric incluido en 2017 por la revista Forbes en la lista de “las 100 mentes vivas más importantes del mundo de los negocios”, y con el profesor Robert Wolcott de la Universidad del Noroeste, colaborador habitual de Forbes y autor de “Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation”.

La conferencia de Alltech, que alcanza su 34ª edición, acoge anualmente a cerca de 4000 participantes de más de 70 países. Tanto para los ganaderos ávidos de un cambio radical en el sector del vacuno de carne como para los que simplemente necesitan un poco de inspiración, ONE18 supondrá una plataforma para descubrir oportunidades y soluciones de la vida real. Regístrate en one.alltech.com.

Para sacarle el máximo partido a la experiencia, animamos a los asistentes a la conferencia a que acudan a Lexington con el tiempo suficiente para visitar la Feria anual de alimentos y cerveza artesanal de Alltech, que se celebrará el 19 de mayo en la sala Heritage del centro de convenciones de la ciudad. La feria, que supone el pistoletazo de salida de la conferencia ONE18, reunirá a las mejores cervecerías de la industria, con más de 60 cerveceros que presentarán un total de 200 cervezas distintas. 

El público podrá saciar su apetito en los puntos de restauración locales que se instalarán y la música en vivo animará la jornada de una de las mayores ferias de cerveza artesanal de la región. Las entradas pueden adquirirse a partir del 2 abril, con la posibilidad de obtener un descuento durante un tiempo limitado. Para obtener más información y comprar las entradas, visite us.alltechbrewsandfood.com.

WHAT: “Racing to the Future: Using Genomics to Improve Horse Health” will reveal the latest findings in groundbreaking research that studies the genetic traits driving horse health and performance. The discussion will explore how genomic research offers a better understanding of breeds, disease resistance and treatment. Equestrians, scientists and the merely curious are invited to gain a better understanding of the equine genetics field. The lecture is free and open to the public.

WHO: Dr. Samantha Brooks, noted equine researcher, headlines this exploration of the use of genomics tools to improve horse health. Brooks currently serves as assistant professor of equine physiology in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, and she previously oversaw the equine biology and management course at Cornell University. A lifelong horse enthusiast, Brooks followed her passion into equine research. After earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural biotechnology from the University of Kentucky, she remained at UK to study at the Gluck Equine Research Center and earned a Ph.D. in veterinary science.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE: Mitchell Fine Arts Center, Transylvania University

MORE: This event is part of Down to a Science, a lecture series presented by Alltech and Transylvania University. The collaboration aims to make science accessible and relatable for everyone, promoting a scientific dialogue within the local community. For more information, contact Julie Martinez at jmartinez@transy.edu or (859) 281-3617. Follow the event page on Facebook.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – McCauley’s, Alltech and the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists (IAEJ) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 McCauley’s Alltech ‘A+’ Awards for outstanding coverage of international equestrian sport.

The ‘A+’ Journalism Awards were established in 2010 by Alltech, in collaboration with the IAEJ, to reward creativity, passion and excellence in equestrian journalism. Initially the focus of the awards program was coverage of the 2010 and 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The theme for the 2017 contest was “Partnership.”

The winners of the 2017 McCauley’s Alltech ‘A+’ Award are:

PHOTO: Shannon Brinkman, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., for her photo of Laura Graves and Verdades, published in The Chronicle of the Horse, July 22, 2017.

• Jennifer Bryant received an honorable mention for her photo of para rider Katie Jackson and Royal Dancer.

ARTICLE: Suzy Jarratt, Arcadia, New South Wales, Australia, for the article "The Unusual Benefit of Horses", first published in Equestrian News & Lifestyle, December 2017.

BROADCAST: Jenni Autry, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, U.S., for "It's The World's Biggest CCI3 Boekelo Preview Show", broadcast on EventingPodcast.com on October 2, 2017.

Each of the winners receives a McCauley’s Alltech ‘A+’ Award trophy and a $500 (U.S.) prize.

The highly competitive contest, which attracted entries from around the world, was judged by Grania Willis, FEI communications director; Alan Smith, former Daily Telegraph equestrian correspondent, and long-time Horse & Hound photographer and Silver Camera award winner, Trevor Meeks. The judges deliberated without knowing the names of the contestants.

“It is a delight to continue to honor the creative storytellers within the equestrian world,” said Susanna Elliott, head of communications at Alltech. “They captivate us with their words, mesmerize us with their photos and draw us into a deeper understanding and appreciation of the horse.”

“The IAEJ is extremely grateful to Alltech and McCauley’s for their continued recognition of the media and its contribution to equestrian sport,” said Pamela Young, IAEJ president. “The photo category was particularly hard fought this year with Jennifer Bryant’s photo of para rider Katie Jackson and Royal Dancer deserving of an honorable mention.”

El prestigioso certamen mundial "Young Scientist" de Alltech, dirigido a estudiantes universitarios de Ciencias Agropecuarias, anuncia sus finalistas regionales

• Seleccionado como finalista un estudiante de la Universidad de Catania (Italia) que actualmente asiste a la Facultad de Cork (Irlanda)
• Los ganadores del certamen "Científico joven" de Alltech se darán a conocer en ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18)

En unas pocas semanas, estudiantes de facultades y universidades de Ciencias Agropecuarias venidos de todo el mundo competirán al más alto nivel para alzarse con el ansiado premio por su investigación innovadora. Los finalistas de cada región a nivel global han sido seleccionados para participar en la edición de 2018 del programa "Young Scientist" de Alltech, el mayor certamen mundial universitario dedicado a las ciencias agropecuarias. Los nominados de este año, que alcanza su 13ª edición, proceden de 83 universidades de 28 países.

Los finalistas regionales asistirán a la semana de descubrimiento del programa "Científico joven" de Alltech, que se celebrará en el marco de la conferencia ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18) del 20 al 22 de mayo en Lexington (Kentucky), y tendrán la oportunidad de presentar su investigación ante un panel de jueces internacionales. El programa también ofrece capacitación en materia de liderazgo, tutorización de la trayectoria profesional y oportunidades de networking. El pregrado seleccionado como ganador del certamen recibirá una beca completa para cursar un doctorado y un premio en metálico de 5000 $, mientras que el graduado premiado obtendrá una beca completa para un postdoctorado y una recompensa en metálico de 10 000 $.

Los graduados finalistas de cada región y el tema de su artículo de investigación son:

Saheed Salami, Universidad de Catania (Italia), actualmente en la Facultad de Cork (Irlanda)

• "Harina de cardo como materia prima novedosa: efecto sobre el rendimiento de los corderos, el funcionamiento del rumen y la calidad de la carne"

Yanli Liu, Universidad de Gestión Forestal y Agrícola del Noroeste (China)

• "La metabolómica y la proteómica permiten evidenciar los efectos del ácido fólico sobre el metabolismo de los lípidos en los hepatocitos primarios de pollo (el ácido fólico regula el metabolismo lipídico mediado por el IGF2)"

Moisés Poli, Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina (Brasil)

• "Integración del camarón blanco del Pacífico y la tilapia del Nilo en un sistema Biofloc con distintas densidades de cultivo"

Zili Gao, Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst (Estados Unidos)

• "Las proteínas de choque térmico 70 son una diana novedosa de la nobiletina y sus metabolitos colónicos en la inhibición de la carcinogénesis del colon"

Los pregrados finalistas de cada región y el tema de su artículo de investigación son:

Evgeny Remizov, Universidad Agraria Estatal de Saratov (Rusia)

• "Péptidos antimicrobianos como base del desarrollo de una nueva medicación antimicrobiana"

Shenfei Long, Universidad Agrícola de China (China)

• "La suplementación de la dieta con microalgas enriquecidas en DHA mejora el rendimiento, la composición del suero, las características de la canal, el estado antioxidante y el perfil de ácidos grasos de los pollos de carne"

Juan Bol, Universidad EARTH, Costa Rica

• "Evaluación de los productos resistentes inducidos para mejorar la salud de las raíces y el control de nematodos fitoparásitos en plantaciones comerciales de bananos"

Ronald Trotta, Universidad de Kentucky (EE. UU.), actualmente en la Universidad Estatal de Dakota del Norte (EE. UU.)

• "Efectos de la fuente y el nivel de suplementación energética de la dieta sobre la digestión de la fibra y la producción de metano in vitro en dietas a base de festuca alta"

"El programa "Young Scientist" de Alltech brinda una oportunidad única en la vida a las mentes más brillantes y talentosas que formarán parte de la próxima generación de líderes científicos en ciencias agropecuarias", señaló el Dr. Karl Dawson, vicepresidente y director científico de Alltech. "Los finalistas regionales presentarán su investigación ante una audiencia internacional y el pregrado y graduado ganadores del certamen tendrán la oportunidad de unirse a nuestro equipo global".

Para más información sobre el programa "Young Scientist" de Alltech, visite AlltechYoungScientist.com y siga conectado a través de la página de formación de Alltech en Facebook.

Alltech Crop Science, una división de Alltech, se complace en anunciar su participación en ExpoLevante, que tendrá lugar del 18 al 20 de abril, se ha convertido en un referente dentro de la agricultura del Levante almeriense.

Los expertos de Alltech Crop Science, ubicados en el Pabellón 2 stand 36, ofrecerán recomendaciones sobre cómo optimizar la producción de sus cultivos, tanto en términos de rendimiento como de calidad. La feria será el escaparate perfecto para mostrar los productos y las soluciones naturales libres de residuos que proporcionan a los productores de todo el mundo para afrontar los retos agronómicos y hortícolas actuales.

Nuestra gama de productos naturales es también apta para la producción ecológica de acuerdo con el Reglamento (CE) Nº 834/2007.

Los ensayos llevados a cabo en colaboración con Ideagroanalizan la producción de cultivos intensivos y permiten a Alltech identificar así los fundamentos científicos que explican la mejora del rendimiento y de la calidad. En medio de este entorno siempre cambiante, proporcionar a los cultivos un catalizador del crecimiento en el momento preciso puede marcar una gran diferencia para los productores.

Alltech Crop Science se esfuerza por dotar a los cultivos de los nutrientes esenciales que necesitan para ser sostenibles.Gracias a los bioestimulantes y a los fertilizantes naturales de Alltech, los cultivos son más robustos y resistentes. Las plantas más sanas presentan un mayor contenido de azúcares y la producción se vuelve más uniforme en tamaño y color, lo que mejora su rendimiento comercial.

Alltech Crop Science, que desde 1994 ha investigado 69 tipos de cultivos diferentes en 29 países, cuenta con una fuerte presencia regional en Europa, América del Norte, América Latina, Oriente Medio, África y Asia. Debido a la mayor demanda de estudios en el campo de las ciencias agrícolas, Alltech está ampliando sus instalaciones europeas de investigación en Irlanda para respaldar los ensayos en curso. Los estudios europeos proporcionan a Alltech una mayor comprensión de las necesidades actuales de los cultivos. El objetivo de Alltech Crop Science es acercar la ciencia a la sostenibilidad, naturalmente. El programa de investigación de Alltech Crop Science impulsará la innovación para mejorar la rentabilidad y la sostenibilidad de los productores de cultivos intensivos.

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Dr. Anna Catharina Berge, veterinarian and owner of Berge Veterinary Consulting. Click below to hear the full interview:

Dr. Anna Catharina Berge, owner of Berge Veterinary Consulting BVBA, is a veterinarian with extensive knowledge and skills combining real-life animal husbandry with epidemiological perspectives of animal and public health challenges. Berge joins Tom Martin from Vosselaar, Belgium, to discuss the use of, and alternatives to, antibiotics in pig production.

Tom:                          Let’s begin with pig production. Is antimicrobial use in pig production a real threat?

Catharina:                 All antimicrobial use has the potential to increase antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. Antimicrobials are really vital to humans and animals to protect against bacteria that can cause disease or death. Antimicrobial resistance is threatening the efficacy of these valuable drugs to treat bacterial disease. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in 2014 that the antimicrobial resistance situation is so serious that we are entering a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can kill. This is far from being an apocalyptic fantasy — it’s a very real possibility for the 21^st century. This is not just some journalists writing up some fearful scenario. This was the WHO. So, it is a real threat.

                                 Microbial resistance in pig production is usually a consequence of decades of antibiotic use for disease prophylaxis or growth promotion. The antibiotics administered are not completely absorbed by the animals. If you’re giving an antibiotic to an animal, 30 to 90 percent of those antibiotics are actually excreted through the urine or feces. The antibiotics can reach the source through medical waste, improper drugs or even from dust from pens in barns. These antibiotic residues can also impact the environment and disturb the delicate ecological balance.

                                 Antibiotic-resistant bacteria may also spread into a virus through other mechanisms. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria may also spread to humans through food or through the environment. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria don't just disappear if we stop using antibiotics. They tend to linger. They’re easily created, but they don't tend to disappear quickly. Therefore, we need to do everything to not increase this pool of resistant disease that can spread between different types of bacteria. These resistant diseases can spread from bacteria that are not dangerous and just hanging around in our dust to those bacteria that are really causing disease and even death. If that resistant disease finds bacteria that cause death, then we have a bacterial disease that can’t be treated, and we may die from it. So, resistance is dangerous.

                                 Antibiotic resistance is also an increasing challenge on many pig farms because producers are noticing that good old antibiotics are not working any longer because bacteria become resistant to them. So, they use newer and newer antibiotics. And this newer antibiotic is what the WHO now calls critical antibiotics, those that we want to maintain to treat humans against dangerous disease, so we’re building up resistance to all of these newer antibiotics. The problem is, there are really no new antibiotics created today. The pharmaceutical industry has stopped investing in the research and development of new antibiotic drugs, so we're running out of good drugs to treat bacteria.

Tom:                          You have noted that herd-level immunity, individual pig gut health, systemic immunity, nutritional status, stress levels, and environmental conditions all interact. Why is it important to understand these interactions?

Catharina:                 No animal, organ or cell works in isolation. They all work closely together and, hopefully, in harmony. They all influence each other. So, a pig, furthermore, is living within a very complex production system where you have various factors that can influence its health and productivity. So, unless you take the whole system into account and evaluate this whole system, you don't really know the cost of a disease or why the pig is not doing well. You may think the cause is something other than disease, but it’s really the disease as a consequence of the production system.

                                    Our production systems have not been optimized for what the pig needs and what we want from the pig. We are trying to adapt the pig to our production systems instead of adapting our systems to the pig. This is creating a problem, and one of the solutions has been to medicate with antibiotics.

Tom:                          What challenges do antibiotics pose to the gut health of pigs and livestock?

Catharina:                 Antibiotics can prevent bacteria from reproducing or destroy bacteria. These antibiotics don't differentiate between bacteria that are good for the body and those that are potentially harmful. Some antibiotics work on different threats to the bacteria and some can work against a lot of bacteria types. Others work against just a few.

                                 Many of these antibiotics are used in the feed in pig production for extended periods of time. They have what we call a broad spectrum. They work against a lot of different bacteria. An example of such is tetracycline. These antibiotics can modify the gut flora and reduce diversity of the bacteria in the gut. Therefore, many good bacteria that are helping in many different ways are killed. Some harmful bacterial also are killed, but when the good gut flora is destroyed, then the pathogenic, harmful bacteria have a bigger chance to reproduce and attack the intestinal lining, maybe even invade the body and cause disease. It’s really essential to create a good microbial flora in the pig, and these antibiotics can actually work against them in that way.

Tom:                          Globally, farmers are now showing that it is possible to reduce antimicrobial use without sacrificing performance in health. A key focus has been placed on gut health. Why is gut and intestinal health in pigs so important?

Catharina:                 It’s key to a healthy animal. The gut is responsible for the digestion and absorption of nutrients that are necessary for the whole body to function properly. Through the food ingested, the pig gets energy — macronutrients and micronutrients — to fuel and support the functions of every single cell in the body. So, if the gut is not working, then the pig’s overall health will suffer.

                                  It’s in the gut that the immune system encounters many potential pathogens that are harmful bacteria. These need to be stopped before they start destroying the intestinal linings or invade the body. In the gut, we have the most immune cells of the whole body. This immunity has high requirements for energy and nutrients and must be in top shape for protecting the pig. If you don't have good gut health, then the immune system doesn't have enough energy to do good work.

                                 A healthy gut, furthermore, has a microflora of bacteria that participates in the digestion of many nutrients. These healthy gut microflora also prevent pathogens from growing and invading intestinal cells. This microflora shows a high level of diversity, and every bacteria species influence each other. So, the healthy gut microflora is also critical to a healthy gut.

Tom:                          What do you think will be the best measures to reduce antibiotic use?

Catharina:                 I like the holistic approach. The best measure to decrease antibiotic use is to optimize the production system and nutrition to better meet the pig’s basic needs.

                                 A first step is to create awareness of the consequences of our antibiotic medicating system and motivate people to change. It’s important for producers to understand that reductions in antibiotic use can be made without compromising the health of the animal or their productivity. But it requires an evaluation of the whole production system and nutrition to identify the weaknesses in every single system because every single system we enter is different.

                                 The easiest part to change is nutrition for the pig and making sure that it’s correct for every single stage of its life and that the pig is not exposed to high levels of bacteria or mycotoxins in the feed and the water. Thereafter, we are starting to look at management changes and housing changes to meet the physiological needs of the animals and protect them from disease from inside and outside the unit. That’s also called “biosecurity,” and that's very important. Thereafter, we need to start looking at how we can boost immunity so that the pig is then able to meet all the challenges.

Tom:                          Among the farms you are working with, what percentage of reduction do you think is realistically achievable?

Catharina:                 I would say most farmers across the world are still using a lot of antibiotics prophylactically to prevent disease, or they use it for growth promotion. And I believe that all of that use can stop. There, again, there has to be a motivation of the producer to change. But, in general, if we go onto a farm, a realistic goal we usually can see without too much of a challenge is a 50 percent reduction in antimicrobial use already within the first year.

Tom:                          What are the components that should be included in any antibiotic reduction program?

Catharina:                 There was a philosopher in 1850 that said if you don't record it, you can’t improve it. So, you have to have an antibiotic use registration system and you have to evaluate it. It’s not enough just to jot down a few notes in a book somewhere. You have to evaluate. Then you have to set targets. You have to ask, “How can I achieve this reduction with those targets?” You need to look at the appropriate nutrition for every single stage of production. All the pigs, based upon where they are and how old they are, have different needs. You need to have appropriate nutrition. You also have to have very good, quality feeds — low microbial levels and low mycotoxin levels. Then you need to look at the management level. How are you moving the pigs around the system? Are you weaning them too young? Are you stressing them at different phases by mixing litters, and so on? So, management systems are very important.

                                 Housing systems need to be evaluated. Many times, we have pigs in old systems where it’s really not optimized for holding them, and we may need to consider rebuilding on a long-term scale.

                                 A very important part is biosecurity. Biosecurity is what we call “disease protection.” You need to protect the animals from disease that is found inside the uterus. That’s called “internal biosecurity.” You also need to protect the pigs from diseases that are not on the farm currently, but could be introduced by animals, vehicles and people. That’s called “external biosecurity,” and that's very important.

                                  You also need to be able to correctly diagnose and treat the clinical diseases in the best way. People don’t always understand what they're seeing and how it should be best treated.

                                 And of course, we have the alternatives to antibiotics that are valuable tools to support health and productivity. We have products that can support microflora in the gut and optimize the strength of the gut lining such as Bio-Mos® and Actigen®.

                                 We have alternatives to boost immunity. Vaccines, for example, are vital to protect the pigs against many diseases. Organic minerals are important to boost the immune system and help the immune system work optimally. So, all of those components are appropriate and are very important to consider in a program.

Tom:                          You have suggested that the goal to reduce antibiotic use should be rephrased to a goal to produce healthy production systems. How do producers look at this challenge as an opportunity instead of a threat?

Catharina:                 Well, I think for that exact reason: Health is not a threat. It’s something we all strive for, whether in our bodies, a healthy business, healthy ecosystem or healthy planet. And producers are realizing more and more that diseases are costly. Furthermore, there is no joy in working with sick animals. Honestly, I have yet to meet a pig producer that tells me that he or she wants to use antibiotics. It’s rather that they believe it's necessary to prevent disease. When we start showing that we can remove the antibiotics without suffering productivity losses or increased diseases, then they start seeing the possibility of moving toward a more sustainable production.

Tom:                          Can you expand on the practical measures a pig operation could implement to develop a healthy production system?

Catharina:                 I would recommend any pig producer that wants to develop a healthy production system seek out a team of experts: consultants, nutritionists and veterinarians who can evaluate the whole system. That is what we call a “whole herd audit.” This audit usually takes at least a day. Based upon this initial audit, there will be various points to address, whether in housing, management, nutrition or disease treatment. You start setting up the concrete plan of what major issues to address and what targets to achieve.

                                  Everyone involved in production, as well as nutritionists and veterinarians, needs to be involved in an antimicrobial reduction plan. Once you’ve set up this plan and you start implementing, it's really important that you have a very good follow-up. Therefore, you should have regular audits to monitor the progress, create accountability for effort and set up new achievable targets as necessary. Alltech has actually developed such a holistic antimicrobial reduction audit.

Tom:                          What is the future of antibiotic use in the pig industry?

Catharina:                 I hope that the pig industry will move toward reducing antibiotics very quickly so that the consumers are not forcing them to completely ban all antibiotics. The future of antibiotic use, as I see it, is that antibiotics will be available for individual treatment of sick pigs or serve a metaphylactic use in the exceptional cases. But all prophylaxis or regular continual use such as growth promotion is stopped.

Tom:                          In the past couple of years, we've seen some significant increases in the presence of mycotoxins in haylage, barlage and silage. Why are mycotoxins important to consider when we're talking about antibiotic reduction?

Catharina:                 Mycotoxins are produced in various unfavorable conditions. As you mentioned, we see them more and more emergent in all our feed sources. They’re very toxic compounds, and they can impact both immunity and health. There are various types of mycotoxins present in most feeds in various levels. We have seen in audits of many pig producers that an underlying reason for poor health and productivity is a high level of mycotoxin exposure.

Tom:                          What kind of effects do mycotoxins have on pigs?

Catharina:                 That is one of the problems — that people don't realize that they have a mycotoxin challenge in their production because the signs are very subtle and diffused. There are various symptoms that the producer does not recognize. Some of these symptoms are, for example, poor feed efficiency, suboptimal growth, digestive distress, various disease problems and poor reproductive performance. Mycotoxins have strong immune suppressors, and that’s one of the reasons why we see more and more disease and why the pigs are susceptible to disease.

                                 All of these mycotoxins — there are many — have different modes of action. But there’s seldom just one mycotoxin present in the feed. There’s usually multiple. When they’re working together, sometimes they can have an additive effect, but sometimes they will have a multiplicative effect. The gut and immune system are first to encounter the mycotoxins once ingested. We have talked about the importance of gut health and antimicrobial reduction audits and programs. It’s essential to address this risk as an aspect of the reduction program. We have always seen in our antimicrobial reduction audits that when we go in and address these mycotoxin challenges and feed through the inclusion of a good broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder such as Mycosorb®, then we see improved productivity.

Tom:                          What consumer demands are driving significant changes in the industry?

Catharina:                 Consumers have high demands on the industry. Today’s consumers want food from animals from a sustainable, animal-friendly system. They also want food from animals that have not been medicated with antibiotics. We have seen that consumers are actually willing to pay a higher price for meat produced without antibiotics.

                                  Animal welfare is another area that has a very high importance for consumers. Measures such as tail docking and castration are increasingly questioned. Since these interventions are often coupled with an antibiotic injection, systems where castration and tail docking are not necessary will have reduced antimicrobial use. Tail docking has been performed to reduce the incidence of tail biting in group-housed pigs. If the animal environment is improved, it is possible to rear pigs with their tails intact. That is the case in Sweden, where tail docking is banned.

                                  An improved group housing system will reduce antimicrobial use in growing pigs. Another area is the group housing for gestating sows, so they don’t stand locked up in small crates all their life. This is also highly desirable by consumers. This also optimizes the health and strength of these sows, and they can rear healthier piglets. The animal welfare requests of consumers contribute to healthy animals that do not need antibiotics. 

Tom:                          Dr. Cat Berge of Berge Veterinary Consulting BVBA in Vosselaar, Belgium. Thank you so much for joining us.

Have a question or comment?

Los productores ganaderos intentan constantemente bajar la tasa de conversión alimenticia (FCR) de su ganado para mejorar la productividad. Con una FCR de 6,4:1; a veces el ganado se compara con los pollos en cuanto a su eficiencia, FCR 2,1:1.

Algunos argumentan que comparar las tasa de conversión alimenticia de los pollos y las vacas es como comparar manzanas con peras, y es justo. Sin embargo, incluso cuando se comparan las eficiencias del ganado lechero con las del ganado de carne, las tasas del ganado de carne sigue siendo bajas. Si el ganado de carne fuera metabólicamente eficiente como las vacas lecheras, entonces, por extrapolación, el ganado de carne alcanzaría un peso de aproximadamente 2 toneladas a los dos años de edad. Esto es claramente irrazonable.

Las ineficiencias en la industria contribuyen a la pérdida de beneficios, pero ¿es posible que la industria de ganado de carne sea más eficiente?

El profesor Maurice Boland, director europeo de investigación en Alltech, cree que el ganado de carne tiene el potencial de mejorar la FCR. El proceso correcto, únicamente, se implementa con la ayuda de las herramientas adecuadas. 

Moviéndonos hacia el objetivo de la eficiencia en la ganadería

Para que el ganado sea más eficiente, son necesarios menos días de alimentación y menos alimento por día, al mismo tiempo se deben alcanzar los pesos deseados de la canal. La genómica parece ser la mejor herramienta para lograr estos objetivos; sin embargo, todavía queda mucho trabajo por hacer en la genómica para el ganado de carne.

"Si bien la genómica ha logrado una mejora significativa en los rebaños lecheros, será más fácil decirlo que hacerlo para lograr el mismo resultado en los rebaños de carne, debido a la variación de animal en animal", comentó Boland.

El blanco: Encontrando los objetivos reproductivos

Si bien la genómica está mejorando, el trabajo reciente está contribuyendo a una mejor comprensión sobre cómo mejorar el proceso de reproducción.

Los siguientes son algunos de los objetivos reproductivos para el ganado de carne, recolectados de una publicación reciente¹ por Michael G. Diskin y David A. Kenny del Departamento de Investigación y Biosciencia Animal en el Centro de Investigación e Innovación de Teagasc Animal & Grassland. Estos objetivos reproductivos sugieren que, para lograr una producción óptima:

• Los intervalos de parto deben ser de 365 días o menos.
• Menos del 5 por ciento de las vacas deben ser sacrificadas por infertilidad.
• La edad al primer parto debe ser de 24 meses.
• Debería haber una tasa de reemplazo entre 16 a 18 por ciento.

Para determinar si el ambiente en el útero (in utero) tuvo efectos significativos en la salud posnatal, Alexander Evans, decano de agricultura y jefe de la Facultad de Agricultura y Ciencias de los Alimentos en University College Dublin, en un estudio separado² examinó los efectos de la nutrición en los folículos ováricos en el desarrollo fetal.

A 150 días, la mayoría de las novillas tendrán todos los folículos que tendrán. Evans alteró la nutrición de dos grupos de vacas que iban a ser inseminadas y continuó el plan nutricional durante una parte del embarazo. Los terneros resultantes no difirieron en peso al nacer ni en ninguna medida de tamaño, pero el grupo control, con el nuevo plan nutricional, tuvo un número de folículos ováricos significativamente más alto que aquellos provenientes de vacas que tuvieron su consumo de energía restringido durante los primeros 110 días del embarazo.

Un mayor número de folículos significa que los objetivos reproductivos establecidos por Diskin y Kenny son más alcanzables.

Fortalecimiento 

Otro estudio realizado por Giuliana Miguel-Pacheco³, asociada de investigación honoraria de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, mostró que la proteína cruda en el segundo trimestre aumentó significativamente el peso corporal en los terneros. Mientras que los pesos al nacer fueron solo un poco más altos, la proteína cruda aumentó la tasa de crecimiento de los terneros durante los primeros seis meses.

Boland es optimista acerca de las oportunidades que la programación nutricional prenatal podría presentar sobre las mejoras en la tasa de conversión alimenticia en el ganado vacuno.

"Creo que hay oportunidades que aun no hemos percibido, en relación con lo que está sucediendo en el período de embarazo", dijo. "Los mecanismos para aprovechar esa oportunidad están disponibles".

Vacas productivas

A pesar de que las mejoras en la eficiencia del ganado de carne, normalmente, parecen estar rodeadas de desafíos, estudios recientes indican la promesa de una programación nutricional prenatal. Cuanto más eficiente sea el ganado, más ganancias obtendrán los productores. La investigación continua, especialmente la investigación centrada en la nutrición in utero, tiene el potencial de convertir a cada vaca en una vaca productiva.

Referencias:

1. Diskin MG and Kenny DA. 2016. Managing the reproductive performance of beef cows. Theriogenology. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2016.04.052
2. Evans, Alexander & Mossa, Francesca & Fair, T & Lonergan, P & Butler, Stephen & Zielak-Steciwko, Anna & W Smith, G & Jimenez-Krassel, Fermin & K Folger, J & L H Ireland, J & J Ireland, J. (2010). Variation in the number of ovarian follicles in cattle: Possible causes and consequences. Society of Reproduction and Fertility supplement. 67. 421-9. 10.5661/RDR-VII-421
3. Miguel-Pacheco, G., Curtain, L., Rutland, C., Knott, L., Norman, S., Phillips, N., & Perry, V. (2017). Increased dietary protein in the second trimester of gestation increases live weight gain and carcass composition in weaner calves to 6 months of age. Animal, 11(6), 991-999. doi:10.1017/S1751731116002330

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, with any luck, the chill of winter is finally lifting, and grass is taking on a long-awaited healthy, green glow. You and your horses are likely chomping at the bit (pun intended) to head outside and take full advantage of the free buffet. But before you turn those ponies loose, ask yourself: Are you thinking strategically about pasture management?

Why utilize rotational grazing?

If horses are allowed to graze on one pasture continuously, they can quickly eat down the quality forage, leaving behind weeds and potentially bare ground. Given the choice, horses will selectively graze on their favorite plants and grasses and may completely neglect certain areas while overgrazing others. Whenever a plant is grazed on, it needs time to regenerate leaves and restore energy to its root system. If grazed on again before roots are re-energized, the plant grows weaker. If regularly overgrazed, the plant will ultimately die. Rotational grazing is meant to stop this cycle from taking place.

By utilizing rotational grazing, you could potentially double the amount of forage produced and salvage this precious resource, thereby saving a great deal on additional hay costs. This is because rotational grazing allows portions of pasture to rest and recover, particularly the most heavily grazed plants and grasses. A pasture can be divided into several segments to allow ample time for rested areas to grow back to a reasonable grazing height.

How do I begin a rotational grazing program?

The way you divide your pasture(s) will depend on several factors, including climate, soil fertility, rainfall/irrigation, drainage, types of plants and grasses, and number of horses grazing. Removing horses from an area when the grass has reached an approximate height of 3 to 4 inches (using a color-coded grazing stick can be very helpful) can prevent overgrazing from occurring and allow you to take advantage of the underutilized sections.

If you are transitioning a paddock to its rest period, you will need to remove manure, trim to an even height to encourage grasses to regrow uniformly and allow approximately three to four weeks’ rest. You’ll need at least four paddocks (1 to 2 acres per horse, per paddock) to maintain this schedule. Using more will allow for briefer grazing periods and increased rest, which is even better. A smart strategy is to keep a dry lot available and feed hay when longer rest periods are warranted.

You may also be wondering how long you should allow horses to graze on pasture sections. This will be dependent on the number of horses, length of daily turnout and size of the area, as well as the other factors mentioned previously. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one week’s use of each section but to monitor closely. Walking the pastures, preferably daily, will allow you to ensure that areas aren’t being overgrazed and to check that fencing is working properly. Temporary electric fencing is generally most effective for this strategy as it can be adjusted at any time. It is also worth noting that you should keep horses inside or in a dry lot during wet weather to prevent pasture damage from hooves.

What about water?

One challenge associated with rotational grazing is that we are often using automatic waterers and the question of accessibility comes into play. Obviously, you won’t be able to provide easy access to the waterer in all instances, so you may have to get creative when it comes to providing adequate water. Setting up temporary troughs, checking them often and moving them around the paddock(s) periodically can help to avoid creating particularly muddy areas or soft ground, which could lead to pasture damage.

Is rotational grazing worth the hassle?

I know what you’re thinking. This sounds like a lot of extra work, and that’s because it is. But the time, effort and commitment can truly pay off in the end, with the potential to increase forage quantity and quality, improve horse health, save money (less spent on hay) and decrease both you and your horses’ environmental footprint, making rotational grazing a very worthwhile endeavor.

I would like to learn more about horse health.

Derek Wawack, Alltech On-Farm Support forage specialist, has been a part of the company for over seven years and visits nearly 500 farms annually. Drawing from this experience, he explains the key things he looks for when inspecting a silage pile, and the steps farmers can take to avoid costly issues.

Safety

When I go on-farm for a bunker audit, the first thing I do is inspect the silage pile for any safety concerns. Large cracks, often found when there are two crops butted together, can come down, causing an avalanche or collapse. Are there overhangs? Tires falling down? Bales that could tip over? Always exercise extreme caution when around large piles.

Mold

Molds like Penicillium, Aspergillus and Fusarium are often found in corn silage and are common mycotoxin producers.

Colorations can help us identify molds, especially in corn silage. White-to-red/pinkish molds are Fusarium, or field-borne, molds. Blue-green molds are typically Penicillium, which is more often storage-related but can occur in the field under certain weather conditions. Aspergillus, which is very common in dry climates, is olive green to yellow in color.

When I observe large mold lines, I do not touch, inhale, grab or sample those areas. Many molds cause health issues to both animals and humans, and they can also produce a fair number of different mycotoxins.

In humans and animals, Penicillium mold alone can cause dermal irritation as well as gut health complications if ingested. Mycotoxins can also cause performance and reproductive problems.

Facing

Increased surface area permits more oxygen to penetrate the feed, triggering mold and yeast growth, which increases heating. We look for a smooth face, with little loose material at the base and edges. The proper facing and feed out equipment can help reduce shrinkage. A shaver provides a very smooth and clean face and can help reduce losses with proper management. Rakes or claws will cause tine marks, increasing surface area, but they do limit oxygen penetration during facing. Finally, bucket facing leads to a lot of oxygen penetration due to lifting the pile face.

Infrared inspection

Along with evaluating facing techniques, we utilize infrared cameras for hot spot detection on the piles. These cameras are used to look for areas of aerobic instability that could be due to yeast, mold, bacteria or even the management of facing practices. Shavers tend to not allow oxygen very deep into piles. Rakes and buckets can allow oxygen into the piles, resulting in quicker spoilage.

Other issues we see on infrared cameras are yeasts. Yeasts have a tendency to show up as a large bubble on the images and, being water soluble, will drain down the pile. Yeast can contaminate the top and then drain down through the face. In contrast, molds have a tendency to grow in a linear or spherical fashion. This means molds will stay more toward the top of the pile and will develop in lines.

Plastic

We also look at how well the plastic has been managed. Has it been pulled back too far? How many sheets are being used? Are the tires touching? Are the sides covered well and is the plastic pulled out with sand around the edges if it’s a drive-over pile? Or is it a bunker in which the plastic has been, at the very least, run down the walls and double overlaid?

Due to the curvature of the pile surface area, taking proper precautions and good management of the top of the pile can result in reducing up to a third of spoilage and oxygen penetration:

• Tires: You don’t want to see large spaces between tires; in fact, the tires should nearly be touching. For ease of weight and placement, side walls work the best and reduce water-holding capacity, which can encourage bugs and pathogens.
• Plastic: One black and white sheet with an oxygen barrier film, or two layers of black and white plastic, will protect the top of the forage from the elements and discourage animals from penetrating your feed.
• Cutting: Depending on height, conditions and other safety factors, try to keep the plastic cut 6 inches to 1 foot from the face edge. Two to three feet is common, but air, rain and other weather conditions can truly damage your forage when it is exposed to the elements.
• Treatment: Most spoilage occurs at the top of the pile, where the packing density isn’t as high. A mold inhibitor can help counter the impact of increased oxygen flow in this area.

Up to 60 percent of the average farm’s expenses are feed-related. By increasing the quality of your forage and reducing shrinkage, considerable cost savings can be achieved without even leaving the farm. To learn more about proper forage management, watch Pat Crowley, Alltech’s forage specialist, explain the “4 unwritten rules for great silage.”