While swine productivity and efficiency continue to increase, gases and odors from livestock operations persist and have become a severe problem, with social implications for many countries. Swine facilities are intrinsically associated with air pollutants and the emission of gases, such as ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases often have a negative impact on air quality, animal health and quality of life within and beyond these facilities.

Among these gases, ammonia is one of the most widely recognized because of both its prevalence and distinctive effects on animal well-being and pork production but also for its impact on the environment. Ammonia emission is a natural process produced by the anaerobic decomposition of animal waste; however, chronic exposure can lead to health problems and could subsequently affect animal performance, especially in a confined environment. Research published by Koerkamp et al. (1998) suggested that emissions of NH3 from sows and wean and finishing pigs ranged from 22 to 1,298 mg/h/animal. Additionally, environmental ammonia ranged from 5 to 30 ppm in swine confinements. While highly variable, concentrations over 20 ppm of NH3 can adversely impact the health of both workers and animals.

Where does ammonia come from?

Ammonia is released from the urea present in urine through the activity of waste-degrading microbes. Urea is formed by the kidneys and is utilized by the body to excrete nitrogen, which is essential for normal health.

Several management factors can contribute to poor indoor air quality and, subsequently, higher concentrations of ammonia, including damp bedding, lack of ventilation and nutritional factors, like overfeeding protein.

How does ammonia affect pigs?

Ammonia is a toxic gas that, when present in high concentrations, can easily become a chronic problem in the barn. Other documented effects associated with ammonia include tail-biting and respiratory diseases in pigs, but it can also lead to severe problems in human caretakers and can be detrimental for the environment.

Research conducted by Andreasin et al. (1994) suggested that even minimal exposure to ammonia can be harmful. For example, swine exposed to 50 ppm of ammonia for 20 minutes a day on just four occasions experienced reduced performance and decreased live bodyweight gain (between 37 and 90 kg) (Fig. 1) In addition, ammonia can seriously affect respiratory health and delay puberty, even at the low level of 20 ppm (Malayer et al. 1980).

Figure 1. Impact of ammonia concentration in swine performance (adapted from Andreasin et al. 1994. IPVS Proc.).

How does ammonia contribute to pollution?

Ammonia is the major alkaline component of the Earth’s atmosphere and can be found in water, soil and air. Ammonia impacts the environment through several different mechanisms, including by influencing air quality, odor, eutrophication, acidification and direct toxicity and also via indirect effects.

Ammonia pollution has a major impact on biodiversity, with nitrogen accumulation affecting the diversity and composition of plant species within affected habitats. Additionally, atmospheric nitrogen deposition has induced adverse effects in forest systems and eutrophication in several estuarine and coastal ecosystems.

How to reduce ammonia emissions in pig barns

A holistic approach is needed to improve indoor air quality in swine barns, from checking ventilation to providing the proper equipment to implementing nutritional strategies and manure management. Here are three areas to focus on for improving ventilation and reducing poor indoor air quality:

1. Determine that all fans are in working order. Clean fan blades and louvers and ensure that the fan motor and thermostat are in the proper condition.
2. Check that the curtains close securely, that debris and/or equipment are cleaned up and put away before snowfall, and that the propane tanks are examined for leaks.
3. Check air inlets and temperatures and test the supplemental heat sources inside of your buildings.

Additionally, many pork producers and animal feeding operations also utilize nutritional strategies and technologies in their feed, such as reducing the amount of crude protein or including Yucca schidigera (YS) plant extract in the diet, which can be used as an additive to consistently reduce adverse gas and odor emissions and decrease ammonia concentrations. Peer-reviewed data has shown that YS can reduce aerial ammonia levels by up to 50%.

Formulated from proprietary extracts of YS, De-Odorase® is a safe way to reduce and maintain low ammonia levels in pig barns. The evaluation of using De-Odorase® in swine housing units to control ammonia began in the early 1990s. Tuck (1991) reported that including De-Odorase® at 120 g per metric ton of finished feed reduced atmospheric ammonia by 50% and 65% during the weaning and growing phases, respectively, representing nearly one-third of the initial level. Colina et al. (2001) reported a reduction of 35% in aerial ammonia in nursery swine units after four weeks of dietary supplementation with De-Odorase (Fig. 2) 

A summary of peer-reviewed research supports the benefits of utilizing De-Odorase®, including:

• Decreased gases and odors (Ender et al., 1993; Vucemilo et al., 2004).
• Sustained pig respiratory system function (Monteiro et al., 2010; Vucemilo et al., 2004).
• Improved animal performance (Gombos, 1991; Ender et al., 1993; Power and Tuck, 1995; Panetta et al., 2006).
• Better working conditions for stockmen (Cole et al., 1998).

Figure 2. Aerial ammonia in nursery swine determined by aspiration tubes (Adapted from Colina et al., 2001. J. Anim. Sci.)

Controlling ammonia gas in pig production creates a healthier environment not only for the animal, but also for the producer.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my pig herd.

Derek Wawack works as Alltech’s dairy forage quality expert. He has consulted on farms throughout North America, focusing on everything from feed quality’s impact on animal performance to storage forage management and mold, yeast and mycotoxin management. He regularly visits farms for routine quality monitoring and to help with troubleshooting challenges.

You may wonder what a day in the life of an on-farm forage specialist looks like, so I’m here to share my story. The late founder of Alltech, Dr. Pearse Lyons, always said everyone is in sales, and that is very true.

We come from all types of backgrounds: Some grew up on farms; some didn’t. Some live far away; some live next door. I may not be a typical salesperson, selling products as I travel from farm-to-farm, as I’m more focused on providing a service and sharing information about products that can bring value to you as the end user.

Life on the road

My day may start a little different than most corporate salespeople, but similar to them, I spend more than 100 nights a year in hotels across the country. I wake up hoping to catch the free continental breakfast if I didn’t have a 3 a.m. farm visit scheduled, as we all know when working with animals: They don’t understand clocks. My truck is my office, and it greets me each morning with a smell I can’t really put a finger on, even though it is thoroughly cleaned each week if not daily. Sometimes the hotel will even leave a hose and bucket out for me when I arrive. My driver’s seat has a perfect fit to my backside, as I crank out 50,000-plus miles per year down the highways and gravel roads meeting new people, visiting customers and seeing the country through the windshield.

A typical day for me will include multiple farm visits and many miles on the road. The first farm could be a forage audit where I’ll be checking the overall quality of the feed for the cows. This would be scheduled as a routine visit, and I’ll stop by every few months to make sure the feed going to the cows is clean and the cows are performing to the best level they can with what they have. I’ll spend some time evaluating the forages, looking and digging through feedstuffs looking for potential issues. We use correct infrared (IR) imaging for organic material to look for invisible hot spots, such as the growth of molds and yeast. I may have to shake out the forages or TMR to check processing and take manure samples to compare how the diets look to how it comes out the back end. After a brief talk with the owner of the operation about production and the upcoming harvest, samples may need to be pulled and sent off to the various labs to look deeper for any issues.

Expecting the unexpected

The next stop may be last-minute and unscheduled, as a vet or nutritionist saw my truck at the gas station and needs a second set of eyes on why a group of cows had a hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) outbreak or a butterfat crash, or maybe weights on the feedlot steers took a slump and the pens are all getting loose and they went off-feed. Troubleshooting has become a big part of my day-to-day work. Spending many years watching, learning and working with other experts and understanding why certain contaminated feeds cause specific issues, you become an expert your customers can call on and trust. Now sometimes Mother Nature can throw a curve ball into feed quality, and that’s where all the travel can come into play. I have been fortunate to see things all over the continent, even the world, and work with an extensive group of international colleagues, so when an issue arises that may not be common in your area, and suddenly it is, hopefully I can be of help.

After a busy morning and a few farm visits, it’s lunchtime. Sometimes I’ll enjoy lunch at a small-town cafe with good home-cooking instead of fast food, and sometimes I’ll be joined by a manager, vet, nutritionist and/or other experts for a working lunch to discuss challenges and issues we’ve been seeing.

Part-time pilot

After lunch, I’m off to fly a drone. I have been flying drones commercially for over three years, focused on forage inventories and crop quality checks. Working with cloud computing systems, I utilize high-end technology and bring it to the farm level to gain a better understanding of silage tons in a pile or shrinkage from harvest on. Then, while I’m at the farm, the owner might mention they are planning an expansion and are wondering if they need to build a bigger feed pad, what the layout should be and what can fit. After taking measurements, 3D modeling and elevations with the drone, I can put together a plan for future feed pad needs.

After leaving that farm, I realize I haven’t had a great cell signal all day and, as I make my way down the road to the new hotel for the night, a bunch of phone calls, voicemails and emails from multiple time zones come in, so I start returning calls. The day doesn’t end with a late arrival to the hotel because all of the work that went into today now has to be recorded and sent back in reports and follow-ups to the customers. Cows need milking, cattle need growing, and time doesn’t stop to get the needed information out to each operation.

At the end of the day, I hope the services and information I share can bring some value and support to your farm. Your livelihood is in your operation and your animals, and if it wasn’t for hard-working producers, our tables would be empty. You are the ones who grow the food to feed the world, and I can’t imagine doing anything else other than working with the greatest folks out there, you the farmer.

Originally published by Progressive Forage.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my dairy.

Global aquaculture has come a long way since people first began fish farming. Over the years, improvements in management systems and aquaculture feed mean that we can now produce more food than ever before. However, with the demand for food fish rising alongside a growing global population, the future will see further changes in this industry. Here are some of the current main developments that will define the next steps in aquaculture’s legacy.

Increased application of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are not a new topic. This farming method has been around since the 1980s and used intensively in the Atlantic salmon industry for many years. However, it has taken the rest of the aquaculture industry almost 20 years to embrace it.

There are several reasons why RAS is the future, but the primary reasons are:

• Sustainability
• Efficiency

To operate a successful RAS, feed must be optimized to increase palatability, reduce water pollution and allow both the system and the fish perform at their best. As RAS facilities are land-based operations, there is reduced pressure on pond/sea stocks. Also, advancements have been made to recycle existing water in these facilities, preventing a further drain on resources.

Further developments in this area have seen the development of RAS systems for shrimp, revolutionizing shrimp farming by allowing more controlled environments and easing long-term environmental challenges. Furthermore, we are seeing a shift in governmental legislation and movement from cage farming for environmental reasons, such as maintaining freshwater quality and protecting wild fish populations, including aquatic plants and animals. This implies a very strong future for RAS.

Removing fishmeal and fish oil from aquaculture feed

Feed, essentially, provides energy and nutrients to support the development of each species, but the fish has no preference regarding how the energy and nutrients are sourced. The percentage of fishmeal in aquatic diets has significantly reduced since 2000, and the move from fishmeal and fish oil for many fish species is not very far away. Plant proteins and other ingredients can replace the fishmeal component in fish food. However, they are majorly constrained by issues of low digestibility. Formulations must be highly digestible, and each ingredient must add value and enrichment to the diet to impact performance. Utilizing enzymes in aquafeed can help fish and shrimp digest feed better to support a healthy digestive system and help increase cost-efficiency.

Choosing a feed that is right for your farm means you could potentially:

• Use less feed
• Improve production
• Improve output
• Reduce environmental impact

Unfortunately, there is a hidden risk when increasing the quantity of plant-based raw materials on aquaculture farms. Mycotoxin contamination is known as a silent enemy for producers as it is visibly difficult to detect. Long-term ingestion of feed with low/acute or high exposure levels can be a reason for poor growth and unexplained mortalities on fish farms. Correct management at all relevant production points is crucial in handling this threat. Feed supplements can also help negate the effects of mycotoxins in the digestive tract and prevent them from being absorbed by the body.

Additionally, logistics are increasing at an alarming rate. This provides an opportunity to improve sustainable practices and become less dependent on imports. The quality team at Alltech Coppens has focused on sourcing quality local ingredients and adapting the formulations to suit these conditions and provide the most benefit to the fish.

Advancements in feed formulation, a significant move to net energy formulations

Feed production must be efficient and cost-effective for the producer. To produce a feed that can provide the fish with optimal energy levels for production, understanding the digestibility parameters of each raw material is crucial.

The gross energy is the total energy is available in the feed to the animal. When the animal digests feed, it uses digestible energy. Further energy will be lost due to metabolic processes, and what remains becomes net energy.

The fish can use net energy to grow and maintain its health status. Micronutrients are key to maximizing this growth, but their efficiency can vary. Recent research in the Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre has shown that metabolic energy losses can range from 30–40% if the feed is not correctly formulated, impacting the growth of the fish. Comparing the net energy of different types of feed, as well as considering palatability and sustainability, can help producers choose the best feed for performance.

A healthy gut is the key to success

Achieving optimal health status in fish is one of the main goals for aquaculturists. Disease and/or significant growth reduction will increase costs for the producer. Poor health status can account for some of the biggest losses in the fish farming industry.

At Alltech, we believe that a healthy gut is the key to success. A healthy gut can digest and absorb the maximum amount of nutrients. The intestinal microflora, gut morphology, immune system and nutrient uptake — plus how each of these elements interacts — all play a role in the health and performance of fish and shrimp. Animals in farmed environments also require essential nutrients to meet their basic nutritional needs. A fish’s skin, gut and gills are the primary points of interaction with external environmental factors that can impact its health. These organs must be protected, both internally and externally.

The more robust the animal, the less vulnerable it will be to stress throughout the production cycle, ensuring the highest levels of efficiency.

Potential stress factors to look out for include:

• The rigors of production
• Age
• Quality of the feed
• Temperature
• Salinity
• pH

Each of these can cause an imbalance in the gut, leading to increased disease susceptibility. The subsequent adverse effects on growth rates and immunity can then have negative financial impacts. Protecting their health will provide the most benefit to the farmer.

Sustainability

Providing food security for future generations requires careful management of our present environment. Sustainable aquaculture is the solution; the FAO announced that by 2030, 60% of food fish will come from aquaculture. The environment needs to be considered in every aspect of production. If we truly understand the needs of fish, quantify the different necessary micronutrients and analyze the composition of feces, we can better understand how to improve water quality.

Poor water quality leads to environmental impacts and economic losses that can be avoided by carefully selecting a balanced selection of supplements that support a healthy culture system and environments for the future. RAS environments and the move from marine-based ingredients, as discussed above, have made positive impacts, and all of these will provide access to sustainable marine protein sources for future generations.

I want to learn more about aquaculture nutrition.

Yeast supplementation is a common practice to improve the efficiency of feed utilization and performance in dairy cows. It is well-known that supplements containing live yeast can improve rumen fermentation and the digestive process by stabilizing rumen pH and stimulating the growth of beneficial microbial populations. These positive changes can be attributed to growth factors, including peptides, and the effect on the rumen anaerobiosis to create optimal conditions for the rumen microflora.

Good rumen function will ensure optimal feed intake and digestive efficiency in dairy cows, while poor rumen function can negatively impact feed intake, health and overall cow performance. Formulating the ration correctly and understanding how the individual ingredients in the ration work together can help keep the dairy cow’s rumen and digestive system functioning properly.

How can you ensure that good formulations will lead to the expected results?

Published research and decades of use in the field suggest that most dairy diets respond positively to Yea-Sacc^®, a yeast culture based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae that stimulates the growth of fiber-digesting and lactic acid-utilizing bacteria in the rumen. These microbial changes directly result in:

• A stable rumen pH, which is conducive to better fiber digestion and a reduced risk of rumen acidosis
• Improved feed intake
• Enhanced milk yield and components

However, not all formulation strategies react the same way. As a result, there may be instances in which supplementation with Yea-Sacc does not yield the expected results.

To quantify the efficacy of Yea-Sacc for improving rumen fermentation and nutrient utilization for specific dairy TMRs, allowing for greater precision when feeding Yea-Sacc, Alltech created the Alltech IFM™: Yea-Sacc^® Value Test (YSVT^®).

The response of dairy TMRs to Yea-Sacc supplementation may vary depending on the feedstuffs. Formulation models are limited in predicting the effects of non-nutritive feed additives on rumen fermentation, which limits the precision of ration formulation and the prediction of the efficacy of a given additive. A quick lab-based test that evaluates the potential of Yea-Sacc in a particular situation can help improve the nutritive value of a given TMR.

Building on Alltech IFM, an in vitro rumen fermentation model used to characterize feed digestion kinetics, YSVT is a unique approach to rumen fermentation analysis. Standard in vitro rumen simulation techniques are usually conducted over a shorter period spanning 48 to 72 hours of fermentation. As a result, these techniques do not allow for an accurate evaluation of the efficacy of yeast supplements, as the effects of yeast on rumen populations are not readily evident until supplements like Yea-Sacc have been included in the diet for at least 4 to 7 days.

As the animal adapts to the presence of Yea-Sacc in its diet, the rumen microbial population changes to comprise higher concentrations of fiber-digesting and lactate-utilizing bacteria. YSVT utilizes rumen fluid both from animals that have been adapted to Yea-Sacc and their counterparts that are fed the same basal ration without Yea-Sacc. This allows for the adequate adaptation of the rumen microbial populations to Yea-Sacc without the need for long-term incubation in the lab.

The YSVT test measures key fermentation indicators, including:

• Digestibility
• Lactic acid concentration
• Useful energy (i.e., energy produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates)
• Rumen energy efficiency (i.e., useful energy per pound of feed digested)

To date, more than 200 dairy TMRs have been analyzed using YSVT. More than 93% of the samples showed a positive response to Yea-Sacc supplementation in terms of useful energy and rumen energy efficiency, with an average response of +13%.

In approximately 50% of all samples, the increase in the useful energy released was not correlated with improvements in digestibility. This indicates that Yea-Sacc increases the efficiency by which feed nutrients are converted into useful energy for the animal, most likely through a more efficient and healthier microbiome. The lactic acid response was more variable, with more than 60% of the samples showing decreased concentration, indicating a reduced risk for a lower rumen pH and acidosis.

In conclusion, the YSVT helps nutritionists and producers understand the value of yeast in improving rumen fermentation. As a result, feed additive supplementation strategies can be tailored to maximize the energy produced from rumen fermentation and improve digestive efficiency in dairy cows.  future developments of this tool will focus on better understanding the interaction of ingredients, the nutrient composition of the TMR and the response to Yea-Sacc — and on developing predictive models to quantify the expected animal performance based on the outcome of a given fermentation profile.

I would like to learn more about the Yea-Sacc Value Test.

It is late winter, and the rodent problem in your barn is starting to get annoying, as the pests are breaking into feed bags and helping themselves to horse treats and cat food. You know that mice can carry diseases, some of which can be seriously harmful for humans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mice and rats can directly or indirectly transmit over 20 diseases worldwide. Several of these — such as leptospirosis and salmonellosis — are contagious to horses as well. And what about the summertime moles and gophers in your pasture, which make a mess of things with their tell-tale piles of dirt?

Rodent control is one of the toughest issues to deal with on horse properties. These animals are small and stealthy and are primarily active after dark, when we can’t see them. So, how do you go about reducing the rodent population without resorting to lethal trapping methods or using chemicals that are deadly to other animals in the ecosystem, including dogs and barn cats?

Using barn cats as the primary means of rodent control is often not effective and comes with its own set of challenges. For one, horse barns have much to offer to rodents in terms of food, water and shelter, and due to rodents’ small size and rapid cycle of reproduction, cats may not be able to control the rodent populations on their own. Additionally, while cats are worthy additions to the barn, they are at a much higher risk for developing infectious diseases or acquiring parasites and require more health and veterinary care than we often realize.

All of the reasons outlined above explain why rodent control in barns should involve more than just our feline friends.

Enter nature’s mousetrap: the barn owl!

Barn owls are perfectly suited for horse properties, as they hunt in open meadows and grasslands. These creatures of the night have excellent low-light vision; they fly silently; they are equipped with sharp beaks and powerful talons; and their hearing is extraordinary — all of which makes them death on wings for gophers, rats and mice. A family of barn owls will consume about 2,000 mice and/or other rodents in just a few months. The good news for you is that all this method of rodent control requires on your end is the installation of a simple barn owl nest box — and creating the right habitat for their prey.

Barn owls need rough grassland to thrive, because that’s where voles, shews, field mice and other small rodents live. An overgrazed pasture, a lawn or even monoculture croplands won’t provide the diverse habitat that rodents like. Rodents — and, therefore, barn owls — favor well-established, tall grasslands (think prairies or meadows), perhaps with brush piles or hedgerows nearby.

Barn owls are secondary cavity dwellers, which means they live in holes that somebody else has already created — for example, a hole pecked by a woodpecker in an old tree or the dark rafters inside a quiet barn. We can take advantage of this habitat preference, as it means that these creatures will adapt well to barn owl nest boxes, which can be purchased or made.

Place your barn owl nest box in a quiet location, preferably 10 to 20 feet off the ground. Position the opening away from direct sunlight and prevailing winds. Nest boxes can be hung inside unused barns, on the outside of farm buildings or in trees. If the boxes are mounted on a wooden pole, consider utilizing a baffle, which will help keep cats, raccoons or other predators from reaching it. Many barn owls will reuse the same nest box year after year. It is best to hang nest boxes by January or February, as barn owls begin nesting in late February.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find an easier rodent control method than the nest box. Once you install your barn owl nest box, nature will do the rest. Additionally, barn owls are not likely to be aggressive toward people, nor will they attack pets or livestock.

Barn owls are common on every continent in the world (except for Antarctica), so no matter where you are, your horse property can benefit from having a barn owl working to your advantage. And not only will the presence of barn owls make a dent in your rodent population, but their tawny colors are beautiful to see at dusk, and their bone-chilling, screechy cry is thrilling to hear at night.

In addition to setting up barn owl habitats, consider implementing these other natural rodent control methods:

• Keep your barn clean, well-lit and dry.
• Store feed in tightly sealed metal trash bins.
• Store blankets, wraps and saddle pads in completely sealed rooms to minimize access to nesting materials.

Remember: Rodent control is a year-long management practice. Follow these steps to help ensure that your barn remains rodent-free through every season.  

I want to learn more about nutrition for my horses.

Identifying the truth about antibiotic use in farm animals can be difficult, with myriad points of view, opinions and even misinformation available online at the click of a button. We spoke with various poultry specialists about antibiotic-free production in poultry, feed additives in poultry nutrition and flock health to help us clarify the facts. Here is what they think about a few of the most frequently asked questions.

1. Is it possible to raise animals completely antibiotic-free?

Yes, it is possible to raise animals completely antibiotic-free in the poultry industry. However, when an animal is sick and requires an antibiotic, we must do what is necessary to keep animals, humans and our food system safe.

According to Dr. Richard Murphy, research director at the Alltech European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Ireland, while the use of antibiotics in agriculture cannot and should not completely stop due to significant animal welfare implications, this needs to be done judiciously. He says that the industry should look at completely removing antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), and many countries have already introduced policies regarding AGP due to antimicrobial resistance concerns.

Dr. Kayla Price, poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada, also agrees that the judicious use and reduction of antibiotics in poultry production is here to stay.

“I think it is really important when we are starting to look at general bird health that we make sure we are taking on a holistic approach,” she explained. “Specifically, we really have to think of the intestinal system from hatch to finish.”

Price highlights that there is no one silver bullet solution for removing antibiotics; nutrition and biosecurity are both crucial to ensure success.

Dr. Dulmelis Sandu, poultry veterinarian for Alltech US, states that as stewards to the animals that we grow for food production, it is necessary to ensure that there are options available to support what is best for the animals at each stage of production — some of which may require antibiotic support or intervention.

“It is our responsibility as an industry to provide the right management and best rearing practices to avoid, or at least reduce, the amounts of antibiotics used in animals,” said Sandu. “This is mainly due to the potential implications related to animal welfare, the economic impact related to the expense of antibiotic usage and the overall enhancement of animal health .”

There are many approaches to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics from poultry production. A preventative approach, such as using a feed additive program, can help reduce the challenges faced when antibiotics are not used and aid long-term flock health and wellness.

2. Does animal consumption of antibiotics affect human resistance?

According to the National Academy of Medicine, “antibiotic usage in livestock results in the direct spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to humans.” Specifically, antibiotic resistance can transfer between bacteria, and these bacteria can move between people, animals and the environment. Even though removing antibiotics from animal production will not stop resistance when considering human misuse of antibiotics, our responsibility is to reduce this risk as much as possible. Regardless of the extent to which animal consumption is connected, we need to focus on strategies that minimize the overall risk of resistance.

Antibiotic resistance has the potential to become one of the greatest challenges of our generation due to the ever-increasing rise in bacterial strains that are progressively less sensitive to existing treatments. A drawback to the use of antibiotics is their non-specific effects on the gut microbiome. In fact, their use can lead to an overall gut microfloral diversity reduction, allowing for the continued proliferation of resistant species. This can have negative impacts on both flock health and performance. One strategy includes using nutritional supplements such as mannan-rich fractions (MRF) to rehabilitate microfloral diversity. This approach will have significant practical value in commercial production and also beneficially impact consumer health and well-being.

3. Could an animal be treated with antibiotics for illness and still go to market?

Yes, even on farms and ranches where they focus on raising animals without antibiotics, if an animal is sick and needs antibiotic treatment, it is separated from the herd and can continue to go through traditional markets. However, a withdrawal period would be required to ensure that no traces of the antibiotic remain in the poultry meat/egg products. In meat production, an animal that has been treated with antibiotics is not put back with the same herd or labeled as raised without antibiotics.

In conclusion, antibiotics can assist in maintaining overall animal production, performance and productivity. In countries that banned antibiotics as a growth promoter in production systems, other alternatives must be explored to meet the population’s growing demand for food. Increased biosecurity and enhanced nutrition are two areas that require attention. Nutrition is critical to ensure the animal’s health and productivity. To protect our animals and our food supply, every producer’s operation will need to place a strong emphasis on providing nutrition that strengthens gut health and immunity.

I want to learn more about poultry nutrition.

As most of us are now aware, the use of therapeutic doses of zinc oxide (ZnO) for preventing and controlling post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in young piglets will be banned in animal feeds in the EU from June 2022. Part 1 of this 3-part series discussed the use of ZnO in piglet feeds, the rationale behind its widespread use and the emerging environmental and health concerns from prolonged ZnO utilization.

The key to ensuring that pigs can thrive and survive in a post-zinc oxide era is for EU pig producers to adopt a multi-faceted approach that encompasses optimal nutrition, management, health and welfare practices (see Figure 1). Part 2 of this blog post series will discuss several of these factors, which, when used in combination, should be capable of alleviating PWD in young piglets and lowering ZnO dependency.

Figure 1: A holistic approach to achieving optimal pig performance without the use of therapeutic levels of zinc oxide

Adopting a holistic approach

Unfortunately, there is no ‘silver bullet’ replacement for ZnO. Instead, pig producers across the EU will need to adopt a combination of novel nutritional and management practices to manage PWD in young piglets. Let us take a look at some of these practices:

1. Nutrition

Lower protein diets: Reducing the dietary crude protein level for a short period after weaning will reduce the incidence of PWD and improve the intestinal health of piglets by preventing an excess of undigested protein from reaching the large intestine. Advantages of feeding a low crude protein diet include:

• Decreased proteolytic bacteria populations
• Decreased pathogenic E. coli
• Decreased PWD symptoms

However, it is critical to ensure that essential amino acid levels and/or ratios are not reduced below the requirement of the pig.

High-fiber diets: Fiber in the post-weaning diet plays an important role in controlling the intestinal morphology and microbiota of piglets and improving gut health. Advantages of high dietary fiber feeding include:

• Decreased PWD symptoms
• Decreased E. coli shedding
• Decreased retention time of digesta in the gastrointestinal tract

Fibers can also increase the activity of some digestive enzymes, such as lipase.

Organic acids: Organic acids have been used successfully in pig production as a useful tool in controlling PWD symptoms and supporting piglet growth, particularly around weaning. The benefit of organic acids comes from their powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Advantages of dietary organic acid inclusion include:

• Increased nutrient digestibility
• Increased growth performance
• Decreased PWD symptoms
• Decreased inflammation

However, the response to organic acids can depend on several factors, such as organic acid type, inclusion rate, the health status of the pigs and hygiene and welfare standards on the unit.

2. Management

Sow and piglet gut health: Getting piglets off to a healthy start in life will help to maximize their lifetime growth performance and minimize antibiotic use. The key to achieving this involves promoting gut health and development as soon as possible after birth. Alltech’s Seed, Feed, Weed (SFW) program supports gut health in sows and piglets by modifying the swine gut microbial population to establish favorable and more diverse microbial populations, reducing E. coli attachment to porcine intestinal cells and optimizing gut structures to ensure optimal nutrient absorption.

High-quality colostrum: Unlike infants, piglets are born without maternal antibodies, making them vulnerable to infection. Pig producers need to ensure that newborn piglets have an adequate supply of good quality colostrum because colostrum is rich in immunoglobulins. These immunoglobulins provide piglets with their first line of defense, helping to build their immune system and protecting them until they actively produce their own antibodies. Incorporated into Alltech’s SFW program are feed materials such as Actigen (Alltech), which have been shown to increase colostrum quality and, subsequently, support the gastrointestinal integrity and stability of the piglets that consume it.

Creep feeding: Creep feeding is not a new concept by any means, but not all producers think it is worthwhile due to the small amount eaten before weaning (typically 200–250 g/piglet). However, the goal of creep feeding is to:

1. Increase the percentage of eaters in the litter because the pigs that actually eat creep have greater growth rates in the first seven days post-weaning
2. Achieve the recognition effect of solid feed once weaned
3. Support the weaning transition by preparing the piglets gut to digest solid feed

Creep feed should be offered from around 4–10 days of age, as the earlier creep feed is offered to piglets, the more significant the proportion of the litter that will be eating creep by weaning. The recommendation is to start by feeding roughly 80 g/day and then increase the amount given as appetite increases. Feeder hygiene is critical when offering creep feed, so keep feeders clean and remove stale and dirty feed daily.

Age and weight of pigs at weaning: A significant challenge producers face is getting piglets to have an early intake of solid feed after weaning. To ensure consistently high feed intake post-weaning and, consequently, high lifetime growth, weaning an older and heavier pig should be practiced. Producers are often limited by weaning age, but it is important to note that one extra day at weaning can result in +0.8 kg/pig at the end of the nursery stage and +1.7 kg/pig at slaughter. Weaning an older pig also means weaning a heavier pig, and this will affect mortality and longevity within the herd and reduce the number of days to slaughter, which will reduce the overall cost of production. The SFW program in pre-weaning diets can help producers increase weaning weights by improving the ADG, feed intake and feed efficiency of suckling piglets.

Drinking water quality: As water is an essential nutrient, it’s necessary to provide pigs with water of sufficient quantity and adequate quality. Furthermore, restricted water intake can reduce feed intake and ADG by up to 15%. For newly weaned piglets, it is recommended that you:

• Ensure adequate flow rate (0.5–1 liter/minute)
• One drinker per 10 piglets
• Correct location, position and height of drinker in pen is crucial
• Check/clean drinkers daily
• Check for salt — salty water reduces intake
• Test the quality of water for contaminants, microbes and minerals

3. Health

Biosecurity in pig farms: Implementing strict biosecurity protocols is one way to manage bacterial infections. This can include ensuring that feed trucks and vehicles are sanitized before entering the farm, that pigs from different groups are never mixed and that producers operate a strict all-in-all-out policy. If strict all-in-all-out policies are implemented, the health status of pigs will improve over time as a result.

Vaccination: Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is the most important pathogen responsible for PWD in piglets, and vaccination is shown to be an effective approach to reduce the incidence of ETEC PWD. Following a good vaccination program will reduce the infection pressure and increase the immunity of the herd.

Hygiene: Dirty environmental conditions are also a contributing factor to PWD because poor pen and feeder hygiene can affect the health status of piglets. This can be prevented via correct sanitation (i.e., follow strict washing and disinfecting protocols, disinfect rooms with a chlorocresol product, allow rooms to fully dry before new pigs are moved in and ensure that all staff is properly washing their boots).

4. Welfare

Social stress and the environment: Pigs are exposed to several different stress factors around the time of weaning (e.g., moving to new nursery accommodation, mixing with unfamiliar pigs, separation from the sow, a change in diet). Because pigs experience a high level of stress so abruptly, it results in intestinal and immune system disorders and, ultimately, piglets suffer with PWD. However, pigs are less prone to disease and intestinal upsets if they are not stressed. It is, therefore, important that producers look at ways of reducing social and environmental stress at weaning by focusing on several aspects, such as feed and water provision, floor and feeder space allowances, the mixing and movement of pigs, temperature and ventilation.

As June 2022 draws closer, it is now time for EU pig producers to start making the necessary changes on their units so that they can begin moving towards ZnO-free piglet production. Implementing a holistic strategy that combines optimal nutrition, management, health and welfare practices will be key to ensuring that pigs can thrive and survive in a post-zinc oxide era.    

Learn how the Alltech Seed, Feed, Weed solution can help you remove ZnO from your piglet diets, and start the conversation about how you can begin transitioning to ZnO-free piglet production by contacting the Alltech Gut Health Management team today.  

This is part 2 of a 3-part series

*References available upon request

I want to learn more about nutrition for my pig herd.

The hustle and bustle of spring calving is quickly approaching, and now is the time for cow/calf producers to begin planning their calving management strategies. Making time to do the proper planning prior to the start of calving can improve overall animal welfare and can save producers both time and energy. One of the keys to successful calving planning is the anticipation of any possible health challenges that could impact calf and/or overall herd health. Management protocols designed to prevent disease exposure should be considered and implemented prior to the start of calving, and producers should contact their local veterinarians about the potential treatment protocols in the case of widespread disease.

One disease complex that producers should develop management strategies for is calf scours, also known as calfhood diarrhea. Scours is the leading cause of early calf death. This illness is the result of inflammation of the intestinal tract, which can be caused by a variety of infectious agents, including bacteria (E. coli or Salmonella), viruses (rotavirus or bovine viral diarrhea virus) and parasites (coccidia). The occurrence of scours can impact profitability via both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include revenue loss due to calf death, additional labor and medicinal costs, while indirect costs include reduced performance in calves that got sick but recovered.

Implementing preventative management practices can prove to be an effective tool for preventing scours infections in a new calf crop. Here are a few strategies to help control scours events:

1. Properly manage calving areas

The period of greatest risk for a calf to get scours is the first 10 to 14 days after birth. As such, maintaining clean, dry calving areas is essential for minimizing calf exposure to causative agents. Many causative agents — such as E. coli, Salmonella and coccidia — are found in manure. Avoid overcrowding in calving areas to minimize manure contamination. If the environmental conditions make it hard to maintain dry calving areas, it is essential to provide manure-free, dry bedding areas that are large enough to allow both the dam and the calf to get out of the mud. This is important for maintaining the health of both the cow and the newborn calf.

Minimize commingling among herds after calving, especially during the first month of the calf’s life. This will prevent the spread of infection from apparently healthy older calves to younger calves, whose immune systems are more naïve.

Keeping calving heifers separated from the older cow herd can also help reduce scours. Heifers tend to have lower-quality colostrum, which can leave their young calves at a higher risk compared to calves from older cows.

2. Isolate sick calves quickly

Many causative agents are contagious, so quickly identifying and removing sick calves and their dams is essential to preventing widespread infection. To be able to successfully and quickly remove animals from the herd, producers must first be able to recognize the signs of a scours infection. Diarrhea is the most easily identifiable symptom. Diarrhea is classified as loose, watery stool and may be brown, green, yellow, white or even blood-red in color. Other symptoms to look for include weak suckling reflexes, depression and dehydration, which can manifest as sunken eyes or abdomen.

3. Quickly provide treatment

Once sick calves are identified, addressing dehydration should be prioritized as the first method of treatment. Fluids and electrolyte solutions need to be provided to rehydrate calves, as diarrhea can quickly dehydrate young calves and, if left unaddressed, can be deadly.

4. Maintain the proper dam nutrition

Establishing the proper dam nutrition begins prior to calving. Meeting their nutritional requirements — including energy and trace minerals — is necessary for dams to be able to produce quality colostrum. Colostrum is the mother’s first milk and is high in nutrients and maternal antibodies. At birth, calves are born with a naïve immune system, so the proper transfer of maternal antibodies to the calf is critical for establishing early calf immunity.

5. Establish a vaccination program

Work with your local veterinarian to develop a vaccination protocol that fits your herd and its specific challenges. Scours vaccination protocols can include both dam vaccination (to promote the transfer of antibodies through colostrum) as well as calf vaccination at birth (to support the calf’s naïve immune system).

6. Promote gut health

Scours are the result of an unhealthy gut environment — an environment where the beneficial bacteria that reside in the gut are outnumbered by pathogenic bacteria. Supplementing the herd with yeast cell wall products, which are classified as prebiotics, can help promote the growth of the beneficial bacterial and support healthy immune function.

The goal of calving season is to produce healthy calves — and the production of healthy calves starts prior to calving. Implementing preventive health management strategies can prove to be both effective and economical for producers.   

I want to learn more about nutrition for my beef cattle.

Calving season is gametime for a cow herd, and producers want to make sure that their cows are in peak condition prior to kick-off. The best way to measure the condition of your cow herd is by utilizing body condition scores (BCS). As the name suggests, a BCS is an estimate of a cow’s condition or the amount of fat they are carrying.

The amount of fat — and its placement — determines BCS.

Body condition scoring is an easy and effective tool for producers to use, but a familiarity with the fat deposition and skeletal structure of cattle is required to properly determine BCS. The key areas used to evaluate the degree of body fat on cattle are the ribs, brisket, hooks, pins and tailhead. Typically, for beef cattle, a scale of 1 to 9 is used to indicate BCS, with 1 being emaciated, with all of the cow’s ribs and bones easily visible, and 9 being obese.

• Thin cows have a BCS of 1 to 3
• Moderate-condition cows have a BCS of 4 to 6
• Fat cows have a BCS of 7 to 9

The ideal BCS for mature range beef cows at calving is a score of 5, and for calving heifers, an ideal BCS would be a 6. This difference in BCS at calving is because heifers are still growing and have a higher nutrient requirement for growth compared to mature cows.

Evaluate BCS prior to calving and breeding.

Timing is important when evaluating body condition scores. Producers should aim to evaluate BCS prior to the calving and breeding seasons. Suggested evaluation timepoints include 90 days prior to calving, breeding and the start of the winter season. This will give the producer enough time to try to improve BCS if cows aren’t hitting their target prior to breeding and late gestation.

Body condition scores can be used as a nutritional management tool. For instance, depending on a producer’s facilities, cows can be sorted into groups using BCS. Cows that meet or have above-target BCS scores need no special nutritional intervention and can maintain condition on quality range pasture. Cows with low body condition scores or replacement heifers could be supplemented with additional nutrients to improve or maintain their body condition during calving and breeding.

Another good time to evaluate BCS is heading into winter grazing. Cows that are thin at the start of winter grazing will require supplemental feed just to maintain their body condition, as energy requirements increase up to 40% during the winter. Additionally, trying to improve BCS during the winter is going to cost 20–30% more than during the fall.

 A poor BCS can negatively affect a cow’s calf.

The productivity of a cow herd depends on keeping them within the producer’s ideal BCS. It is well-established that a poor BCS can have detrimental effects on a cow’s reproduction. Thin cows take longer to come into heat and, therefore, only have one chance at rebreeding. Over-conditioned or fat cows can also negatively impact reproduction rates. However, a poor BCS can also affect the overall health and performance of a dam’s calf.

The relationship between cow BCS and calf performance is based on the energy requirements of the cow. To maintain an ideal BCS, cows must have enough energy to support all of their bodily energy requirements. When a cow’s energy requirements are not met by her diet, then she must use the energy stored in her body as fat. The more stored energy she uses, the further she moves down the BCS scale.

There is a priority use for energy for bodily functions, as outlined below:   

Priority energy use by cows (adapted from Short et al., 1990)

1. Basal metabolism
2. Grazing and other physical activities
3. Growth
4. Supporting basic energy reserves
5. Maintaining an existing pregnancy
6. Milk production
7. Adding to energy reserves
8. Estrous cycling and initiating pregnancy
9. Storing excess energy (i.e., fat deposition)

This hierarchy shows that maintaining pregnancy (i.e., gestation), milk production and reproduction are all lower on the list of energy-use priorities. This illustrates the importance of cows consuming enough energy from their diet to meet their maintenance requirements before energy can be used for pregnancy and milk production.

A cow’s BCS affects her reproductive ability, too.

Evaluating BCS at 90 days prior to calving — when cows are about to enter late gestation — is critical, as this is a moment in time that could impact the future growth and performance of her calf. Seventy- five percent of calf growth occurs during the last 60 days of gestation, meaning that the cow’s energy requirements are going to be higher for the last 60 days of her pregnancy. If cows are thin going into the third trimester of pregnancy, then there could be reduced calf growth due to a lack of energy available for supporting the pregnancy.

Smaller calves are more prone to sickness after birth. Weaning weights have also been shown to be lighter when cows have a poor body condition. Until weaning, milk is the major energy and nutrient source for calves. If cows are in poor body condition, they lack the energy necessary to produce the quality milk needed for calf growth.

Research has shown that herds that maintain cows with the ideal BCS ranges (5–7) have better calving and weaning percentages, which are a measure of the herd’s overall reproductive and production efficiency. Thin cows are going to have a harder time maintaining pregnancies and growing calves. A poor BCS leads to fewer pregnancies, fewer calves weaned and calves weaned at a lower weight, which leads to lower overall returns.  

Body condition scoring helps evaluate the nutritional status of the cow herd.

Producers should routinely check the body condition scores of their herds to continually monitor the condition and nutritional status of the cows. If a large portion of the cow herd has a low body condition score, the herd nutrition should be evaluated to make sure that their energy and protein requirements are being met. A prolonged poor BCS can have a harmful impact on production outcomes, which can also negatively impact the economic returns of an operation. Evaluating BCS to determine not only the herd’s reproduction readiness scores but also its nutritional status is an opportunity to positively impact calf performance.

Short, R. E., R. A. Bellows, R. B. Staigmiller, J. G. Berardinelli, and E. E. Custer. 1990. Physiological mechanisms controlling anestrus and infertility in postpartum beef cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 68:799-816.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my beef cattle.

Fall is a perfect time to make chore-efficient updates to your horse farm equipment and property. The weather is cool enough for hard work and the timing is good, allowing you to accomplish key tasks that will help you ease into and thrive through the coming winter months, when horse keeping is most challenging. Here is a fall to-do list to get you started:

1. Review your lighting needs.

During the winter, horse owners often have no choice but to feed both the morning and evening meals in the dark. As such, having indoor as well as outdoor lighting will help immensely with chore efficiency. Make sure you have enough light to weigh your hay and to ensure that you’re feeding quality hay that is mold-free and green. Cleaning paddocks and staying mud-free will be easier if there’s outdoor lighting so you can see the manure. Additionally, providing solar lighting along walkways or drives will help make nighttime travels safer. Prepare the proper lighting now, instead of waiting until the temperatures are freezing and you have to feed by flashlight, set up lighting in frozen ground or hang outside lights in sub-zero temperatures.

2. Consider your winter equipment needs.

The simple items are often the most beneficial — for example, a headlamp that frees up your hands for outside evening chores, like filling stock water tanks, or is handy in case of power outages. If winter storms are likely in your region, make sure you have fuel for your generators and cook stoves and batteries for your lanterns on hand. Manure carts that can push through snow (thanks to their higher clearance and wider tires), along with a sturdy manure fork, might also be useful. We like to keep a metal pitchfork and flat metal shovel on hand in case we need to chip away at frozen manure piles for removal.

3. Set up a water supply that won’t freeze or get ice-cold during winter weather events.

A horse drinks 8 to 12 gallons of water per day and prefers water temperatures of around 45 to 65 degrees. Horses drink less when the water is ice-cold, and research shows that they cannot get adequately hydrated by solely eating snow. Inadequate water intake can lead to colic, so make sure your horses are drinking enough. On very cold days, plan to break the ice twice daily — or consider getting a tank heater, a plug-in heated stall bucket or a heated muck bucket for the water.

4. Develop a back-up plan for watering your horses.

If you are concerned that you might lose power to your private well and/or you live in an area that often loses power you should have a back-up plan. Water can be stored in rain barrels or garbage cans. Emergency officials generally recommend keeping a three-day supply of water on hand, which translates to a minimum of 30 gallons of water per horse.

5. Check your turnout blankets.

Look for rips or other needed mending or washing so they will be ready for use when you need them. Blanketing horses appropriately in the winter is key for their ability to maintain body heat during cold weather.

6. Consider your own wintertime, water-proof clothing needs.

This is a fundamental but often overlooked step. As a horse owner, if there’s an emergency, you are likely to be working with horses in inclement weather for an undetermined amount of time. Invest in a good, waterproof jacket, insulated mud boots and insulated, waterproof gloves. These items will go a long way toward helping you stay ahead of your winter chores and will also be crucial if there’s a winter emergency. You are no good to your horses if you become hypothermic and have a medical emergency yourself.

7. Flood-proof your property.

If you live in a flood-prone area (e.g., near a creek, river or wetlands), it is good to review the high-water locations on your property. If it is difficult to visualize or determine where they are, get help from your county or your local conservation district. Acquaint yourself with the historic high-water locations recorded for your property. If you live in an extremely flood-prone area, it may be wise to consider building a “critter pad.” A critter pad is a large mound or small hill that’s built above flood level and is used to keep animals out of water. Critter pads usually require special permitting and must be specifically engineered using the approved fill material to ensure that they can stand up to high traffic, heavy rains and high volumes of water – and, of course, that they will remain above flood levels. In some cases, there may be funding or technical assistance available to help with the development of a critter pad. Contact your local conservation district, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for more assistance.

8. Check your gutters and downspouts.

Now is the time to clean and make needed repairs or additions to your roof runoff system. Doing this will benefit you and your horse by reducing the amount of mud your horse will have to stand in during the winter. It will also make chore time easier. “Keep clean rainwater clean,” as they say, by diverting rainwater away from your paddocks and high-traffic areas to a location where it won’t get muddy. Some good choices include grassy swales, dry wells, rain barrels, stock watering tanks, well-vegetated woods or an unused portion of your pasture.

9. Determine if you need footing for any of your confinement areas.

These areas get a lot of heavy use during winter and can often benefit from being bolstered with additional footing material. Footing — usually coarse-washed sand or crushed rock (no larger than 1 inch) — is generally the best choice and is also the easiest to clear of manure. Having 3 to 6 inches of footing material for horses to stand on will help with drainage and mud management and will also help eliminate erosion.

Taking these steps this fall will not only make your life easier come winter, but it will also contribute to your horse’s health all year long.

Read more tips and ideas on winter preparedness and nature-based solutions for horse property management at Horses for Clean Water.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my horses.