Smart Nutrition: Targeted Strategies to Combat Necrotic Enteritis in Broilers
Enteritis, particularly necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens, a naturally occurring bacterium in chickens’ guts, is a significant challenge in broiler production. Under certain conditions, this bacterium multiplies rapidly and releases toxins that damage the intestinal lining, leading to inflammation, necrosis (death of tissue), and severe disruption of gut health leading to substantial economic losses to poultry producers.
The small intestine, particularly the jejunum and ileum, is the primary site of infection and necrosis. The disease has both
acute and
subclinical forms,
each presenting unique challenges for poultry production and management.
Acute Necrotic Enteritis: This is characterized by sudden mortality, often with minimal preceding signs. Mortality rates can be high in severe outbreaks.
Subclinical Necrotic Enteritis: This leads to chronic damage to the gut, resulting in poor growth performance, reduced feed conversion efficiency, and increased susceptibility to other diseases.
Clinical Signs
Acute Form: Sudden death of affected birds without significant prior symptoms, lethargy, depression, and reduced feed intake may occur before death in some cases.
Subclinical Form: Poor weight gain, wet litter due to increased diarrhoea, reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR).
Effective control requires a multifaceted approach, with nutrition playing a pivotal role. Below, we explore key nutritional strategies to prevent and manage enteritis, focusing on maintaining gut health and reducing the proliferation of pathogens.
Optimize Feed Formulation
The foundation of controlling enteritis lies in optimizing feed formulation. Diets should be carefully balanced to reduce substrates that encourage pathogenic bacterial growth. Excess crude protein, particularly from indigestible sources, can serve as a food source for C. perfringens.
By lowering crude protein levels and supplementing with synthetic amino acids, nutrient digestibility is enhanced, and gut fermentation of undigested protein is minimized. Similarly, using highly digestible carbohydrates prevents excessive fermentation in the gut, maintaining a stable microbial environment and reducing the risk of dysbiosis (an imbalance in the microorganisms that live in the body, known as the microbiome).
Incorporate Probiotics
Probiotics, which are beneficial microorganisms, can play a critical role in controllin...
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