Two innovative products developed by Cargill to promote improved performance in poultry are to be showcased by Cargill at Eurotier, held in Hanover, Germany between 15 and 18 November.
The first is the Galleon Microbiome Intelligence service. This new tool is designed to determine the impact of the gut microbiome on broiler performance. It uses a Cargill proprietary microbial analysis platform for routine use, which has been built up from at least 10 years of sample analyses and is constantly being updated, to benchmark faecal samples from flocks.
The profile of microorganisms living in the gut, or microbiota in the bird’s intestines, is an important driver in determining flock performance. A more detailed understanding of the gut microbiome allows producers to optimise bird health and performance.
Cargill supplies producers with easy-to-use kits for non-invasive harvesting of microbes from faecal samples from the bird’s cloaca with a sterile swab. These swabs are returned to a Cargill-identified laboratory for analysis.
The report includes analysis results based on the microbiome biomarker composition. It also provides valuable recommendations of management and nutritional scenarios, based on the flock’s gut microbiome. Advice from Cargill poultry specialists is available to support these results. The data can also be used to monitor the effects of changes in raw materials, diet formulation, feed additives, vaccination programmes and management protocols.
Separately, Cargill will showcase its feed product D-Mite. This is used increasingly on layer units to help to protect hens from red mite infestations. Unless red mite infestations are controlled, numbers escalate rapidly, and egg producers can see a significant fall in productivity.
Infestations of red mites have escalating in the past decade, and controlling the parasite is estimated to have increased by 40% in this period. D-Mite is used by including it in hens’ drinking water or by including in feed. The powder form is approved for use in organic egg production systems.