Producers are being warned not to fall into the trap of believing coccidiosis risk has been reduced now that lower stocking densities have been introduced. Poultry Business speaks to Elanco’s senior technical consultant, Dr Philippe Gelaude, to find out more about how reduced stocking densities have impacted producers in Western Europe.
UK poultry producers are being urged to remain vigilant for signs of coccidiosis as they move towards lower stocking densities in line with the Better Chicken Commitment.
Dr Philippe Gelaude, senior technical consultant for Elanco, is warning producers not to be misled by believing their birds are less at risk of coccidiosis now lower stocking densities have been introduced.
Drawing on his experience working in Belgium, the Netherlands and Nordic countries, Dr Gelaude says coccidiosis is an ongoing threat, regardless of the stocking densities birds are kept in.
“In Belgium, the main type of production has a stocking density rate of 42kg/m2, which is a lot higher than the previous UK standard of 38kg/m2 and the Better Chicken Commitment’s aim of 30kg/m2,” he adds.
“In the Netherlands, however, around 60-70% of farmers have the Better Life One Star standard, which is a slow-grow concept, with a stocking density of 25kg/m2, while Nordic countries also tend to have a lower stocking density.”
Impact of lower stocking
Although reduced stocking densities give producers the chance to have more control of the in-house environment – and in turn, reduce the incidence of disease and illness caused by environmental factors – Dr Gelaude says they do not reduce the risk of infectious diseases, like coccidiosis.
“A better housed environment results in better litter quality, which has a positive impact on footpad and respiratory lesions,” he explains.
“However, if you compare the Better Life One Star programme with its 25kg/m2 system and one with a stocking density of 42kg/m2, the level of lesions caused by infectious disease, such as coccidiosis, is actually the same.”
He says producers can no longer rely on poor litter quality as the main indication of coccidiosis problems now that lower stocking densities have been introduced.
“Don’t let the reduced stocking density mislead you,” adds Dr Gelaude.
“In a conventional system with a higher stocking density, the first sign that something’s wrong is litter quality, and if the litter’s wet, you immediately think about Intestinal Integrity.
“However, with less birds in the shed, although you can have good litter quality, you could still have a high coccidiosis pressure; litter quality doesn’t always reflect reality.”
Managing coccidiosis
In order to manage the coccidiosis risk in lower stocking density systems, Dr Gelaude says producers need to adapt their mindsets and management practices.
“If you reduce stocking density, you also need to change how you look at the bird, how you look at the house, and what you regard as triggers for poor health,” he explains.
“Historically we’d look out for wet litter as a sign of a problem, but now I’d advise a more holistic approach to monitoring.”
He also advises going into lower-stocked sheds as often as you would have gone into one with a higher stocking density.
“From what I’ve seen, producers tend to go inside their sheds less once the stocking density is reduced, and this results in a higher risk of observing diseases too late,” explains Mr Gelaude.
He recommends using a monitoring system, such as Elanco’s Health Tracking System (HTSi), to assess coccidiosis pressure as well as gut health factors – such as gizzard, intestinal and caecal health – as these may go unnoticed if producers are relying on litter quality as the main sign of problems.
“From my experience, and HTSi data, the coccidiosis risk in lower stocking densities is at least equal to the risk in higher stocked sheds,” adds Mr Gelaude.
“One infectious coccidia oocyst can explode into 400,000 new oocysts in less than seven days, so if you don’t have a good control programme from day one, things can go very wrong – even in lower stocking density sheds.”
Change in peak challenge
When it comes to control programmes, Dr Gelaude says producers need to be aware of a change in the peak risk period for coccidiosis in different systems.
“For a fast-growing bird at the highest stocking density, we often see that the peak challenge period is at 21 to 28-days-old, however, for lower stocking densities the dynamics of coccidiosis changes and the challenge tends to peak at 28 to 35-days-old,” he explains.
“This means anticoccidial treatments have to be adapted to the husbandry concept to maintain improved sustainability including welfare.”
He recommends administering an anticoccidial treatment programme using a combination of Maxiban and Monteban – Maxiban contains both narasin and nicarbazin, while Monteban contains narasin.
“The synergistic relationship between the two active ingredients in Maxiban effectively manage coccidiosis by targeting different stages of the parasite lifecycle. This allows birds to develop some natural immunity to the disease, which is crucial for long-term disease control,” he says.
“I’d recommend feeding Maxiban for a broad protection of gut health from birth until you are past the coccidiosis peak, and once the birds have developed a certain level of immunity, you can switch to Monteban to protect the birds until slaughter,” adds Dr Gelaude.
“The change in the peak challenge period once you move to a lower stocking density means Maxiban use should be prolonged.
“Using Monteban after the peak until slaughter will not only result in more sustainable production, but it will also result in a better coccidiosis control during the next production cycle by lowering the environmental coccidiosis pressure.”