Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Poultry News
    • Production
      • Broiler Production
      • Ducks
      • Egg Production
      • Game
      • Hatching
      • Housing
      • Turkeys
    • Processing
    • Business & Politics
      • Business
      • Economics
      • EU & Politics
      • Marketing
      • People
      • Training & Education
    • Welfare
      • Environment
      • Food Safety
      • Vet & Medication
      • Welfare
    • Feed
    • Genetics
    • New Products
    • Magazines
      1. July 2022
      2. June 2022
      3. May 2022
      4. April 2022
      5. February 2022
      6. January 2022
      Featured

      Protected: Poultry Business – July 2022

      By Michael BarkerJune 28, 2022
      Recent

      Protected: Poultry Business – July 2022

      June 28, 2022

      Protected: Finalists Supplement – National Egg & Poultry Awards 2022

      June 27, 2022

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      June 1, 2022
    • Jobs
      • Browse Jobs
      • Post a Job
      • Manage Jobs
    • Events
      • National Egg and Poultry Awards
      • Poultry Fair
    Poultry News
    Health & Welfare

    The link between animal health and nutrition: Q&A with Rosie Booth

    Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanMay 26, 20215 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    There is undoubtedly a link between nutrition, gut health and overall bird health, all of which impact on production. Here, Poultry Business explores the topic with vet Rosie Booth, who recently joined the Elanco poultry team as a technical consultant. This article first appeared in the Feed & Nutrition supplement, published in April 2021.

    Rosie, how did you end up specialising in poultry health and nutrition, and what is it about poultry you enjoy?

    After qualifying as a vet, I spent 13 years working at a pharmaceutical company across both the ruminant and poultry teams. I found I was drawn to poultry over time because there’s more chance to get to know the customers, which means more opportunity to make a difference to people and the birds.

    Following that role, I worked at a nutrition company for a couple of years, before joining Elanco in December 2020.   

    There’s some contention regarding how related veterinary expertise and nutritional expertise is, to what extent do you see a crossover between the two?

    That’s an interesting question. In the UK, I think there’s a tendency for vets and nutritionists to see themselves as separate, respecting each other’s professional fields but working collaboratively to support their clients. However, I’ve learnt from colleagues abroad that this is not always the case. For example, in Spain most nutritionists are vets, so there’s an integrated approach to farm animal health and nutrition, which applies to all species.

    In the UK, I think there’s better understanding and collaboration between poultry vets and nutritionists than in other sectors. This is partly because the birds are so close to reaching their genetic potential, that the influence of diet and health is very closely intertwined.

    Do you think this is the reason why pharmaceutical companies are stepping into the nutrition arena?

    It is certainly a factor. Elanco has an increasing number of products that influence nutrition, particularly in the poultry sector. HemicellTM, an energy saving enzyme, is purely nutritional, whereas the anticoccidials within the portfolio promote Intestinal Integrity, which plays a major part in growth and production.

    But it’s not just about products. The overlap between management of coccidia and nutritional health is vital, they’re completely integrated and animal health experts, nutritionists, integrators and producers must focus on optimising both. Elanco’s health tracker system, HTSi, is an established benchmarking system that can support management decisions to achieve optimal production.

    How does HTSi support the industry?

    As a bird health surveillance programme, representative samples of birds are post-mortemed according to a schedule which is set up with the integrator.

    The post-mortem checks are extensive, taking into account external and internal factors.

    Looking at the carcass, they include measures of bird welfare, such as recording of scratches or dermatitis. They also cover leg health, recording any cases of femoral head necrosis or tibial dyschondroplasia.

    Internally, birds are checked from top to bottom, looking for gizzard erosion, signs of litter eating, lesions in the gut associated with coccidia, intestinal tone, presence of watery contents and excess mucus.   

    For all intestinal checks, we apply a weighting and use a formula to generate an Intestinal Integrity score, known as I2. This is shared with integrators so they can understand how farms compare to the industry average, and is used to identify regional differences and whether seasonal fluctuations are occurring to the extent that’s expected.  

    The results can be used to identify issues and to get people talking about what might be going on. For example, if evidence of litter eating is recorded, there are several possible causes, so it pays to get the vet, nutritionist, producer and Elanco health adviser involved, as different people will be able to provide different insights. It could be a problem with the feed, such as sub-optimal pellet size, or something as simple as the feed pans being at the incorrect height which is restricting birds’ access to feed.

    Thinking about the link between bird gut health and nutrition, what would you like to see in the future to facilitate continued improvements?

    I think science-based initiatives and tools will continue to have their place in enabling improved Intestinal Integrity and general health in broilers. It’s important with any new product that there is a clear theoretical basis for why something works, plus thorough trials to provide evidence of the benefits on a commercial scale.  

    Historically, nutritional products haven’t always had this level of research and development behind them, which makes it difficult for producers to decide which approach will be most effective. This is where animal health companies have something unique to offer in the nutritional space. We can offer nutritional products that have the level of evidence behind them which is on par with medicine developments, and this enables increased levels of confidence that it will be a genuine solution.  

     

     

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleLEAF calls on farmers to take part in Open Farm Sunday this June
    Next Article Vaccination offered to Moy Park staff at work
    Chloe Ryan

    Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

    Read Similar Stories

    Health & Welfare

    Second outbreak of avian influenza confirmed in Tedburn St Mary, Teignbridge

    April 13, 2022
    Health & Welfare

    The US considers vaccines to protect poultry from bird flu

    April 7, 2022
    Health & Welfare

    Chief Vet warns poultry keepers in Suffolk to take urgent action now or risk losing flocks to bird flu

    March 28, 2022
    Most Read

    Comment: The funding for research on avian influenza is much needed

    July 5, 2022

    Avara Foods’ mission to report carbon emissions

    July 5, 2022

    Analysis: How ‘agflation’ is driving up the cost of chicken

    July 5, 2022
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Contractor
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
    explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
    ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
    tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo