COLOSTRUM FOR DOGS.

COLOSTRUM. What is it and why is it important.? Colostrum is the first milk produced by the bitch after whelping which must be given to the puppies.

The colostrum found in the breast before and after a puppy is born is rich with antibodies and essential for pups.The pup in-utero was breathing in a sterile environment until birth, so, now needs to build up its own immune defense.

 The colostrum is a nutritious, balanced, and protective food and the pups needs it after losing contact with the placenta. The placenta is a pouch that was providing them with nutrition for growth in the mother’s womb.
                                       HOW TO TAKE CARE OF NEW UPS.

Agribusiness: A good start is vital for healthy piglets.

Agribusiness: A good start is vital for healthy piglets.Raising healthy piglets from start through weaning is a challenge not to be underestimated, impacting performance and health at later stages. Sudden change in dietary regimens and management at weaning puts a heavy burden on the animal’s immature digestive system. This leads to a disturbed immune system and microbiota, and increased susceptibility to diseases. Stress already starts at birth, a crucial period filled with risks: piglets must be born strong and healthy and remain that way. Once born, piglets encounter several hurdles: piglets suffer from all kinds of pathogenic challenges with an immature immune system. There is a significant and immediate demand on the gut to digest and absorb nutrients efficiently to maintain a high growth rate. Intestinal epithelial cell integrity is of prime importance considering that this epithelium is responsible for absorption of water, electrolytes, and nutrients. Not to forget the beneficial microbiome that must establish itself as soon as possible to guarantee a fully functioning intestinal tract. Once the piglet could manage these hurdles, another event, considered as a major stressor, takes place: weaning. Although technological improvements in housing, nutrition, and management are available to minimise the stress, piglets are weaned at unphysiologically early ages. The sudden change in dietary regimens at weaning places a heavy burden on the immature digestive system of the piglet. The gastro-intestinal tract is affected by a change in microbiome, mechanical damage, and inflammation as reaction to the stresses (social, nutritional, handling) of weaning. The effects are aggravated by the immature immune system which has not developed a full response to cope with pathogens, resulting in disease . It is clear impairment of the normal gut and immune function, leading to diarrhoea and even death, which needs to be avoided.

Researchers use gut bacteria to turn type A or B blood into universal donors.

Researchers use gut bacteria to turn type A or B blood into universal donors.Bacteria found in the human gut could save countless lives by transforming type A or type B blood into type O. At a meeting of the American Chemical Society , Steve Withers of the University of British Colombia presented new research suggesting enzymes found in gut bacteria could effectively strip antigens from the two most common blood types. If successful, the discovery would essentially make most types of blood accessible to those who need it, regardless of their blood type.

‘ Probiotics : How probiotics is used to stop malnutrition

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Probiotics are microorganisms that promote health and well being . The probiotics have gained prominence especially in improvement of gut health by promoting proliferation of good bacteria in the gut. Probiotics improves the microbiome with resultant health improvement.

 Studies have shown use of probiotics to tackle malnutrition.  Enhanced probiotics’ pave the way in tackling malnutrition: ‘Smart’ gut bacteria that can improve the fermentation process? Super-efficient microorganisms that can turn empty calories into complete nutritional food?

Yeast cell wall derivatives improve broiler gut health.

Mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), mannose rich fractions (MRF) improve broiler microflora to strengthen gut health, reduce antibiotic usage and fight resistance.Given the ever-increasing rise in bacterial strains that are less and less sensitive to existing treatments, antibiotic resistance has the potential to become one of the greatest problems of our generation. While abuse of antibiotics in humans is probably the major contributor, policy makers have turned the spotlight on agricultural use as a way to control the problem. Treatment of animals with antimicrobials can cause drug resistance to zoonotic pathogens. Bacteria from animals can be spread to humans via food products during slaughter and processing. This spread has been extensively documented for conventional food-borne pathogens, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli. While the debate rages over what is driving the seemingly inexorable rise of antibiotic-resistant microbes, alternatives to antibiotics and products capable of reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance transfer through the food chain are clearly required. Globally, it is recognized that there is no so-called “silver bullet” to replace antibiotic use in animal production and producers will almost certainly have to improve hygiene and husbandry to address the issue. Products that will assist the move to antibiotic-free production status include many that are designed to regulate and support the gut environment and its microflora: 1)Coccidial vaccines. 2)Probiotics 3) Feed enzymes. 4) Functional nutrients such as nucleotides 5) Organic acids and feed hygiene products. 6) Organic minerals 7) Plant-based products such as herbs, spices and essential oils. 8) Yeast cell wall derivatives such as mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) and mannose rich fractions (MRF). The functional ingredients currently in use for microbial control, MOS and MRF are widely used in animal nutrition and have been shown to improve animal performance in a manner similar to antibiotic-like growth promoters. Since 1999 the use of MOS in animal feed has become more prominent, mainly due to the European ban on prophylactic antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed. Given their ability to bind and limit the colonization of gut pathogens, MOS and MRF have proven to be an effective solution for antibiotic-free diets, as well as providing support for immunity and digestion.Read more

MAGGOTS MAGIC AND POULTRY FEED.

The prices for maize and soy-based feed soar due to shortages ,thus many farmers are looking for alternatives. Mr Kuwana is producing maggots — small, white, crawling worms that feed on waste — to provide protein for his breeding flock of 120 free-range chickens and 1,000 quail. "I have struggled to find nutritious feed for quite some time now," said the entrepreneur, unfazed by the stink of decomposing waste filling the air and the flies swarming around. In search of a solution, he began experimenting with maggots last September. "The results have been exceptional," he said.This business is not for the faint-hearted. For Mr Kuwana, it involves stuffing pungent bird faeces into an old, open 20-litre plastic container, allowing flies to lay their eggs there. Ideally, the maggot-breeding equipment consists of two containers stacked on top of each other, with holes drilled in their lids and the base of the top one. As the eggs start to hatch, the emerging larvae — the maggots — feed on the waste before crawling out to pupate in the bottom container where they are harvested and dried for feed. The entire process takes less than a week. Maggots are made up of 65% protein and 25% fat, compared with 35% protein in soy-based feed, according to Victor Marufu of the Zimbabwe Organic and Natural Food Association. The independent organisation trains small farmers in maggot production. "The value produced from nothing competes with supply chains that are under heavy sustainability stress," Mr Marufu said. One kilogram of fly eggs turns into about 190kg of dried larvae in just three days. For some, maggot production may be the stuff of nightmares, but others are hailing it as a dream come true for controlling waste and climate-changing emissions. The industrial process of producing maggot-based stock feed — using a series of tanks in a purpose-built structure — generates five times less greenhouse gas emissions than soy or maize stock feed, according to Chinhoyi University research. One tonne of stock feed made from maggots, about two tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is emitted, compared with about 10 tonnes for soy-based feed. Experts say maggot production could help cut Zimbabwe’s annual emissions of 417 gigatonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In 2000, the waste sector accounted for 16% of national methane emissions, government data shows. Zim Earthworm Farms, a farming technology enterprise, is now looking to go commercial with maggot production after a year of trials. "We have been producing a sizeable amount of maggots that are killed in the biogas digester, dried and then mixed with the maize-based feed we produce," CEO Ephraim Whingwiri said. The mixed feed, which can also be fed to pigs and fish, sustains about 300 chickens at Zim Earthworm Farms, but now Mr Whingwiri is eyeing expansion. The team has worked out that having a constant supply of fresh waste is key to maintaining a high population of flies; just one factor that will support their new business drive. "The work tends to put many people off," said Mr Whingwiri. "But the worm itself doesn’t smell bad at all." Excerpts from Business day Live

Essential oils key in fight against antibiotic use.

Essential oils are a key solution to an alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), this was shown by research carried out by US food giant, Cargill. But what do essential oils achieve that other non-medicated feed additives don’t? Essential oils key in gut health support : Gut health is important in poultry production because the digestive system performs key functions essential to ensuring birds' optimum performance. The optimal gut function in 4 key areas are:1)Managing microflora for a well-balanced bacterial population. 2) Controlling immune function and inflammatory response 3)Maximising nutrient digestion and absorption 4 ) Improving the physical barrier against pathogens. While all additives studied showed some benefit in these areas, Cargill researchers found that selected essential oil compounds, particularly those derived from thyme, cinnamon and oregano, had the most comprehensive effect on overall gut health. Benefits included antimicrobial activity, modulation of immune response, antioxidant activity, improvement of nutrient digestibility and stimulation of mucus production. "Activity against pathogens": "Only essential oils have both a broad spectrum of activity against pathogens and a direct impact on digestive function," said Stephanie Ladirat, global technology lead for gut health additives in Cargill's animal nutrition business. Essential oils were found to be particular efficient in conditions where intestinal infections such as Salmonellosis and Coccidiosis were present. They were also found to be a viable alternative to antibiotics as more than 85% of the results showed a minimal difference between the positive control (antibiotics) and essential oils. The research also showed that essential oils are just one facet of a feeding programme that promotes ideal gut health and allows antibiotic reduction. Research findings support combining essential oils with organic acids to get maximum efficacy. "Cargill's local nutrition experts are working directly with poultry producers to develop customised, holistic feeding programmes encompassing nutrition, additives and farm management based on the study results," says Twan Van Gerwe, poultry R&D director in Cargill's animal nutrition business. Feed conversion trials: Combined study results from 12 trials demonstrated that birds given Cargill's Promote Biacid Nucleus additive, which contains a proprietary mixture of 7 carefully selected essential oil compounds, in combination with an antibiotic-free diet, consistently improves body weight gain by 2% and feed conversion by 1.5%, producing a return on investment (ROI) of 5:1 for producers. The research was reported in world poultry.

POULTRY GUT HEALTH KEY TO REDUCED ANTIBIOTIC USE IN PRODUCTION.

Chicken guts health at a bacterial level could improve poultry health and reduce the need for antibiotics.Central Queensland University senior lecturer in microbiology Dana Stanley is looking into ways to improve the gut health of chickens and other agricultural animals.Dr Stanley's aim was to identify products in the gut which help chickens absorb more energy from seed and put on more muscle. The research was also finding ways to improve gut health so chickens would be more resistant to disease, which would reduce the need for the antibiotics used to prevent the spread of pathogens such as campylobacter and salmonella.The findings have implications for human health as well as animal health.There is a growing field in human research on the influence of intestinal bacteria on health. She said there was huge interest in finding alternatives to antibiotic use, including using natural products. Read the research here;http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-03/chicken-gut-health-could-be-secret-to-improved-poultry-health/6909410