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Author: Poultry Industry Council (Canada)
While a number of factors can influence bacterial contamination of chicken carcasses,
one of the leading causes is fecal contamination at the processing plant. Improper
plant handling and equipment that is not in top working condition can all contribute
to the problem. The greatest contributor is improper feed withdrawal from the
birds prior to crating, resulting in feed residues in the intestinal tract at
time of processing.
A "workshop" was held at the Poultry Industry Council to look into
the above problem. The following is a short summary of points discussed and
some of the recommendations re: bird handling and feed withdrawal prior to crating.
It has been well documented that feed passage through the digestive tract slows
down and virtually ceases when birds are stressed by crating. Hence, broilers
should be taken off feed long enough before crating in order to allow complete
emptying of the gut.
There are a number of factors that can alter normal rate of food passage in
the bird. It is important that producers consider all, not just a few, of these
factors. Feed will usually take 2 to 3 hours to move through the digestive tract
of a bird.
However, one must remember that the bird has a crop which acts as a "storage
tank" and depending on how full this "storage tank" is, the longer
it takes for consumed feed to completely clear the digestive tract.
At the workshop, it was mentioned that there were occasions where birds had
been off feed for up to 6 hours prior to crating and there were still feed residues
in the intestinal tract. This could be the result of birds being "meal
fed". It has been reported that whereas birds fed on a continuous basis
will clear feed from their digestive tract in several hours, birds fed 2 to
3 times a day still had feed residues in their gut after 6 hours. It would appear
that birds fed continuously will govern rate of feed consumption with rate of
gut clearance. However, anything that encourages birds to "meal eat"
will alter normal digestive tract physiology with the result that emptying of
the gut can be markedly delayed.
Another factor influencing the emptying of the digestive tract is time of feeding
relative to "lights out" or settling down of the birds. After lights
are turned off, birds will retain feed residues in the lower portion of their
digestive tract and this is usually defecated shortly after lights are turned
on in the morning. Hence, time of feeding, quantity of feed consumed and lighting
program are 3 important factors to consider in a management program designed
to reduce fecal contamination at the processing plant. Anything that encourages
birds to consume feed in "meals" rather than on a continuous basis
should be minimized.
Some factors that may result in meal feeding include:
- intermittent lighting
- number of times feeders are turned on per day
- high temperatures (encourage increased consumption during cooler times of
day)
- overcrowding (feed may always be available but if birds must fight for feeder
space, they will fill up and then make way for other birds resulting in meal
feeding).
All of the above factors must be taken into account when designing a feed withdrawal
program. The workshop, which included growers, processors and inspectors, also
identified that there is very poor communication between the processor and grower.
Growers felt that feedback from processors is inconsistent and little or no
follow-up as the norm. Processors felt that follow-up is usually inconclusive
because producer records generally were not adequate to investigate a problem
for a flock already marketed. Little incentive exists for growers to concentrate
on decreasing fecal contamination since the losses due to contamination are
absorbed by the processor. It is therefore in the processors' best interest
to work with growers and provide suggestions and factual information on ways
to alleviate the problem.
Fecal contamination affects product quality and should be looked on as an industry
problem. All segments of the industry should work together to solve it.
The following should be considered when implementing a feed withdrawal program.
- all feed should be removed from birds 4 to 6 hours before crating depending
on feeding program.
- lights should be turned up at least 2 hours before crating. This will facilitate
gut emptying.
- if birds are on some type of "meal eating" program a longer feed
withdrawal period is required.
- never ship birds that have been re-fed, after being without feed for a significant
length of time, until they have been given at least 48 hours to adjust to
normal gut clearance.
- keep up-to-date flock records including feeding, vaccination and lighting
programs, etc.
Author: Poultry Industry Council (Canada)
Who saw this article? New!
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