Written by: Ashley Wagner (Probiotech International Inc.) & Ethan Groos
What is ‘stress’?
Generally, the term ‘stress’ is used to describe the detrimental effects of a variety of factors on the health and performance of livestock. Stress in birds is characterized by having limited body resources for growth, reproduction, response to environmental changes and defense mechanisms compared to mammals. Thus, any slight deviation from normal conditions leads to the rapid redistribution of body resources including energy and protein, at the expense of growth, reproduction, and health. When these challenges become more intense or occur more frequently, serious chemical and physical changes take place within the bird with far reaching consequences. For example: birds may become fatigued and weak which may lead to starvation and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. There are common sources of stress in birds, which can be grouped under one or more of the categories defined by Rosales (1984) and summarized in Table 1.
Mammals such as pigs are no strangers to the effects of stress during production. Due to the rapid growth of pigs, there are little reserves to combat stressors, especially during early growth. This combined with environment changes, socialization, and dietary changes, can lead to reductions in performance that are stress-related. The reductions in pig performance can manifest as reduced appetite, increased susceptibility to disease (a physical symptom could be scours), and ultimately mortality.
In addition to the categories of stress mentioned above, all the possible types of stressors experienced by livestock can be broadly classified under two categories: Avoidable stressors and Unavoidable stressors (Mohan, 2005) as presented in Table 2.
Even if the avoidable stressors can be eliminated under efficient management conditions, the load of unavoidable ones at best can only be minimized; thus, stress factors are inevitable events in livestock husbandry. The consequences of the stressors, as previously mentioned, impact performance and economics in all poultry and swine production. Beyond good management practices, what else can be done to alleviate unavoidable stressors?
Can botanicals alter stress-induced behavior?
Botanical blends have been examined in all commercial livestock species to have a wide variety of benefits from supporting gut and respiratory health to brain function, impacting hormones and behaviour. The product CCC is a blend of botanicals and antioxidants that was developed to promote calm and positive-oriented behaviour(s) and improve performance during stress periods (ex. heat, transport, high density, aggressive behaviour, social re-grouping, etc.). Additionally, the compounds in CCC has been shown to alter brain serotonin (Graph 1) or the “happiness hormone” levels. Increased serotonin concentration are directly correlated to enhanced mood, emotion, and appetite. As a result, there are alterations on animal behavior and performance.
Novel Object Test (NOT) in Poultry
Botanical blends have been examined in all commercial livestock species to have a wide variety of benefits from supporting gut and respiratory health to brain function, impacting hormones and behaviour. The product CCC is a blend of botanicals and antioxidants that was developed to promote calm and positive-oriented behaviour(s) (Table 3) and improve performance during stress periods (ex. heat, transport, high density, aggressive behaviour, social re-grouping, etc.).
Post-Mixing Aggression in Pigs
Three hundred thirty-six grow/finish pigs (6 pigs/pen) were either on the control or CCC liquid treatment (200ppm) for three days prior to mixing. Pigs were monitored for fighting threats and lesions. The number and time of each fight or threat and the percentage of pigs per pen with severe lesions were reduced when pigs were on the compounds contained in CCC prior to mixing (Graph 2 and 3).
There are many different stressors livestock face at various life stages. Although some of these are avoidable with good management practices, there are a number that are unavoidable. The functional feed and water additives (CCC) were developed by Probiotech for Essential Ag Solutions based on brain-effect-selected molecules to enhance good management practices and help mitigate the consequences of unavoidable stressors through an improvement in animal welfare. Often, there is a decline in feed intake and increased susceptibility to diseases during times of stress. Because CCC impacts both appetite and mood, these deleterious effects on performance are mitigated during unavoidable stressors. Potential uses in turkey production include but are not limited to, times of heat stress, handling, moving from the brooder barn, and vaccination. Whereas potential uses in swine production are during the nursery period, before and after transportation or mixing of pigs, during sow lactation to impact fertility, and during heat stress. Make sure CCC is a part of your solution to improve performance through mitigating stress in your barns.
As we plan for another fall harvest, livestock producers need to be ready to deal with the possible mycotoxins in their crops. Mycotoxins are toxins produced by molds (fungi) that can accumulate in grains and pose health hazards to both humans and animals. According to feed experts, mycotoxins are estimated to affect 25% of the world’s crops and cost U.S. agriculture approximately $1 billion each year.
The last couple of years have seen a rise in mycotoxin issues throughout the U.S. Given this, we should not be surprised if 2023’s harvest brings similar reports of high concentration levels of mycotoxins in grains. In fact, mycotoxin concentrations have continued to grow incrementally year after year, so producers would be wise to be prepared for this yet also look at taking proactive steps to minimize the detrimental impacts.
If we know mycotoxin-related issues are inevitable, you may be asking, “How can we control mycotoxins?” Some on-farm practices, like screening grains, can help reduce toxin loads, while properly drying and storing grains can also help slow mold growth and keep toxins from forming more rapidly. However, none of these steps will fully be able to protect your animals from exposure to all mycotoxins. This is why incorporating Anti-Mycotoxin Additives (AMA) products into your livestock feed is a wise move to help guard your animals against occurrences of mycotoxicosis.
It is important to know that all AMA products commercially sold today contain some type of clay base. However, just like people, every clay is different, so knowing about and understanding these differences is key.
Complex Aluminosilicates
Clays are complex and widely diverse aluminosilicates with a variety of functional properties, but they are often grouped into a single category. This is very misleading since there are many different types of clay, all of which are completely different from one another. In fact, many types of clay do not bind to mycotoxins. Some can absorb water, while others can absorb ammonia, but only certain clays can adsorb mycotoxins. Not all clays that adsorb mycotoxins are equally effective in protecting animals against the toxic effects of mycotoxins. Furthermore, similar clays’ binding ability may vary from one geological deposit to another.
Besides their origin, formation, and structure, clays can also vary in chemical composition, surface acidity (pH), electrical charges (polarity), distribution of exchangeable cations, and porosity and expansibility characteristics. Despite all these differences, there is no significant correlation between any single physical or chemical property and the mycotoxin binding capacity of clays.
Evaluating Effectiveness
The effectiveness of a mycotoxin adsorbent is tested by conducting evaluations in vitro (in a laboratory) and in vivo (in animal experiments) to demonstrate a statistically significant response in preventing mycotoxicosis. The dosage of the adsorbent and the level of the mycotoxin used in these tests must always be reported. We utilize third-party lab analysis at Trilogy Labs in Washington, Missouri, for Essential Ag Solutions’ AMA products. Every 20 tons of our Protect-8 Plus product that gets produced has lab work done to ensure efficacy and consistency – something we have done for the past 11 years.
Purified Phylosilicates
In recent years, special proprietary processes have been developed to produce purified and activated phylosilicates with the objective of producing adsorbents capable of binding fusariotoxins, such as zearalenone, deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins, and T-2 toxin. After this process, the phylosilicates become very light, showing a much lower density and particle size than regular clays. These products have been effective when added to animal diets at a very low inclusion rate (1-3 lb/ton). One of the few purified phylosilicates is Protect-8 Plus, which has been scientifically proven to be efficacious in preventing the toxic effects of T-2 toxin in broiler chickens and turkeys, as well as fumonisin, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol in pigs.
Conclusion
Science has shown that clay-based products are the most effective mycotoxin adsorbents. However, it is important to remember that these products are diverse aluminosilicates with a variety of properties, and many types are not good at capturing mycotoxins. There is also no significant correlation between any single physical or chemical property and the mycotoxin binding capacity of clays. Therefore, any mycotoxin adsorbent’s effectiveness must be evaluated by conducting in vivo tests using a scientific experimental design that measures the product’s beneficial effects on animal performance and on the target organ(s) affected by the mycotoxin being studied. And, while aluminosilicates have been proven to be an effective tool in preventing mycotoxicosis in your animals, very few products are effective against more than one type of mycotoxin. Given this, doing your research and having an effective AMA product (or products) can be the difference between healthy and profitable animals and those that come with health-related challenges as a result of poor grains and feed.
