K. Scott McKenzie, Ph.D. – Technical Services, A7® Poultry
Poultry producers have long understood the need to reduce ammonia in production barns prior to placement of birds, focusing on the simple improvement of 1) performance ($$$) and/or 2) reduction in mortality (also $$$). But does that truly capture the “why” and “how” of prepping and treating litter between flocks?
Better Air means Reduced Infection Risk
Ammonia (NH3) is a known harmful gas and exists in poultry barns often as a humid haze, also forming secondary organic particulates and aerosols. Exposure to excessive ammonia at placement strongly correlates with respiratory tract inflammation and can set up respiratory tissue(s) for subsequent infection. (Warren, 1962; Coltart et al., 2013). The upper respiratory tract is not only the site of local respiratory tract infection, but also the site of pathogenic microorganism colonization, which may lead to subsequent lower respiratory tract infections or invasive diseases (Bogaert et al., 2004). Opportunistic viral and bacterial pathogens find their way into pressured tissues, taking advantage of the impaired immune system (i.e., inflammatory cytokine recruitment; Zhou et al, 2020). This leads to…
What about secondaries and net vaccine impact at day-of-placement/hatch?
Vaccine uptake (titer, efficiency, protection sentinel necropsy tissue analysis) and vaccine cost are two hot topics for bird health, and consumes a great deal of time and resources for live production and allied health professionals (rightfully so). We already ask A LOT of the immune system with the use of multiple vaccines; if barn prep can help impact net vaccine protection of the bird (i.e., cilia morphology/function, respiratory rate), along with positive effect on protection of both welfare and acute ammonia exposure impact (i.e, blindness, ocular effects, footpad lesions with wet ammonia, bird activity/O2 saturation)…why wouldn’t we do the best we can (economically) to prep the litter surfaces and barn air for incoming poultry?
We often focus on the things we can see and measure, but forget that good ammonia control checks a lot of boxes for live production and growers:
- Validation of Animal Welfare Requirements
- Management of Mortality and Production Efficiency/Cost
- Cooperative Relationship with Immune System Directives Against Viral Pathogens
- Temporal Change of Litter Pathogen/Beneficial Microbes/Micribiome
Ammonia Control with Acidic Chemical Amendments should continue to play a strong role in overall flock performance, profitability, and protection.
Bogaert D., De Groot R., Hermans P.W.M. Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization: the key to pneumococcal disease. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2004;4:144–154
Coltart I., Tranah T.H., Shawcross D.L. Inflammation and hepatic encephalopathy. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 2013;536:189–196
Warren K.S. Ammonia toxicity and pH. Nature. 1962;195:47–49
Zhou, Y., Qing Xiu Liu, Xiu Mei Li, Dan Dan Ma, Shuang Xing, Jing Hai Feng, Min Hong Zhang Effects of ammonia exposure on growth performance and cytokines in the serum, trachea, and ileum of broilers. Poultry Science 2020: 99:2485-2493.
