Functional feedstuffs to bolster immunocompetence of pullets: Impact on performance and health in pullets and hens

加拿大家禽业正处于转型期，因为面临着采用替代住房和减少抗菌剂使用以预防和促进生长的压力。在饲养住房方面，越来越多的生产者正在转向替代住房，以使小鸡在产卵期间适应复杂的住房。在高密度饲养环境中，更频繁的社交接触和接触粪便颗粒物质会加剧压力，并产生深远而持久的影响。此外，在高度紧张的情况下，对肠道和呼吸道感染的易感性可能会增加。例如，机会性禽致病性大肠杆菌（APEC），它经常在商业养殖场引起致命的呼吸道和全身疾病。有许多饲料，如欧米伽-3脂肪酸和酵母代谢物，已知可以通过提高免疫能力来改善鸟类的性能和整体健康。这些饲料中的成分与动物的免疫细胞发生反应，激活各种免疫途径。这似乎是合理的，这种饮食方法在最佳的小鸡饲养，特别是在高压力的住房环境中有很大的希望。然而，关于在不同饲养条件下饲喂这些功能性饲料对小鸡发育和整体健康的影响以及随后对蛋鸡生产性能和宜居性的影响的数据缺乏。该项目将采用各种实验、统计和分析技术，从而为HQP提供极好的培训机会。具体而言，该研究项目将支持培养2名博士和2名本科生，以及1名技术人员。我们研究的长期目标是探索改善家禽肠道健康和功能、骨骼完整性和饲料利用率的营养手段。研究改善肠道和骨骼健康的营养策略对加拿大家禽业至关重要，尤其是考虑到蛋鸡饲养系统即将发生的变化和对AGP使用的限制。研究成果将通过与饲料制造商和为加拿大家禽生产商服务的相关行业的合作直接转化为实践。

Canadian poultry industry is in transition because of pressure to adopt alternative housing and to reduce antimicrobial use for prevention and growth promotion. In the context of rearing housing, more producers are moving to alternative housing to allow pullets to adapt to complex housing during laying. More frequent social encounters and exposure to fecal particulate matters can exacerbate stress in high-density rearing environments with a profound and lasting effect. Moreover, susceptibility to enteric and respiratory infections may increase during conditions of high stress. For example, opportunistic avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), which often cause lethal respiratory and systemic diseases in the commercial farms. There are numerous feedstuffs such as omega-3 fatty acids and yeast metabolites are known to improve bird's performance and overall health through boosting immunocompetence. Components in these feedstuffs react with the animal's immune cells to activate various immunity pathways. It is plausible such dietary approaches holds great promise in optimal pullet rearing particularly in high-stress housing environments. However, there is dearth of the data on the impact of feeding these functional feedstuffs on pullet development and overall health in different housing conditions and subsequent impacts on laying hen performance and livability. The project will employ a variety of experimental, statistical, and analytical techniques thus providing excellent training opportunities for HQP. Specifically, the research project will support training of 2 Ph.D and 2 undergraduate students, and a technician. The long-term objective of our research is to investigate nutritional means to improve gut health and function, skeletal integrity, and feed utilization in poultry. The study of nutritional strategies to improve gut and bone health are of critical importance to the Canadian poultry industry more so in the light of the forthcoming changes in layers housing systems and restriction to AGP usage. Research results will be directly transferred into practice through partnerships with feed manufacturers and allied industries that serve the Canadian poultry producers.