December issue of All About Feed now online

Coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are important diseases in poultry farms around the world. In the article on page 18 of this issue, Pauline Paap from Orffa Additives explains that high levels of (animal) protein or poorly digestible protein sources are associated with higher risk for necrotic enteritis, as undigested protein is a growth substrate for pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens. “Wheat, rye, oats and barley are more often associated with necrotic enteritis, due to higher levels of indigestible, water soluble, non-starch polysaccharides. Whereas maize is not. Beside the choice of raw materials, also particle size seems to influence gut health”, Paap explains. In the article, also nutritional strategies are named to reduce the incidence of necrotic enteritis. Adding butyrate to the diet is one of them.

Read more about the disease Coccidiosis in the World Poultry health tool.

New (sustainable) proteins for animal feed

A new Dutch report looked at the alternatives for South American soy to use in today’s diet formulation. To replace the demand for South American soy with alternatives we can look at four different solution, Wilbert Hilkens explains in the article on page 32 of this issue. Options include: Increasing protein content in existing crops that are widely used in feed, improved protein extraction from sunflower seeds, rapeseed, wheat and corn, cultivation of soy, peas, beans, lupins, and grass in the European field and cultivation of duckweed, algae, seaweed and insects outside the regular crops.

Click here to read the full article.

Poultry boost in MENA region

Rising consumption in many of these countries, however, is outpacing their ability to produce, with consequences for production and trade by agricultural exporters such as the United States. Among the most important destinations for agricultural exports is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In fact, MENA is the largest regional importer of poultry products in the world, and within the region, Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer. US poultry shipments, mainly broilers, saw rapid growth over the past 10 years, with the biggest customers being Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. As the capacity for large-scale poultry operations has grown, so has the demand for animal feed, for which corn is a main ingredient. Read more about this region here.