3 gains from a good strategic and budgetary planning for the poultry industry

About three to four months before the year ends, practically all companies begin to prepare for the coming year, estimating and closing values for preparation of their budget. At this point, counting on a strategic and budgetary planning turns out to be fundamental.

Good planning ensures the achievement of objectives such as sustainability, efficiency, expansion and profitability. It is essential to guide major decisions and focus managers’ attention on key factors that aim at the organization’s success in the short, medium and long term.

In poultry farming, regardless of whether the segment is broiler or layer hens, one of these key factors is investment in the flock’s health and performance. After all, no one wants to see the flock get sick, face high mortality, low productivity, reduction of weight gain, increase of feed conversion and poor-quality eggs. Nobody wants to lose money.

And when it comes to health and performance, probiotics come into play. In this content, we are going to show you 3 gains from probiotics for the poultry industry and why this is one of the investments that should be included in the 2023 strategic and budgetary planning for your flock, be it a broiler breeder, broiler, layer breeder or commercial layer.

3 reasons to prioritize flock’s health and performance

Probiotics are beneficial live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, create the ideal environment for the development of the poultry’s healthy microbiota and collaborate for the proper functioning of different systems – such as the digestive, immune and central nervous systems. They:

• Improve the integrity of the poultry´s gastrointestinal tract, preventing diseases;
• Stimulate the development and maturation of the innate and local specific immune system (GALT);
• Influence the animal’s behavior (well-being) through the gut-brain axis, where the vagus nerve connects the two organs.

For all these reasons, they are closely linked to the poultry´s health and, consequently, can bring several gains to the flocks. Let us cite 3 of them.

1) More productivity (and profitability!)

As probiotics colonize the intestine with beneficial bacteria, they help to prevent the entry of opportunistic diseases and contribute to the poultry´s better zootechnical and economic performance. Pay attention to early colonization, which is the starting point for us to obtain flocks with adequate weight and high uniformity.

In the case of broilers, the use of probiotics directly contributes to the zootechnical performance, mainly for feed conversion and weight gain of the birds; in the case of commercial laying hens, egg production reaches the expected levels in terms of better viability, shell quality and egg utilization. In both, it represents profitability for the business.

One Health

2) Reduction in the use of antimicrobials

Healthy birds have excellent intestinal quality. For this to be possible, the intestinal microbiota has to be in balance (eubiosis) — as well as the digestive, immune and central nervous systems in full activity.

Modulating the microbiota of production animals with probiotics, therefore, it impacts directly on the reduction of the use of antimicrobials — particularly those that are used preventively or as performance enhancers (AGP).

With this, it helps to keep companies in line with the trend of food production, respecting the One Health concept and promoting cost reduction. In addition, it favors the physiology and development of birds and preserves the efficiency of antibiotics when they are effectively needed in production.

3) Reduction of feed conversion

With a constant increase in production operating costs, which has been a recurring challenge both for broiler producers and for the commercial laying segment, the alternatives that contribute to the reduction of feed conversion gain prominence.

Among them is the use of probiotics, additives that allow better absorption of nutrients from the feed by the poultry during digestion and prevent them from being wasted in the feces. This makes probiotics contribute to the reduction of feed conversion and increase of weight gain, which directly impacts profitability.

Use of probiotics: key factor for strategic planning

With these 3 gains, it was easy to understand why the investment in probiotics is a key factor when closing the budget considering the strategic and budgetary planning for 2023.

As they stand out as modulators of the intestinal microbiota of birds and inhibitors of pathogenic microorganisms, they are synonymous with health and productivity for the poultry industry.

But it is worth noting that it is not enough to include any probiotic in poultry production. To achieve the expected effects, the correct quality and quantity of strains really matters. Probiotics are not alike, and for every challenge in the field, there is a more effective program.

If you want to know more about probiotics and how they can make a difference in your production in 2023, talk to Biocamp!

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