Rotational Programs Combining Drugs and Coccidiosis Vaccine Improve Performance and Profitability in a Commercial Broiler Farm
Tim CherryA, Marco A. QuirozB, and Joey BrayA
AStephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches Texas, USA
BNovus International, Inc., 20 Research Park Dr.,
St. Charles, MO 63304, USA
tcherry@sfasu.edu
It is documented that production
performance will improve after the use of coccidiosis vaccines due to the
replacement of drug resistant oocysts with a more drug sensitive oocyst
population. A study consisting of seven grow-outs was conducted on the SFASU
Broiler Research Farm to determine the effect of ADVENT® Coccidiosis Control, a
live oocyst coccidiosis vaccine, on performance, and to determine if there was
an improvement in performance when going back on a coccidiostat program with a
more drug sensitive population of coccidial oocyst.
ADVENT contains sporulated viable oocysts from the three commercially relevant
species in broilers, E. acervulina (strain VND-A10), E. maxima (strain VND-M27),
and E. tenella (strain VND-T49). Extensive screening for anticoccidial drugs
resistance confirmed sensitivity of the strains to ionophores and chemical drugs.
Five consecutive broiler flocks were grown on a commercial broiler farm. The
study consisted of comparing performance parameters on a four house solid-wall
modern broiler farm. Houses 1 & 2 were deemed Farm 1 and houses 3 & 4
were deemed Farm 2 for comparison purposes. Farm 1 used a typical chemical/ionophore
and 3-nitro coccidiostat program and farm 2 used a coccidiosis vaccine program.
Both Farms employed the use of BMD-60. Averaging the adjusted feed conversion on
five consecutive flocks, farm 1 had a 0.03 adjusted feed conversion advantage
over farm 2.
For the sixth flock, both farm 1 and farm 2 were placed on the same
anti-coccidial program. Farm 2 had a 0.11 advantage for adjusted feed conversion.
On the seventh flock, both farm 1 and farm 2 were placed on the same
anti-coccidial program. Farm 2 had a 0.07 advantage for adjusted feed conversion.
Coccidial lesion scoring (Johnson and Reid Method) was done on five birds from
each house on days 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 through out all the grow-outs. The
improvement in Adjusted Feed Conversion on Farm 2 for the 6th and 7th flock can
be directly related to the decrease seen in coccidial lesion scores as compared
to farm 1.
The improvement in performance in the subsequent two flocks after the five
consecutive grow-outs using ADVENT coccidiosis vaccine in the same houses may be
the result of shifting the oocyst population to a drug sensitive population from
the vaccine.
®ADVENT is a trademark of Viridus Animal Health, LLC, and is registered in the United States and other countries