Page 16 - AWA Vol.41-No.8

POULTRY

Endotoxin control in breeder hens: every egg counts

The key to health, efficiency
and sustainable success
For poultry breeders, every
egg matters. Success is mea-
sured not only by the number
of eggs laid but also by their
quality, hatchability and the
health of the hens that produce
them. In breeder operations,
this importance is magnified:
every egg represents the ge-
Muhammad Umar
netic potential of the flock
Technical Sales Manager
and a direct investment in the
technical-sales@dr-eckel.de
next generation of birds. Loss-
es therefore weigh heavily,
as they affect not only current
performance åbut also future
productivity.
Yet on many farms, problems creep in quietly: cracked
shells, undersized eggs, unexpected mortality. And the
true culprit goes unnoticed. Behind these problems of-
ten lies an underestimated threat that silently undermines
performance and profitability: endotoxins.

Endotoxins – the silent enemy Figure 1: Mortality (a) and small egg rate (b) before vs. after Anta®Catch supple-
mentation
Endotoxins are fragments of the cell wall of gram-neg-
ative bacteria such as E. coli. They are naturally pres- nary costs but also in the frustration of knowing that per-
ent in the gut, but when animals face stress – heat, feed formance could be higher. In breeder production, where
changes, infections or antibiotic treatments – their levels margins are already tight, this is an issue no farm can af-
can rise sharply. At high concentrations, endotoxins cross ford to ignore.
the damaged intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream.
There, they trigger inflammation and disrupt essential Anta®Catch: a holistic endotoxin solution
metabolic processes. In laying hens this may lead to poor
nutrient absorption, impaired calcium utilisation and sys- Endotoxin management requires a comprehensive ap-
temic stress due to inflammatory processes. The conse- proach. Anta®Catch was developed specifically to pro-
quences are visible in the form of weaker eggshells, more tect animals against this hidden enemy. Unlike generic
small eggs and increased mortality. What makes endotox- binders or additives, it takes a holistic view of the prob-
ins particularly dangerous is their invisibility. Farmers see lem, addressing endotoxins where they originate and
the effects in terms of lower chick viability and declining helping animals build resilience against their harmful ef-
profitability, but the underlying cause often remains hid- fects. The concept behind Anta®Catch is straightforward:
den. its activated surfaces reduce the endotoxin load in the
digestive tract, its prebiotic components strengthen the
intestinal barrier, and its phytogenic complex supports
The real cost for breeder farmers
liver detoxification capacity and reduces inflammatory
For a breeder operation, endotoxin stress means more reactions. This triple protection ensures that breeder hens
than sick birds. It reduces hatchability, undermines genet- can maintain egg quality and health even under challeng-
ic continuity and forces farmers to cope with losses that ing farm conditions.
should be preventable. Every cracked, soft-shelled or
undersized egg is a lost chick, every dead hen a setback
for flock productivity. Beyond the animals themselves, Field results in broiler breeders
endotoxins also create more work for farm staff. Sick or Theory is important, but farmers want to see results in
weak birds demand extra care and treatment. Losses ac- practice. A commercial field trial in Taiwan with more
cumulate not only in the form of wasted feed and veteri- than 4,000 broiler breeder hens put Anta®Catch to the
14 Vol. 41 No. 8