Every year, turkey producers lose more than $2 million1,2 to Histomoniasis (blackhead disease) alone due to high mortality rates and decreased flock performance. With limited industry investment to address turkey health challenges, turkey producers need solutions, not another problem.
Cargill Animal Nutrition has introduced Biostrong™ H-Protect, a new feed additive designed to support turkey performance with the added benefit of helping mitigate blackhead disease. Biostrong H-Protect offers a new foundational best practice, boosting the health and performance of turkeys and the producer’s business.
Nutrition drives better health
“Biostrong H-Protect combines a yeast-based postbiotic and phytogenic components, offering a combo solution that supports turkey health and immunity,” says Manuel Da Costa, DVM, PhD, strategic marketing and technology/innovation director–poultry at Cargill. “This solution has been shown to support turkey livability in the presence of a blackhead challenge.”
Feeding trials have shown that when Biostrong H-Protect is fed to healthy or challenged birds, both experience a better mortality and feed-conversion rate (FCR) and increased bodyweight.
- Challenge + Biostrong H-Protect birds experienced a 14.29% mortality rate post-challenge, marking an improvement of approximately 54.53% over the post-challenge Challenge Control group mortality rate of 31.43% (Figure 1).
- Challenge + Biostrong H-Protect birds showed a reduction in FCR compared to the Challenge Control, resulting in a roughly 16-point advantage for birds in the Challenge + Biostrong H-Protect group (Figure 2).
- Birds in the Biostrong H-Protect group were over 1 pound heavier than the Yeast-Product Control group at the end of the trial. On average across all ages, Biostrong H-Protect birds were 4% heavier compared to the Yeast-Product Control group (Figure 3).
Easy to use
Biostrong H-Protect provides a formulation advantage by replacing multiple additives — reducing the need for micro bin space in the feed mill — while withstanding harsh feed-manufacturing conditions. Because Biostrong H-Protect includes a yeast-based postbiotic, it helps support a producer’s food-safety program.
“Raising turkeys is a sun-up-to-sun-down job. It’s tough in normal conditions. Subpar live production performance and low livability make it more difficult,” Da Costa says.
“Biostrong H-Protect has the potential to make a difference in a turkey operation by addressing subpar performance and blackhead disease, both common and persistent turkey-production challenges.”
Biostrong is a trademark of Micronutrition and Health Solutions (MHS), a Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health business.
Editor’s note: Content on Modern Poultry’s Industry Insights pages is provided and/or commissioned by our sponsors, who assume full responsibility for its accuracy and compliance.
References
- Swayne DE, Glisson JR, McDougald LR, Nolan LK, Suarez DL, Nair V (eds). Histomoniasis (blackhead) and other protozoan diseases of the intestinal tract. Dis poult., 13th edn. Wiley, Ames.2013;1172–1178.
- Clark SR, Froebel L. Turkey Industry Annual Report—Current Health Industry Issues Facing the US Turkey Industry. Available at: https://huvepharma.com/news/article/2020-turkey-industry-annual-report-current-health-and-industry-issues-facing-the-us-turkey-industry/.
