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The intrinsic characteristics of organic poultry production, one of the fastest growing segments of organic agriculture, create unique challenges for producers. Despite the fact that most management practices in organic production are designed to promote animal health and prevent disease, the lack of consistently effective organic treatments for enteric diseases can adversely influence the bird's health and the wholesomeness of poultry products. Enteric diseases such as necrotic enteritis and food safety hazards caused by the pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter, are high priority issues for organic poultry producers. Therefore, there is a real need to develop strategies to promote gut health and limit disease/pathogens in these birds. <P> Unfortunately, organic poultry producers have a limited number of safe, effective and approved organic treatments to prevent and treat health problems in their flocks. Preliminary research from our laboratories indicates that natural compounds such as fatty acids, essential plant extracts and lactose (a natural product derived from milk) have antimicrobial efficacy against poultry enteric pathogens and could provide solutions to address food safety and disease concerns in organic production systems. <P> The research objectives of this proposal are to investigate the efficacy of combinations of organically based plant extracts, fatty acids, and lactose to: 1) Reduce enteric pathogens causing diseases such as necrotic enteritis in organic poultry production systems; 2) Reduce/eliminate the incidence of foodborne pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter in organic poultry production and 3) On farm testing of efficacy against enteric disease and foodborne pathogens in organic poultry production systems. <P> The results of the project and information on organic poultry production in general, will be disseminated to the organic and sustainable agriculture communities by an extension team comprised of experienced poultry specialists and stakeholders who have been involved in organic poultry production. <P> The outreach/extension objectives of this proposal are to: 1) Disseminate results of the project to the organic poultry community, through numerous delivery methods including conferences, electronic and printed materials, and training activities in a research and teaching oriented organic poultry facility: 2) Conduct outreach to organic poultry producers, avian health professionals, extension specialists and other interested stakeholders regarding the objectives and results of this project and 3) Measure the impact of outreach in reducing enteric pathogens and foodborne pathogens in organic poultry production.
Non-Technical Summary: <BR>Despite a 20% growth in organic poultry production/year, few research and outreach programs target the needs of these producers. Organic poultry production has unique challenges; the lack of safe, approved and effective treatments for diseases can adversely influence bird welfare, health and the wholesomeness of poultry products. Potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium, Salmonella and Campylobacter can commonly be found in the environment (soil, water). Necrotic enteritis and food safety concerns are high priority areas for organic poultry producers, and there is a critical need to develop strategies and treatments that promote gut health, limit disease and prevent foodborne infections. Using combinations of natural plant compounds and lactose (natural milk product), and management approaches customized for organic production; our objective is to develop comprehensive strategies to eliminate enteric diseases (necrotic enteritis) and foodborne bacterial contamination (Salmonella and Campylobacter) in organically raised poultry. Preliminary data demonstrates the potential of this approach. Optimal strategies will be tested and verified for efficacy on organic farms. Extensive outreach activities to disseminate project results and strategies for organic producers will be conducted through electronic and printed formats, and through workshops, conferences and training sessions. We have brought together a team of experts from government, academics, extension and organic producers to address these enteric health problems. Our proposal seeks to support organic producers through OREI goals 1 and 6 on the development of strategies to improve animal productivity, health and welfare in organic poultry facilities. <P> Approach: <BR> To evaluate the effect of outdoor access and environmental conditions on the prevalence of beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in poultry, studies will be conducted using housing and management systems frequently used by organic producers. Studies will continue until the birds reach market weight and will be replicated at different times of the year to account for seasonality. Environmental, cloacal and intestinal samples will be collected at different times of the growing period for bacterial enumeration and determination of intestinal lesions. To study beneficial bacteria, intestinal microflora will be evaluated with 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. Dependent on the results of these initial studies, subsequent trials will examine the impact of environmental enrichment in encouraging chickens to range. Additionally, evaluations on bird performance (weight gain, feed efficiency, and mortality), forage intake, and behavioral observations will be made. For all studies, postharvest evaluation of meat quality and pathogen contamination will be conducted. For the necrotic enteritis experiments, the critical factors required for reproducing the necrotic enteritis syndrome include a diet high in wheat, immunosupression and mechanical irritation of the gut. Day of hatch broiler chicks will be provided with water and an organic 55% wheat/corn-based non-medicated broiler starter diet allocated to treatment groups. These groups will receive either the organic wheat/corn-based non-medicated poultry diet alone (control) or the organic diet supplemented with 2.5 lactose, 0.7% caprylic acid or both 2.5 lactose and 0.7% caprylic acid for the entire experiment. At 14 days of age the chicks will receive a commercial infectious bursal disease vaccine at 10x the manufacturer's recommended dose via ocular administration, to immunocompromise the chicks. Finally, C. perfringens will be administered to the chicks twice daily for 3 consecutive days via oral gavage starting on day 17. On day 56, the chicks will be euthanized and intestinal samples will be collected to evaluate necrotic enteritis lesion scores. Data from our labs demonstrate that caprylic acid supplementation in feed can reduce gut colonization by Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry. Using a similar approach to Obj. 2, caprylic acid will be combined with dietary lactose in an effort to enhance the antimicrobial effectiveness of these compounds. Subsequent studies focused on optimizing various combinations of caprylic acid, lactose, trans-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and thymol will follow the experimental designs proposed while varying the combinations of natural treatments. Total feed consumption and body weights will be determined for all treatment groups. Tissue samples from small intestine, cecum, liver, and spleen of control and treated birds will be collected at necropsy for histopathological analyses. The effects of the selected treatments on the intestinal microflora will be evaluated with 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. Data will be analyzed by ANOVA using the GLM procedure of SAS.