NewsLetter
Plants & plant extracts in animal feed
N° 75 - May 2017
Editorial
Meet the people who recently joined our team!
The Nor-Feed team is growing with the recent arrival of:
Pierre Caillis, Technical Manager, ruminants,
Patricia Marrié, Area Manager for France & UK,
Christophe Mauboussin, Laboratory Manager and R & D Assistant,
Thibault Richard, Area Manager for the Middle East,
Aurélie Poiron, Laboratory Technician,
and Marie-Laure Vigneron, Accounting Manager.
Part of the team, April 2017
Focus on...
B
The questioning of beak trimming
eak trimming consists in removing part of the beak
of the chicken. It is done in the first days of its life.
The objective of the operation is to reduce feather picking
and the complications that come with it (wounds, stress,
cannibalism). The mortality rate is thus reduced (25-30%)
and egg production is better. Beak trimming, if not performed well, may generate chronic pain if more than 50% of
the beak is removed or if it is done when the chicks are
more than 10 days old.
Beak trimming banned in the future?
Beak trimming is a controversial issue in
Europe. Some countries such as Norway,
Finland, Sweden and Austria have already
banned it. The Netherlands plan to ban it
in September 2018, and Germany adopted a
more restrictive law earlier this year.
In 1999, a European Directive prohibited all
types of mutilation, with the exception of beak
trimming if performed by specialists. Later, in 2007, the
Commission added that beak trimming could be allowed if
performed by a vet in the frame of a medical treatment.
Which alternatives? There are few other techniques to
prevent feather picking, as using feed additives rich in
insoluble fibres (from rice and oat hull, or lucerne meal)
to reduce the behavioral stress. According to the Agricultural Research Service (Indiana, USA), increasing prenatal
concentration of serotonin reduces aggressive behaviors
and improves poultry welfare in the long term.
Some plants, with relaxing properties, can also constitute
an interesting solution.
Lighting may also be an alternative: red light, supposed
to reduce the vision of blood and blood vessels, has been
traditionaly used for years by poultry farmers to
reduce aggressiveness and cannibalism.
Today, it is more common to use a more suitable weak white light, to reduce the visibility within the building and consequently
diminish the aggressive behavior between
animals.
Sources:
European Union Council Directive 1999/74/EC and
2007/43/EC; Dr. Jacob J., Beak Trimming of Poultry in
Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks, (2015) [4.19.2017]; Walker
S., Serotonin: An alternative to beak trimming, (2014) [4.19.2017];
Glatz P. and Bourke M., Beak trimming handbook for eggs producers, Australian Poultry CRC, 2006.
Nor-Feed, 3, rue Amedeo Avogadro, 49070 Beaucouzé, France  +33(0)2.41.93.74.56  [email protected]
Field evidence
Durelax, a premixture of additives to calm naturally the animals
Trial parameters:
Conducted on 120.000 broilers for 15 days. The diet was supplemented with 1Kg/T of Durelax, premixture of additives that combines
Melissa officinalis and soluble magnesium.
Observed parameters: mortality (high mortality due to feather picking) and carcass quality (absence of defects, anatomical composition, fattening).
Results:
Reduction of
low-grade carcasses (%)
Reduction of the
mortality rate
15%
Conclusion
The use of Durelax at 1 Kg/T of
complete feed improved the performances and reduced the mortality
by acting on feather picking.
The animal welfare is enhanced.
3%
7.5%
1,5%
Control
Durelax
Control
V
Durelax
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award
2017
Follow Nor-Feed:
 Objective
Recognize a recent veterinarian thesis
(or a thesis of veterinary interest) addressing the functional
properties of plants and their application in animal health
and/or livestock production.
l Endowment: 5 000 €
Application & information on our website
or by e-mail: [email protected]
until 30 June 2017.
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