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The Microbial Safety Of Commercial Poultry Feeds
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There are different types of feeds given to poultry brids depending on
the purpose. These different types of feeds given to poultry birds
depending on the purpose. These different types are the breeders’
starters, growers’ and layer’ feeds. The percentage of each ingredient
in the feed varies depending on the type of feed. The ingredient include
ground yellow corn, ground oats or barley, Alfata meat, Fish meal,
Oystershell, managised salt, vitamin A, vitamin D, and coccidiostat
(which is given in form and at the level recommended by the
manufacturer). The different percentage of each ingredient varies
depending on the kind of feed for example, ground yellow corn in starter
and grower feed is 25% and 22% in breeder and layer feeds. There could
be the same percentage of a particular ingredient in different feeds as
in the case of a alfafa meal which constitutes 10% inall the feed types.
Some ingredients could be absent in a particular feed but present in
the others as in the case of riboflavin supplement which is absent in
starter feed and present at the levels of 2 and 5% in rower, layer and
breeder feeds respectively.
To maintain healthy birds, the feeds are
kept fresh as much as possible at all times. The amount of feed in
feeders are limited to the extent necessary to avoid wastage. It is a
good practice to fill hanging feeders – only three quarter full, and
trough feeders only two third full (Graham, 1977). Checking the weight
of the birds and its feed consumption is very necessary. A drop in feed
intake usually is the first indication of trouble, a disease outbreak,
molt, stress or poor management (Graham, 1977). Most poultry feed are
prepared in dehydrated forms and because of this, there is the need to
store them properly to avoid moisture uptake and damage by heat. In
this way,. They can remain safe for a considerable period of time
without loosing their safeness and value. The feed should be stored in a
suitable place where it will not be attacked by microorganisms,
insects, rodents, etc. Air tight storage is not advisable because
offensive odour might result when there is obstruction of out flow and
inflow of air (Leonard, 1981). High temperature and oxidation destroy
certain vitamins, therefore, care must be taken in the preservation and
storage of feeds to protect the vitamins they contain (Mc Graw – Hill
encyclopaedia 1992). The condition of feed storage and handling could be
a source of contamination. When feeds are unhygienically handled and
stored, there could be a buildup of microbial contaminants.
Poultry
have been found to be susceptible to infection due to certain
microorganisms and man may be secondarily infected through heavy
contaminated food such as poultry meat and eggs (Gorden and Tucker,
1965, Hall, 1977, and Barrell, 1982). Micro-organism that may
contaminate feed include the following general another disease caused by
salmonella infections is paratyphoid. Paratyphoid is an infection
disease of chi, Entherobacter, Escherichia, Protens, Pseudomonas,
staphylococcus, salmonella, shigella, providencia, serratia,
Klebsiella,streptococcus, clostridium, Aspergillus and Erysiphelothrie
(Leonard, 1981). Typically, in some countries, about 50% of all
outbreaks of salmonellosis in man are caused by infections derived from
these sources and the incidence of salmonella in poultry carcasses has,
in certain cases been found to be 7% or more (Van schothorst Notermans,
1980). Okongi (1984) examined poultry feed and found that salmonella
was present in the sample. Another disease caused by salmonella
infections is paratyphoid, Paratyphoid is an infections disease of
chicken, turkeys, ducks and other birds. Bofulism another kind of
disease occurs in both young and adult poultry birds. It is caused by a
bacterium, Clostridium Botulinum. This organism grows in decaying
plants and animals materials. Birds feeding material containing the
toxins produced by the bacteria lose control of their neck muscle
(Leonard, 1981).
1.2 Statement of problem
Poultry feed is known to
contain salmonella, and other microorganisms are also implicated in
poultry feeds, (Klinger and Ladidot, 1993). It is therefore pertinent
to carry out microbiological examination of commercially prepared
poultry feeds to ascertain their safety to livestock.
The presence of
moulds and mycotoxins in poultry feeds are usually from the raw
materials used in their production. Mould and mycotoxin contamination of
the raw materials can occur pre-harvest in field produced fungi and
post-harvest in store produced fungi (Krnjaja et al., 2008; Davies and
Wales, 2010). Feeds may be contaminated by pathogens at any point in the
production, storage, preparation processes. Pathogens like
Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli have been reported to be
transmitted by the feed to susceptible consumers, where they grow and
cause diseases, or a food borne infection (Church and Dupont, 1993).
Salmonella spp. is the major hazard for microbial contamination of
animal feed.
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