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Evaluating Good Husbandry Practices and Organic Fermented Additives for Coccidiosis Control in a Pilot Study Using
Anabel E Rodriguez1,2, Jesica D Britez1,2,3, María Luz Pisón-Martínez1,2
1Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria (IPVET), Unidad de Doble Dependencia, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham B1686, Argentina.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|June 26, 2025
Summary
Coccidiosis significantly impacts Argentine Campero-INTA chickens. Combining animal welfare practices with an organic fermented additive effectively manages coccidiosis, improving chicken productivity and health.
Area of Science:
- Poultry Science
- Animal Parasitology
- Agroecology
Background:
- Coccidiosis is a prevalent disease in Argentine Campero-INTA chickens, negatively affecting productivity in family poultry farming.
- Current control methods often involve costly vaccinations or drugs, prompting research into alternative strategies.
- This study addresses the need for effective, accessible coccidiosis management in this specific chicken breed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the susceptibility of Argentine Campero-INTA chickens to local *Eimeria* species.
- To assess the impact of animal welfare practices (AWPs) and an organic fermented additive combined with AWPs (OF-AWPs) on coccidiosis control.
- To analyze the productive, infection, and histopathological parameters in response to the interventions.
Main Methods:
- Two trials were conducted to evaluate productive (body weight gain, feed conversion), infection (oocyst excretion, lesion score), and histopathological (villus height, crypt depth) parameters.
- Productivity Index (PI) and Anticoccidial Index (ACI) were calculated to quantify treatment efficacy.
- Metagenomic analysis identified Lactic Acid Bacteria as the primary component of the organic fermented additive.
Main Results:
- Mild to moderate coccidiosis significantly reduced the Productivity Index (PI) by up to 16.83% compared to controls.
- Animal welfare practices (AWPs) demonstrated good anticoccidial efficacy (ACI 173.9).
- The organic fermented additive combined with AWPs (OF-AWPs) showed high efficacy (ACI 180.6), improving productive parameters, reducing oocyst shedding, and enhancing gut health (villus height/crypt depth ratio).
- OF-AWP increased the PI by 24.44% over a 75-day cycle compared to untreated chickens.
Conclusions:
- Coccidiosis poses a significant economic threat to Campero-INTA chicken production.
- An agroecological approach combining AWPs and a fermented additive offers a promising strategy for coccidiosis management.
- This strategy enhances chicken productivity and gut health, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional treatments.
