AU669644B1

AU669644B1 - A process of rearing chickens

Info

Publication number: AU669644B1
Application number: AU16284/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tsa-Fa Hung
Original assignee: LUNG HUI LIN; TSA FA HUNG
Current assignee: Lin Lung-Hui
Priority date: 1995-04-05
Filing date: 1995-04-05
Publication date: 1996-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2015-04-05
Also published as: FR2733119B1; GB2299508A; FR2733119A1; GB9507322D0

Description

p" 'STRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): Tsa-fa HUNG AND Lung-hui LIN ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: A process of rearing chickens The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:-

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a The present invention relates to a process of rearing chickens, especially to a bio-degrading system utilized for rearing chickens.

The rearing of livestock has a long history in the human society. Nowadays, among the livestock commonly reared, chickens have become one kind of animal with high values in nutrition and economics. However, if the poultry house is not properly managed, excrement and other waste such as feathers can pose significant problems such as offensive odor and environmental pollution.

Poultry houses used for rearing chickens usually have two-level floors. A first level is a deposit of waste wood such as shavings or sawdust, with a depth of about 10 cm. A second level is a metal grid to support the cages of chickens and is fixed at a height of about 50 cm above the first eeoc level. The chickens are reared for approximately 60 days S. until the mean body weight of about 3 kg is achieved prior to shipment.

o After the shipment of the previous batch of adult chickens, the cushici materials with accumulated chicken excrement and litter are discarded and then the interior of the poultry house and the contaminated apparatuses therein eeoc should be rinsed, sanitized and then dried. When the sanitized apparatuses are returned to their place and fresh cushion material of wood waste is deposited over the first level to the thickness of about 10 cm, optionally followed by the steaming indoors with formalin, then the next batch of Y III 2 chickens are placed into the poultry house. The above cleaning procedure always requires about 3-4 weeks. The utility rate of the poultry house is thus reduced and the expenditure of such management of chicken excrement and litter is considerable.

For obviating the aforesaid disadvantages of the standard procedi:Lre, a simple method is alternatively contemplated to maximize the utility rate of poultry houses and minimize the running cost. This simple method comprises sanitizing steps of the interior parts and the contaminated apparatuses which merely requires about one week between rearing batches. However, the advantages of the simple method are countered by the derived numerous adverse effects accompanied by the decay of accumulated chicken excrement and litter, such as the prevalence of chicken diseases and the environmental pollutions. Therefore, this simple method has X seldom been adopted in the industry.

The present invention provides a process to overcome the aforementioned problems regarding the simple method. The 20 process according to this invention merely requires the simple method for maintaining sanitation during rearing batches and also has the advantages comparable to the standard method.

The prescnt invention provides a process of rearing chickens, which comprises employing a bio-degrading system by using certain living microbes.

It is surprisingly found that certain microbes, especially of yeasts and bacteria, will be capable of leading b 3 to an accelerative degradation of the chicken excrement and hence shortening the residence time of the disposed excrement and litter. Therefore, an objective of this invention is to provide a process of rearing chickens wherein the offensive odors and other environmental pollutions during rearing are effectively controlled. According to the process of this invention, the possibilities of prevalence of chicken diseases, including some zoonosises, are greatly eliminated.

Therefore, another objective of this invention is to provide a process of rearing chickens wherein the good health of the chickens and human workers is maintained during rearing.

Furthermore, the accumulated excrement and litter degraded by the bio-degrading system according to the process of this invention will not cause problems in the environment and health. Thus, it is possible to employ the simple method along with the bio-degrading system according to this invention. Therefore, yet another objecti' of this invention to provide a process of rearing chickens to confer advantages of the curtailments of expenditure and a shorter utility rate of the poultry house.

a further aspect of this invention, when these microbes are administered to the chickens, there is a e:o.

biological improvement of the chicken gastrointestinal system. Therefore, yet another objective of this invention is to provide a process of rearing chickens wherein the resistance of the reared chickens against the propagation or invasion of pathogenic microbes is enhanced. Meanwhile, the enhanced resistance of the reared chickens could 4 significantly decrease the administration of drugs for the prophylaxis and treatment of disease states, in addition to the acquisition of good growth situations.

The present invention provides a process of rearing chickens, where a bio-degrading system is employed.

The bio-degrading system according to this invention is mainly constituted by the utilization of certain microbes which were found to be capable of accelerating the degradation of chicken excrement and litter.

The useful microbes in the bio-degrading system according to this invention are certain yeasts and bacteria.

The preferred yeasts, for example, include those of genus Saccharomyces, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and of genus Candida, such as Candida utilis.

The preferred bacteria in the process according to this invention, for example, include those of genera Bacillus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus. The examples of genus Bacillus are Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus natto, Bacillus megaterium and so on. The examples of genus Lactobacillus are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus S plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei and so on. The examples of genus Streptococcus are Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus and so on.

Other suitable bacteria useful in the bio-degrading system according to this invention include sulfur bacteria, manganese-reducing bacteria, manganese-oxidizing bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, actinomyces, nitrobacteria, meth- 4 •0 5 ane-oxidizing bacteria, spore-forming bacteria, ironoxidizing bacteria, iron-reducing bacteria, sulfide-reducing bacteria and so on.

In one aspect of the invention, the living microbial preparation according to this invention is intended to be applied to the cushion materials of wood waste, especially to the reused cushion materials for rearing chickens. The application of such living microbial preparations to the cushion materials with accumulated chicken excrement and litter thereon allows for the rapid degradation both of the wood waste and the accumulated chicken excrement and litter.

In an extended rearing period of about 1-1.5 years, the height of the accumulated chicken excrement and litter was given at an acceptable level of about 10-12 cm. Therefore, the process according to this invention is able to completely avoid the sanitization in accordance with the aforementioned standard method and hence shorten the intervals between Srearing batches in a period of at least 1-1.5 years. The merits of the process according to this invention thus focus o 4 on, in addition to the prevention of pollutions, the reduction of working hours, the elevation of the utility rate of the poultry house, and the curtailments of expenditure.

In another aspect of this invention, when the chickens were fed with the living microbial preparation, subsequently the numbers of bacteria of Peptococcaceae and Enterobacteriaceae in the chickens declined significantly along with the lecithinase-positive clostredia including Clostredium p(.fringens. Also, the numbers of Bacteriodaceae 6 and the total numbers of normal flora declined significantly later. At the end of the rearing course, the Staphylococci had declined significantly. The variations occurring in other bacteria populations could not be detected. That is, the administration of microbes according to this invention confers a rearrangement of normal flora in the gastrointestinal tract of a chicken with the increased Lactobacillus and the decreased Enterobacteriaceae.

The rearrangement of microbial populations in the intestinal tract brings the occurrence of the type of advantageous metabolism for the chickens. For example, the amounts of ammonia in the degraded excrement and litter of the reared chickens are significantly decreased, as well as the amounts of each of phenol, cresol and 6-methylindole.

Again, sulfides and ethylphenol decreased during the late course, however, lower fatty acids, propionic acid, lactic eeoc acid, succinic acid increased. These microbes administrated t, the chickens according to this invention could also *4c* produce in vivo a great deal of Vitamin B group. Therefore,

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the process of this invention further confers on the chickens improved metabolic activities and the enhanced resistance against the invasion of virulent microbes.

These suitable microbes as referred to hereinbefore are usually used in the form of a living microbial preparation. For the sanitizing between rearing batches, the living microbial preparation may be sprinkled over the cushion materials with accumulated excrement and litter thereon or orally administered to the chickens as additives supplemented 7 into the animal diets. Furthermore, the living microbial preparation is preferably produced in the strength of 106-109 germs/g. Preferably, the living microbial preparation is applied to the cushion materials in the concentration of 1 kg/33.54 m 2 and administered to the chickens of 0.1-1% by weight of the animal diets. Alternatively, the living microbial preparation may be suspended in the drinking water for the administration to the chickens.

Further details of this invention are demonstrated in the following example.

EXAMPT.E

MATERTALS:

I. Chickens One day before the day starting the following experiments, the day-old chickens (new line derived from AA Fuji x Feather Sex) from a hatchery were sent to the poultry houses.

II. Living Microbial Preparation 1. Constituents: each arbitrary unit containing: 4/g 20 bacillus 10 /g lactobacillus 19 sachraomyces streptococci 10 /g candida 10 /g rice bran 85% by weight wheat bran 10% by weight 2. Preparation: The selection procedures of raw materials of rice bran and wheat bran were carried out according to the standard technology, such as the examinations of agriculture crops, heavy metals, mold and aflatoxin. Then these raw materials 8 were autoclaved, dried and crumbled. The qualified materials were admixed with isolated pure cultures of selected microbes and then water (distilled, sterile or pure) was added. The mixture was held at a temperature of 60-75 OC and suitable conditions for fermentation. After 2-3 days, the mixture was dried at 60-70°C to leave a water content 10%. The pH value of the mixture varied between 4.8-5.1 and no pathogenic germs were detected in the resultant preparation. Prior to use, the resultant preparation was suspended in pure water.

III. Animal Diets: Starter diets containing 23% of protein and 3,000 Kcal/Kg, with or without nosiheptide 5 mg/Kg, colistin mg/Kg and harofuginone 40 mg/Kg, were fed from 0 to 15 days of age. Grower diets containing 18% of protein and 3,150 Kcal/Kg, with or without decoquinate 5 mg/Kg, colistin mg/Kg and nosiheptide mg/Kg, were fed from 16 to 49 days of age. Finisher diets containing 18% of protein and 3,180 Kcal/Kg were fed from 50 t 56 days of age. The administration of drugs were indicative specifically in the following methods.

METHODS:

Part I. The Test Batches 1. The first batch A poultry house of the area of 576 m 2 with curtains and tunnel ventilation, were sanitized according to the conventional standard procedure. The tanks for supplying water and animal diets were installed and also sanitized.

Chickens of total sum of 8600 were then placed into the s 9 poultry house. Groups of chickens were put into the poultry houses with a density of 12-15 animals/square meter. On the first day of rearing, the living microbial preparation was administered to the chickens as the suspension in the drinking wrater. From the second day to the end of the rearing course, the said preparation was adcinistered as an additive of 0.1% by weight of the routine animal diets for 8 weeks.

Vaccines were inoculated as normal. The administration of prophylactic drugs was stopped after the sixth week.

2. The second batch After the shipment of the adult chickens of the first batch, the contaminated apparatuses and the interior parts of the poultry house were treated according to the simple method as defined hereinbefore. Subsequently, the living microbial preparation was uniformly applied to the surface of the accumulated chickens excrement and litter in a ratio of 1 kg/33.54 m 2 After 5 days, day-old chickens were reared according to the process for the first batch, except for the prophylactic amount of drugs being stopped after the day.

3. The third batch The third batch of chickens was reared according to the process for the second batch, except for the prophylactic amounts of drugs being stopped after the 10th day.

4. The 4th batch The 4th batch of chickens was reared according to the process for the second batch, except for the prophylactic amounts of drugs being stopped after the 7th day.

1 10 The 5th batch The 5th batch of chickens was reared according to the process for the second batch, except for the prophylactic amounts of drugs being stopped after the 4th day.

6. The 6th batch The 6th batch of chickens was reared according to the process for the second batch, except for the prophylactic amounts of drugs being not administered.

Part II. The Control Batches The control batches were a series of tests parallel to the test batches and had six batches. Therefore, the procedures and conditions were the same with those described in Part I, except for the living microbial preparation being neither applied to the accumulated excrement and litter nor administered to the chickens.

RESULTS o o.: I. General Comments "In the following description, the first batch of the test batches was designated as Test the first batch of '0 the control batches was designated as Control the remaining were designated accordingly.

For the test batches, the cushion material always remained dry in all of the successive six batches. Also, clumping and odors could not be found. In the routine assays, bacteria of Salmonella and eggs of ascaris could not be found in the accumulated chicken excrement and litter. Coccidiosis and colibacillosis were not observed during the entire course of the experiment. The undesired smell disappeared at the end 11 of the rearing of the fifth batch. The halt of administration of drugs in the sixth batch did not cause any adverse effect.

On the contrary, the clumping of accumulated excrement and litter was found at the fifth week after rearing Control The occurrence of offensive odors was confirmed, but the bacteria of Salmonella and eggs of ascaris could not be found in Control In Control the accumulated excrement and litter apparently decayed and clumped. Offensive odors was increased throughout the rearing course. Bacteria of Salmonella and eggs of ascaris could be found. Coceidio-i and colibacillosis occurred simultaneously. A.1thongh the therapeutic amounts of drugs were thus administered, the mortality was still significantly higher than Test :L'5 II. The Viability and the Concentration of Ammonia (ppm) at a. the End of Each Batch Table 1 SViability Ammonia (ppm) Test 95.0 53 STest 96.5 '0 Test 98.0 43 Control 93.5 100 Control 88.5 150 Table 1 shows the fact that the process of this invention could indeed reduce the total concentration of ammonia in the accumulated excrement and litter which increased with time. Also, the process of this invention actually constituted suitable surroundings for chickens. This is evident by the maintenance of hign viability of test batches compared to control batches.

12 The ceasing of drug administration to the chickens in the sixth test batch did not cause any reduction in viability. This suggests the reared chickens according to this invention were conferred with the enhanced resistance against pathogens since no sign of the propagation of the widely distributed pathogenic microbes Salmonella spp.

and E. coli) could be found in test batches.

III. Mean Body Weights of the Adult Chickens and the Mortality Table 2 Days Control Test Means of of age Tests BW MT BW MT BW MT 21 0.726 1.8 0.729 1.0 0.723 1.537 2.6 1.608 1.3 1.545 1.4 49 2.557 4.3 2.607 1.8 2.576 56 2.926 6.7 3.022 2.3 2.995 BW: body weight MT: mortality by the day. Values of BW are the mean of 60 animals. p< 0.001 As shown in Table 2, the resultant chickens according to the process of this invention have the significantly increased mean of body weights and the greatly decreased 20 mortality compared to Control IV. Evaluations: Several items of the comparison of the novel process according to this invention (TEST) with the conventional rearing process (CONTROL) were evaluated and concluded as ratios in Table 3.

Table 3 Items TEST/CONTROL Annual rearing batches 1.3-1.5 Yields 1.02-1.05 Costs of microbial preparations/drugs about 1 13 (TEST: costs of microbial preparations, CONTROL: costs of drugs) Costs of cushion materials 1/5-1/6 Expenditure of management per batch 1/10 Expenditure of sanitizing per batch about 1/3 Gross interests 1.7-2 Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

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Claims

2. The process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the living microbial preparation further comprises streptococci.
3. The process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the living microbial preparation is fed to the chickens as an additive associated with the animal diets.
4. The process as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the living microbial preparation is fed to the chickens as an additive associated with the animal diets. The process as claimed in Claim i, wherein the chicken 15 is the broiler chicken derived from AA Fuji x Feather Sex.
6. The process as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the chicken iv the broiler chicken derived from AA Fuji x Feather Sex.
7. The process as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the microbial preparation further comprises rice bran, wheat bran, dreg of bean curd, dreg of soybean and/or calcium phosphate.
8. The process as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the chicken is the broiler chicken derived from AA Fuji x Feather Sex.
9. The process as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the microbial preparation further comprises rice bran, wheat bran: dreg of bean curd, dreg of soybean and/or calcium phosphate. The process as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the chicken is the broiler chicken derived from AA Fuji x Feather Sex. I 15
11. A process according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Examples.
12. The steps, features, compositions and compo disclosed herein or referred to or in ted in the specification and/or claims is application, individually or ectively, and any and all combinations of a o or more of said steps or features. DATED this FIFTH day of APRIL 1995 to Tsa-fa HUNG AND Lung-hui LIN by DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the applicant(s) ABSTRACT A Process of Rearing Chickens The present invention relates to a process of rearing chickens, which comprises utilizing a bio-degrading system of living microbial preparations. The process according to this invention provides the prevention of pollutions, the reduction of working hours in cleaning, the elevation of the utility rate of the poultry house, and the curtailments of expenditure and the enhanced resistance of chickens against the propagation or invasion of pathogenic microbes. e* 0* e o01 1 °oue