AmmoMIN - Orffa

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Clay minerals to fight
footpad lesions
Footpad lesions in poultry are an indication of animal welfare
standards. Footpad burns of ten indicate that the animals are
not properly housed and fed. Here we look at how day minerals
in the diet can help prevent these painful foot conditions.
By Arno van der Aa, Orffa Additives, the Netherlands
T
he implementation of welfare
measurements for brailers in
recently approveellegislation
has once again put the importance of
prevention of footpaellesions in a new
perspective. In June 2007, EU Directive
2007-43-EC became effective anel
implementation is elue on 30 June, 2010.
Dming the long negotiations the up take
of footpacllesions has been in anel out of
this elirective. Finally it was elecielecl not to
inclucle them as an effective parameter.
However, it was noteel th at at the
evaluation of this elirective in 2012, this
parameter woulel be cliscusseel again.
Importante of the issue
Concmrently, the eliscussion also
contimies on a nationallevel. In the
Netherlancls, for example, footpael
lesions we re still plannecl to be taken
up by the national implementation of
the EU Directive 2007-43-EC. This woulel
mean that the incielence of footpael
lesions woulel become a tooI to elefine
the elensity of birels a poultry farmer
is alloweel to keep, which has a elirect
influence on the economical results.
Just before governmental approval in
July 2008, footpaellesions were (again)
left out of the Dutch regulation. But,
the government agreeel with the poultry
inelustry to investigate possibilities for
monitoring anel aeljusting footpaellesions.
This again inelicates the significance of
this problem, but also the elifficulty for
governments to effectively incluele this
parameter in legislation. In some countlies
footpaellesions have alreaely hael a elirect
effect on fanners' income. Sweelen alreaely
starteel in 1994 with the "brailel' foot
t '" ~
Table 1 . Experimental .
setup.
Treatment Additive Starter Grower Finisher
1 Control
2 Clinoptilolite 0.5% 1.0% 1.5%
A negative con trol group against a treatment with Clinoptilolite
(AmmofVllN, Orffa Additives) added to the diet. The procental
addition of Clinoptilolite is a dilution of the diet.
1;:
.
.
.
health programme". In Denmark footpacl
lesions are measurecl in the slaughterhouse
anel farmers are put uncler veterinarian
supervision anel given penalties when
incielence anel severity of footpacllesions
are too high. It is very likely that more
countries will soon follow this kincl of
practice, or that retail and/or NGOs
become driving forces to fultil consumers'
clemanels. For the benefit of the poultry
inelustry, a pro-active approach seems
aelvisable.
Multiple fadors
Footpad lesions are a multifactorial
disorder anel are affecteel by internal
anel external factors. Internal factors of
influence can be categorised as sex, breeel,
age, pressme, elaily growth and animal
health. External factors incluele water
supply, litter type, litter height, top
elressing of litter, climate, season, light,
bird elensity, faeces elistribution anel, last
but certainly not least, feed composition
(Velelkamp 2007). Within this article, the
effect of feed measurements, but more
particularly the use of clinoptilolite
(clay mineraIs), will be discusseel.
Feed measurements
There are several ways to manage litter
quality anel footpaellesions with feeel
strategies. The levels of sodium anel
potassium in the feed may affect water
up take and thereby leael to wet litter
prablems. Some feed ingreelients, like
soy and tapioca, have high potassium
levels anel thereby also high levels
of certain feed ingredients th at may
affect litter quality. High levels of
cruele protein are also known to have
a negative effect on litter quality.
High pratein levels cause high levels of
mic acid formeel in the liver anel excreted
by kidneys, thereby stimulating water
up take anel wet droppings. To prevent
footpad lesions, inclusion levels ofbiotin
may be of importance. Biotin impraves
the formation and elevelopment of the
upper skin. Earlier reports have shown
that biotin eleficiencies increase footpael
lesions (Mayne, 2005).
WORLD POULTRY.VoI.24 No 12. 2008 ~p www.woridPoultry.net15
v'~_
Importante of litter quality
Litter quality is an il11.portant parameter
regareling the incielence and severity
of footpad lesions. Moistme content
is important, since wet litter is known
to influence the OCCUlTence of footpad
lesions in broilers anel turkeys (Mayne,
2005). The combination ofwet litter
combineel with nitragen components
like ammonia is irritating for footpads.
The combination of wet litter and high
ammonia can affect the footpad, which
results in colourisation of the skin,
and ultimately ulcerations.
Damageel footpaels give free way for
nmgi or bacteria to cause seconelary
infections, which may even leael to
conelemnations of the car-cass (Ekstranel
et al, 1997). Brailers affecteel by footpad
lesions will experience pain anel therefore
redllCed mobility, thereby leacling to
lower feed intake anel grovvth.
.
Clay minerals and litter quality
Clinoptilolites are specially selecteel clay
minerals lmown for their typical structme,
which enables the clay mineral to bind
ammonia (Suchy et al, 2006). As a re sult

(%)
6~
Feed intake (0-35d) gr 3457 3611
25,9::. Corrected FCR (0-35d) 1.621 1.629
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usage of protein sources.
Litter score
Day 7
1
1
Using a dilution
strategy inc1ueling c1inoptilolite can be
_
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2~;
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~31-.-
22 51.-
22
control
---24~6----
gut health is improved, since ammonia
is toxic to the gut wall. As an additional
effect, a reeluction of footpad lesions
may be expecteel because ammonia
bOlmd to c1inoptilolite causes less
irritation to the footpads.
In 2001, the binding of ammonia by
clinoptilolite was testeel in piglets by
the University of Ghent in Belgium.
They founel that 32% of total ammonia
was bounel in faeces of piglets fed diets
that containeel clinoptilolite, compared
to only 1% with bounded ammonia in
the con trol treatment. ResuIts from
several trials have shown th at inclusion
of clinoptilolite in the diet reduces
water excretion and thus improves litter
quality. As a resuIt of ammonia bineling
in the gut, technical performance is
also improved. In the following sections
different trials are discussecl.
'Figùre'2. Èffect of.c1inoptilolitë on:lesioÍ1severity,'
"
; -
Germaíí field.trial :;;;'
2005
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