Gut or gastrointestinal tract starts from beak and ends in the cloaca. This plays an important role in food digestion, immune function and nutrient absorption.
An ecosystem of microorganisms, which includes bacteria, fungi and protozoa is always present in their gut. This is called as gut microbiome. Digestion and overall health will be balanced, when this microbial community is balanced.
Healthy Gut supports:
• Better nutrient absorption
• Better feed conversion ratio
• Diseases resistance
• Growth and performance
Components of Gut:
• Crop
• Proventriculus
• Gizzard
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
Factors which affect Gut health:
Gut health is affected by many factors which includes dietary factors, environmental factors, management practices, disease agents and much more.
Dietary factors include feed changes, digestibility, dietary fibers, feed quality and composition.
Environmental factors include temperature, humidity, ventilation, water quality, housing conditions and litter quality.
Management practices include biosecurity, stress and brooding.
Disease agents include pathogens and infectious diseases.
Diseases associated with Gut Health:
- Necrotic enteritis: It causes inflammation and tissue death of intestine which reduces the weight gain and also decreases the feed efficiency.
- Coccidiosis: It also damages the tissues and increase the susceptibility to other diseases.
- Dysbacteriosis: It reduces the feed intake and also leads to wet, greasy droppings.There are also some bacterial and viral infections that affects gut, impacts health and productivity.
Managing Gut health
If microbiome imbalance occurs, then nutrient digestion and adsorption will be affected, that will over all affects health and performance. Gut health could be managed by proper nutrition and management practices, gut health promoting feed additives and also with the phytomolecules.
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