Enhancing feed hygiene for layers
Animal feed is perpetually at risk of being spoiled or contaminated by pathogenic microbes such as Salmonella, E.coli, mould and yeasts. Attention to feed hygiene is essential to preserve the nutritional quality of feed and ensure optimal animal performance.
How to recognise
Signs of contaminated feed include clumped particles, off odours and changes in colour. These signs are sometimes also associated with increase in temperature of the feed. A laboratory analysis can be performed to quantify the level of spoilage organisms in the animal feed.
The impact on the farmer
Poor feed hygiene can lead to reduction of the energy as well as the vitamins A, D3, E, K and thiamine available to the animal. In addition, mouldy feeds tend to be dusty, which reduces their palatability. It can also increase the exposure of livestock to harmful moulds and bacteria such as Salmonella.