How is in-VIGOR-ate® administered?- In-VIGOR-ate®
is a
vitamin supplement for poultry
that is administered in the drinking water.
- Six ounces are to be added to 128 gallons of drinking water. When using a proportioner or medicator, 6 ounces of in-VIGOR-ate® are to be mixed per gallon of stock solution and metered at one ounce per gallon of drinking water.
How can in-VIGOR-ate® be administered if a proportioner or medicator is not used?
- Mix 1½ teaspoons of in-VIGOR-ate® in 5 gallons of drinking water to provide the proper dosage.
What package sizes are available?
- In-VIGOR-ate®
is available in both six-ounce and 30-ounce foil packs.
When should in-VIGOR-ate® be administered to poultry?
- At placement in brooder house - Days of use 1-14
- After transport - Days of use 1-3
- After vaccination - Days of use 1-3
- After feed changes - Days of use 1-2
- After being out of feed - Days of use 1-3
- During heat stress - Repeated intervals of 2 days on and 2 days off.
Why is water intake so important on Day 1 of chick and poult placement?
- Birds typically arrive from the hatchery dehydrated. So, rapid rehydration is important to livability during the first 4 days post-placement.
- Water intake prompts feed intake.
- Water is essential for digestion, metabolism and waste excretion.
Why is the amount of feed consumed during the first week important?
- Early feed intake reduces mortalities during days 5 thru 7 post-placement due to starve-outs.
- Greater feed intake during the first week of life directly impacts a heavier market weight.
- At 8 hours post-placement, at least 85% of the examined birds should have both feed and water present in the crop.
- The morning after placement a minimum of 95% of the birds’ crops should be filled with feed upon examination.
Should water supplements during the first week post-placement provide glucose (dextrose)?
- Glucose should NOT be provided during the first week post-placement to either chicks or poults (Ferket, 2018; Christensen, 2009).
- The chick and poult rely heavily on utilization of the yolk after hatch and initial days post-placement. They depend on gluconeogenesis to produce glucose from the lipids and amino acids in the yolk.
- If glucose is provided via drinking water, gluconeogenesis is shut down. Then when the readily available carbohydrate is metabolized, the induced enzymes of the gluconeogenic pathway are not able to be quickly restarted resulting in an increase in starve-outs.
- in-VIGOR-ate®
does NOT contain glucose for this reason.
Does addition of in-VIGOR-ate® alter the pH of the stock solution and drinking water?
- Yes because the formulation does contain citric acid.
Why is acidification of drinking water important during the first week post-placement?
- Poultry prefer water with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8.
- Acidified water promotes an environment in the crop and digestive tract more favorable to the establishment and growth of beneficial lactic acid producing bacteria.
- Administrating in-VIGOR-ate®
reduces water pH and supplies a source of lactic acid producing bacteria.
Can in-VIGOR-ate® be used with various other water medications such as vaccines or antibiotics?
- Yes, it can be used with most. Only those items that are not soluble in an acidified solution should not be added.
How long does it take to develop a stable gut microflora?
Phase 1:
- The chick/poult gut microflora is determined by what is consumed from its environment and grows exponentially. Crop and gut microflora establishment generally reaches equilibrium in 7 to 10 days.
- Because natural microbial counts are low, a desired balance of beneficial bacteria can be readily influenced with probiotic supplementation – particularly via the drinking water.
Phase 2:
- The microbial population in the cecal area takes up to 30 days to establish and is significantly impacted by the composition of the diet consumed.
Do antibiotics impact gut microflora?
- Common antibiotics such as BMD, avilamycin, salinomycin and penicillin are negative to the growth of Lactobacilli and favor the growth of E. coli (Perry, Poultry Science Symposium Series Vol. 28).
- Consequently, supplementation of probiotics following antibiotic use is recommended in order to help rebalance the gut microflora. Administering in-VIGOR-ate®
for 3 days following antibiotic treatment is recommended.
Why is in-VIGOR-ate® beneficial after “out of feed” events?
- When birds are out of feed, the pH in the crop increases from a typical level of 5.5 to a level >6.4 within 12 hours. Consequently, the Lactobacillus population decreases while populations of E. coli and Salmonella increase as they prefer a pH range of 6 to 7.5.
- Without probiotic intervention, it can take 5 days to re-establish the desired microflora balance.
- Administration of in-VIGOR-ate®
via the drinking water will help re-establish and maintain the desired gut environment.
Does pre-harvest feed withdrawal increase risk of Salmonella infection?
- Research by Hinton and colleagues (Poultry Science, 79:212:218) determined that feed withdrawal resulted in an elevation of the pH and a reduction in the population of lactic acid bacteria in the crop.
- After 12 hours of fasting the pH of the crop increased to >6.4. The optimum pH for growth of Salmonella is 6.0 to 7.5.
- Administration of in-VIGOR-ate®
during the pre-harvest feed withdrawal period will help maintain a lower pH in the crop along with a continuous inoculation of lactic acid producing bacteria to promote a more beneficial microflora balance to inhibit Salmonella proliferation.