Adding High-flavonoid Corn to Broiler Chickens' Diet may Cut Intestinal Disease

By Jeff Mulhollem 

The inclusion of a high-flavonoid corn, developed by a Penn State maize geneticist, in the diet of broiler chickens reduced the incidence and severity of a fatal intestinal disorder known as necrotic enteritis.

The results are especially important, according to study leader Gino Lorenzoni, assistant professor of poultry science and avian health in the College of Agricultural Sciences, because they come at a time when poultry producers are reducing their reliance on antibiotics to keep birds healthy. Due to concern about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, producers need help keeping disease at bay among their flocks.

"Poultry producers are not using antibiotics the way they were before," said Lorenzoni, who also is a Penn State Extension veterinarian. "The European Union in 2006 banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feed, and half of the chickens that are raised in the United States are raised without antibiotics. That is 4 billion chickens in this country, alone. There is a huge need for alternatives to antibiotics to keep this massive population of chickens healthy."

Necrotic enteritis is one of the most devastating diseases in poultry, Lorenzoni noted. Afflicting mostly broiler chicks just a few weeks old, the intestinal disease produces massive economic losses. It has been estimated that the disease could cost $6 billion every year worldwide due to losses in productivity and costs involving treatment and prevention.