Progut® Extra: Combatting heat stress in poultry

Heat stress is a significant and growing global challenge in livestock farming, particularly in poultry production. Climate change has increased the frequency of heatwaves, putting poultry at risk of severe health and performance issues. Birds do not have sweat glands and rely on panting and wing spreading to cool themselves. However, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to metabolic imbalances, immune suppression, oxidative stress, and gut health disturbances. These physiological disruptions ultimately affect growth performance and meat quality, making heat stress a major economic concern for poultry producers worldwide. To address this, nutritional interventions are gaining attention as a sustainable strategy to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress.

To evaluate the effectiveness of Progut® Extra in alleviating heat stress in broilers, Hankkija FFI collaborated with King Saud University to conduct a controlled research trial. The study aimed to determine whether Progut® Extra could positively influence the performance, gut functionality, and overall wellbeing of broilers when exposed to high temperatures.

Trial setup: Evaluating Progut® Extra under heat stress

A total of 128 Ross 308 male broiler chicks were housed in a controlled research facility at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. The birds were divided into 4 dietary groups, each receiving a different level of Progut® Extra (Figure 1). Each group had eight replicates, with four birds per cage. Birds were fed a corn-soybean-based diet and had ad libitum access to feed and water.

From day 1 to day 24, the temperature decreased gradually from 32°C to 24°C. Starting from day 24, birds were exposed to cyclic heat stress (34 ± 0.71°C) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. This simulated real-world production challenges in hot climates.

PROGUT® EXTRA ENHANCED RESILIENCE TO HEAT STRESS

Heat stress affects important proteins like NF-kB and Nrf2, HSP70 and IgA/sIg. These proteins help the body respond to stress. For intsance, NF-kB helps to clear damaged proteins, while Nrf2 protects cells from oxidative stress. Also higher levels of IgA strengthen gut immunity. On the other hand, lower levels of HSP70 show that the body is coping better with stress. This study showed that Progut® Extra, at dose of 400 and especially at 800 mg/kg, had a positive effect on all these biomarkers, indicating improved capacity to cope with heat stress.

• Increased duodenal expression of immunoglobulin A and lower duodenal expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)
• Positive modulation of immune responses
  
  

PROGUT® EXTRA IMPROVED POULTRY PERFORMANCE UNDER THE HEAT STRESS

For poultry producers, heat stress can lead to higher mortality rate and poor feed efficiency, directly impacting farm profitability. Monitoring body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality helps to assess the ability of broilers to cope with external stressors, such as high ambient temperature.

• Birds receiving Progut® Extra had significantly lower mortality during the heat stress
• Birds supplemented with Progut® Extra showed numerically improved FCR
  

PROGUT® EXTRA IMPROVED CARCASS YIELD AND MEAT QUALITY

Global poultry meat consumption is projected to grow by 15% by 2032, accounting for 41% of protein from all meat sources (OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033). As demand increases, producers focus on key indicators of meat quality and profitability, such as carcass yield and meat texture.

• Birds supplemented with Progut® Extra had less woody breast, in terms of incidence and degree of severity. At 400 and 800g/ton inclusion rates – higher hot carcass and whole breasts meat yields compared to control.
• Meat from birds fed Progut® Extra had significantly lower drip loss (up to 60 % reduction), improving meat juiciness and quality
  

Progut® Extra – a solution for Heat Stress Management in poultry production

The trial conducted at King Saud University confirms that Progut® Extra is an effective nutritional intervention for broilers facing heat stress. By improving growth performance, supporting intestinal functions, and positively modulating immunity, Progut® Extra helps poultry farmers maintain productivity and bird welfare even under challenging environmental conditions.

📌 Want to learn more about how Progut® Extra can support your poultry production? Contact us today to explore its benefits!

Source:

Al-Abdullatif AA, Alhotan RA, Al-Badwi MA, Dong X, Kettunen H, Vuorenmaa J, Sakr SA and Azzam MM (2024) Effects of hydrolyzed yeast on growth performance, intestinal redox homeostasis, and woody breast myopathy in heat-stressed broilers. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1484150. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1484150