Jim Hughes, Anpario’s Commercial Director – Australia, will be attending and presenting at the 2023 Australian Poultry Science Symposium, held in Sydney from the 6th-8th February. The trial work titled “An evaluation of a natural oregano essential oil-based feed additive, Orego-Stim, on the worm burden and productivity of Bovans Brown laying hens in a free-range production system”, will be presented at the poster session at the event on Monday 6th February from 5.30pm-7pm.

Consumer demand for organic and free-range poultry products is driving the commercial egg industry away from conventional housing towards free-range housing systems that allow birds access to the outdoors. Whilst these systems are considered to have higher standards of welfare, they also carry more health risks that can impact the intestinal health of the bird, such as greater exposure to parasites.

Intestinal worms, such as caecal roundworms and tapeworms can reduce hen performance and transmit disease. There are challenges associated with both preventing and treating intestinal worm infections, including an increasing resistance to wormers, as well as a limited number of wormers available for laying hens. Therefore, finding alternatives for mitigating intestinal worm infections whilst maintaining hen performance in free-range housing systems is important for production efficiency and hen welfare.

Anti-parasitic properties of oregano essential oil (OEO) have been previously reported. Orego-Stim is a source of 100% natural OEO and has been shown to increase voluntary feed intakes and improve feed conversion ratios. The trial being presented at APSS was undertaken in the US by North Carolina State University (NCSU).  Results demonstrated that Orego-Stim reduced intestinal worm infections, whilst improving feed conversion ratios and egg quality. Orego-Stim offers a potential tool for mitigating helminth infections and maintaining hen performance, which can be used to support conventional worm control programmes.

The Australian Poultry Science Symposium is the premier avian conference in Australia and attracts delegates from all across Australia and the world. The over-arching theme for this year’s conference is “Global Volatility and Poultry Industry Sustainability”.

Find out more about the conference visit: https://www.apss2023.com.au/