Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand. Stress represents the reaction of the animal organism to stimuli that disturb its normal physiological equilibrium or homeostasis.

Poultry Stress Cause:

Biological/production stressors

• Transportation
• Acute heat stress
• Cold
• Stocking density
• E. coli endotoxin
• Cooping stress
• Immobilization
• Restraint
• Handling
• Shackling
• Ammonia
• Handling
• Exposure to infectious agents including coccidiosis, molds and fungi producing mycotoxins

Nutritional stressors

• Insulin-induced hypoglycemia
• Chronic feed restriction
• Skip a day feeding regimen
• Protein deprivation
• Molting
• Early in forced molt
• Fish oil addition to feed
• Re-feeding following fasting
• Overnight feed withdrawal

Problems:

Behavioral and Physiological Effects

Effect on Immune response

Effect on Poultry production

Solution:

• Eliminate of Stress factors
• Enhance the immune response
• Supplementation of vitamins is helpful for maintaining performance and immune function of heat stressed birds.

 Supplement composition:

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is one of the most important natural antioxidants and is an excellent biological chain-breaking antioxidant that protects cells and tissues from lipoperoxidative damage induced by free radicals. Vitamin E can reduce the negative effects of corticosterone induced by stress. Vitamin E also provides protection for those cells involved in immune responses (lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells) against oxidative damage and enhances proliferation and functions of these cells.

Supplementation with high levels of vitamin E enhanced antioxidant capability and depressed oxidative stress in chicks. Supplemental vitamin E will increase alpha-tocopherol in tissue and alleviate oxidative stress and rancidity levels in chicken meat.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is capable of converting stress factors in poultry and thereby improving productivity. Vitamin C Combats the Effects of Heat-Stress and improves performance associated with the suppressed stress responses indicated by lowering the plasma corticosterone level and adrenocorticotropic hormone.

The treatment given the combination of vitamin C 40 mg L-1 and vitamin E 85 mg L-1 water showed a significantly increased body weight (p<0.01). The improved performance could possibly be ascribed to the combined alleviating effects of vitamin C and vitamin E in neutralizing the negative impact of heat stress.

Injection of vitamin C in eggs reduces the effects of incubation at high temperatures on hatchability and chick weight; continuous high incubation temperatures with or without pre incubation injections of vitamin C into the eggs changes performance, muscle fiber hypertrophy, and meat quality of the breast and over-thigh of broilers reared at high temperatures and the effects of these incubation treatments when broilers are reared under cold-temperature conditions. results showed that high incubation temperatures with or without vitamin C injection into the eggs reduced or eliminated the effects of the high rearing temperature on the meat quality of the over-thigh. This involved changes in muscle fiber hypertrophy but did not alter zootechnical variables (except for hatchability, which was reduced). High incubation temperature during the fetal phase plus vitamin C injection into the egg prevents the thermal stress effects of high rearing temperatures. Results showed that the oxidative stability offered by oregano was superior to that exhibited by vitamin C but inferior to that exhibited by the dietary combination of oregano plus vitamin E that was superior to all other tested dietary treatments.

Zn:

Dietary Zn is required for normal immune function as well as proper skeletal development and maintenance. One of the most important functions of Zn is related to its antioxidant role and its participation in the antioxidant defense system. It has effective role in heat-stressed poultry health.

Menthol:

Menthol can provide cooling effect on animal in heat stress situation.

Anxifit

Anxifit is a complementary feed and used as stress remover. ANXIFIT can increase the feed intake, body weight, immune function, yolk weight and decrease the mortality, inflammation, pathogen infections, output of urine, FCR and improve fertility.