Parasitological Surveillance of a Pastured Poultry Farm

Maria Tereza Bethonico Terra

There is an increasing market's demand for poultry meat and eggs that are produced in alternative
and sustainable systems. These are perceived to have the lowest use of drugs and highest animal
welfare. Pastured systems are one example. In this production, the animals are raised in mobile
structures that are moved every two or three days in a rotation system. This practice can reduce
the concentration of feces, decreasing the chances of the animals to ingest them. However, there
is a gap in the literature evaluating and quantifying the parasitological challenges in pastured
production.
Over the course of one year, fecal samples from six turkey flocks, ten broiler flocks and thirteen
layer flocks were collected on a pastured farm in two-week intervals to determine counts of
coccidia oocysts and worm eggs using a McMaster chamber. We were able to count oocysts of
Eimeria spp. and eggs of Ascaridia spp. or Heterakis spp. Eimeria spp. were identified by next
generation sequencing of PCR products and the identification of worm species was done by
experimental infection.
The broiler flocks had the highest mean of coccidia counts. The oocysts per gram of feces (OPG)
means in broiler and turkey flocks were higher at their first week on pasture. For layer flocks, there
was no clear pattern of oocyst shedding related to age. There were different behaviors between
chickens and turkeys in terms of average coccidiosis counts between different seasons. Counts in
broilers and layers were significantly higher in spring than in winter and summer. And turkeys?
For all three types of birds, the counts of coccidia were lower than published numbers in
conventionally reared poultry, indicating the rotation system of the pastures might effectively
reduce the infection pressure. In addition, the higher counts in the spring compered to winter and
summer suggest that the parasites are sensitive to extreme environmental temperatures.
Next-generation sequencing of PCR products showed the presence of most described Eimeria spp.
in layers, broilers and turkeys. In addition, Operational Taxonomic Unites (OTUs) X, Y and Z,
possible new Eimeria species, were found.
In layer flocks, the average counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) were different than zero in
80% of the samples. The mean counts had no clear pattern related to age. There was an increase
of EPG with the increase of temperatures during spring and summer with the peak at mid-fall.
Worm eggs from laying hens were identified as A. galli. The A. galli data showed that the rotation
system might not be efficient for the control of the parasite and that it is a challenge mainly in
older birds. Additionally, the seasonal differences suggest that higher temperatures might result in
an increase of egg survival and sporulation in the environment.
In conclusion, this study was able to identify and quantify the species of endoparasites that
challenges three different poultry production birds in a pastured system. Moreover, we saw a
possible influence of environmental conditions on the life cycle of the worms.