MXPA99005029A - High moisture nutrient formulation for poultry - Google Patents

Abstract

A nutrient formulation including moisture, a coloring agent, a palatability modifier, and/or an adjuvant which is designed for use in poultry and other animals, and a method of feeding it which improves subsequent livability, cumulative feed efficiency, weight gain, and resistance to disease challenge or other stresses is disclosed.

Description

FORMULATION OF HIGH MOISTURE NUTRIENTS FOR POULTRY OF CORRAL This application is a continuation in part of the US application serial number 08 / 647,719, filed on May 24, 1996, which is a continuation in part of the US application serial number 08 / 597,815, filed on February 7, 1996, which is a continuation in part of the US application Serial No. 08 / 483,297, filed on June 7, 1995, the total contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a high moisture material to provide nutrients, drugs, vitamins, minerals, bile acid salts, surfactants, probiotics, enzymes, peptides, hormones, prostaglandins, antioxidants, living cells and immunoreactive agents. poultry and other animals, and more particularly, a high moisture material and a process that can be used to improve health and increase life expectancy, cumulative gain REF: 030243 weight and feed conversion efficiency of poultry and other animals. For economic reasons, the management of chick hatch in commercial facilities places a high importance on the percentage of chicks hatched from hatched eggs. To achieve 90% shell exit ratios, birds that hatch before are often left in the incubator for a period of time to allow chicks hatch afterwards to hatch and dry. At that time, the chicks are removed from the incubator tray, therefore, these will vary in age from several hours to approximately 2 days of age (when measured from hatching for each bird). This period is referred to as the waiting period after hatching. After the chicks are removed from the incubator trays in a commercial hatchery, they are processed (inoculated and sorted by sex) and then placed in boxes commonly referred to as chick boxes for shipment to the production farm. The processing period typically requires several hours and the chicks can reside in the chick boxes for several more hours before the transit to the production farm really begins. Commercial poultry hatcheries typically provide chicks for a number of production farms, often over a wide geographical area. Typically, food and water are not provided until the birds reach the production farm and, as a result, the birds can go several days before food and water are provided. However, the presence of the yolk sac, residual, rich in lipids and lipid reserves in the liver ensure that the nutritional needs of the newly hatched birds are met (Freeman et al., Developmen t of the Avian Embryo, London, Chapman and Hall, 1974). In this way, a period of starvation after hatching in birds is normal and does not necessarily threaten their survival (Entenman et al., The Lipid Con ten t of Bl ood, Li ver, and Yolk Sac of the Newly Ha tched Chi ck and the Changes Tha t Occur in These Ti ssues During the First Mon th of Life, J. Biol Chem., Vol 133, p 231-241 (1940), Vanheel et al., Resorption of Yolk Lipids by the Pigeon Embryo, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Vol. 68A pp. 641-646 (1981), Phelps et al., The Pos tha tch Physiology of the Turkey Poult-III, Yolk Depletion and Serum Metabolites, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Vol. 87A, No. 2 pp. 409-415 (1987); Noble et al., Lipid Changes in the Residual Yolk and Liver of the Chick Immediately after Hatching, Biol Neonate, Vol. 56, pp. 228-236 (1989); Chamblee et al., Yolk Sac Absorption and Initiation of Growth in Broilers, Poultry Science, Vol. 72, pp. 1811-1816 (1992)). However, this does not mean that the use of a yolk residue as an individual source of nutrients in newly hatched birds will provide a subsequent, optimal life expectancy, a resistance to diseases, or a gain and feed efficiency. It has been shown that delayed placement reduces the subsequent life expectancy (Kingston, Some Hatchery Factors Involved in Early Chick Mortality, Australian Veterinary Jour., Vol. 55, pp. 418-421 (1979); Fanguy et al., Effect of Delayed Placement on Mortality and Growth Performance of Commercial Broilers, Poultry Science, Vol. 59, pp. 1215-1220 (1980)), resistance to diseases (Wyatt et al., Influence of Hatcher Holding Times on Several Physiological Parameters Associated With the Immune System of Chickens, Poultry Science, Vol. 65, pp. 2156-2164 (1986); Casteel et al., The Influence of Extended Posthatch Holding Time and Placement Density on Broiler Performance, Poultry Science, Vol. 73, pp. 1679-1684 (1994)) and growth qualities (Hager et al., Education and Production Posthatch Incubative Time and Early Growth of Broiler Chickens, Poultry Science, Vol. 62, pp. 247-254 (1983), Wyatt et al, Influence of Egg Size, Eggshell Quality, and Posthatch Holding Time on Broiler Performance, Poultry Science, Vol. 64, pp. 2049-2055 (1985), Pinchasov et al., Comparison of Post-Hatch Holding Time and Subsequent Early Performance of Broiler Chicks and Turkey Poults, British Poultry Science, Vol. 34, pp. 111-120 (1993). found that the provision of nut Individual sources such as glucose consistently or permanently improve the qualities or life expectancy when administered as a simple solution in the absence of other nutrients (Azahan et al., Growth, Food Intake and Energy Balance of Layer and Broiler Chickens Offered Glucose in the Drinking-Water and the Effect of Dietary Protein Content, British Poultry Science, Vol. 30, pp. 907-917 (1989); Moran, Effects of Posthatch Glucose on Poults Fed and Fasted During Yolk Sac Depletion, Poultry Science, Vol. 68, p. 1141-1147 (1989); Moran Effects of Egg Weight, Glucose Administration at Hatch, and Delayed Access to Feed and Wa ter on the Poul t a t 2 Weeks of Age, Poultry Science, Vol. 69, p. 1718-1723 (1990). Additional references of interest in the area of poultry nutrition and management include the following: U.S. Patent No. 1,867,063 issued to Da e, discloses a food for poultry or wet-mix livestock where the ingredients are kept at a uniform suspension in a liquid by the use of a colloidal or gel-forming material; US Patent No. 2,620,274 issued to Lewis et al. describes a poultry feed comprising an emulsion of milk solids, wheat germ solids, water, and an edible gel; U.S. Patent No. 5,217,740 issued to Lanter, discloses a high moisture ration in the form of a food article, solid, gelled, and a process for preparing it, for confined animals; PCT International Application WO 93/00017 discloses a moist food or a wet mixture having a consistency similar to oatmeal cooked with milk, semi-liquid, pourable for poultry; GB Patent 2 055 0334A issued to Nelson, discloses a method for making an animal feed of stable, liquid, emulsified wheat starch, and a stable, liquid wheat starch emulsion animal feed product produced therefrom , and contributors, Infl uen ce of Wet and Dry Feed on Laying Hen s Under Hea t S tress, Poultry Science, p. 44-52 (1991), studied the effect of two environmental temperatures on food and water consumption using four diet regimens in chickens; Thorne and collaborators, Au toma ted Hi gh Moi s t ure Di e t Feeding Sys tem for Laying Hens, Poultry Science, pp. 1114-1117 (1989), describe an automated feeding system for feeding high moisture by-product diets to laying hens by coating the surface with corn residues or methane digestive effluent on air dried food products. US Patent No. 2,946,722 issued to Hoffman et al. Describes compositions for treating poultry, which comprise a combination of sodium propionate, methyl rosanilin, ferric choline citrate, vitamin K and trace elements such as copper, zinc, cobalt, etc., and methods to use them; European Patent Application No. 0 158 075 A1 discloses immunostimulants that can be administered to animals; European Patent Application No. 0 285, 441 A3 describes immunostimulatory and synergistic compositions and methods for animals, comprising the simultaneous use of interleukin-2 and FK-565; PCT International Application WO 96/27666 describes bird cytokines and genetic sequences encoding them; finally, European Patent Application No. 0 592 220 A2 describes pharmaceutical or food compositions for animals comprising plant materials selected from Rosa roxburghii, Artemisia e argyi foli um, and Brassi ca oleracea var. capta ta ta L. Although the provision of water and food may result in qualities superior to those of water-deprived, fasting birds, attempts to include water in the incubator or transport boxes have been unsuccessful. This is because moisture control and relatively high temperature are critical in ensuring high hatchability and because simple water or simple water can escape, resulting in some chicks getting wet. Chicks can not regulate their body temperature well enough to tolerate cooling by evaporation. Since starvation does not threaten survival, commercial practice is not to offer food or water until the animals arrive on the farm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Therefore, among the objectives of the invention can be observed the provision of a high moisture material to improve health and increase life expectancy, cumulative weight gain and feed conven efficiency of birds of corral and other animals. The formulation can be supplied as food, for example, immediately after hatching or the birth of the animal and by this application, the formulation preferably excludes nutrients which are not well used during the first days of life and provides those that are easily used and confer an advantage of qualities. Also among the objectives of the invention is a formulation which is stabilized against microbial growth, is resistant to syneresis and which can be packed in volume, shipped, extruded (with or without remixing before the material in volume) and divided into unit dose form at the location of use of the formulation. In summary, therefore, the present invention is directed to a process for increasing the health, life expectancy, cumulative weight gain or feed conven efficiency of poultry. The process involves feeding newly hatched birds with a high moisture material before they are initiated into a diet comprising dry feed. The newly hatched birds are fed with the high moisture material starting at a point in time preferably within the first 5 days of hatching, more preferably within the first three days of shell hatching. The high moisture material may contain a coloring agent, a flavor modifier, or an adjuvant. Whether or not an adjuvant is present, the high moisture material also increases the weight gain as well as the resistance to the problem of diseases or other tensions in the poultry. The present invention is also directed to a composition and process for innoculating poultry and other animals with living cells such as yeast or bacteria. The animal is fed with a high moisture material containing a number of units that form colonies of the cells which is sufficient to innoculate the animal and produce the desired effect. The present invention is also directed to high moisture materials to increase health, life expectancy, cumulative weight gain or feed conven efficiency of poultry.

These high moisture materials contain at least about 50% by weight of water, at least about 10% by weight of digestible carbohydrate and, optionally, one or more additional ingredients selected from the group consisting of bile acid salts, surfactants, enzymes, Enzymatic co-factors, hormones, prostaglandins, peptides, immunoglobulins, cytokines, vaccines and other immunomodulators, antioxidants, amino acids, sources of amino acids and amino acid analogs, antibiotics, vitamins and minerals. The high moisture material is preferably prepared in volume, extruded or divided into unit dosage form at the site where the high moisture material is fed to the animal. Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent in part and indicated in part hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a graph depicting the results of Example 12. Figure 2 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 13. Figure 3 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 14 Figure 4 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 15. Figure 5 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 16. Figure 6 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 17. Figure 7 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 18. Figure 8 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 19. Figure 9 is a bar graph depicting the results of Example 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Surprisingly, it has been found that poultry growth can be stimulated, life expectancy, cumulative weight gain and feed conversion efficiency of poultry can be improved by feeding the poultry with a formation of the present invention, which is referred to herein as a high moisture material. As used herein, the term "high moisture material" means a colloid in which the dispersed phase (starch, gum or protein) has been combined with the continuous phase (water) to produce a paste-like gel, viscous in which can suspend larger particles (e.g., particles greater than 5 μm in size) such as soy, corn or rice. In one embodiment of the present invention, the high moisture material is first supplied as food to freshly hatched poultry that are within five, four, three, two or even one day of hatching (as determined) for each bird). Preferably, the high moisture material is fed to the newly hatched birds before they are offered dry feed or allowed to drink water ad libitum, and more preferably before they are offered cured food, in all. The high moisture material can be placed, for example, in the incubator along with the eggs from which the poultry will hatch so that the high moisture material is available to the newly hatched birds immediately at the exit of the shell. The provision of high moisture material to chicks prior to introduction to solid feed reduces the likelihood that newly hatched birds will suffer from consuming dry feed without drinking simultaneously.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the high moisture material can be made available to newly hatched birds before or during shipment by placing the high moisture material in the chick boxes along with the chicks. According to this mode, it is preferred that the high moisture material be placed in the chick boxes before the transit starts so that the chicks will have the opportunity to consume the high humidity material before they start the trip (this is movement over the surface or air transport of the incubator site or a remote location such as a poultry production farm that may be, for example, one or more miles away from the location of the incubator). The amount of high moisture material placed in the chick boxes does not need to be sufficient to make it possible for the chicks to feed during the entire transit period. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the high moisture material is fed to the poultry after they are shipped from the site where they hatch to a remote location such as a poultry production farm or other intermediate installation. After being shipped, some chicks do not easily begin to eat dry food and drink water when offered. For such applications, it may be desirable to feed the poultry transported with the high humidity material until the poultry begins to eat dry food and to drink water ad libitum. In addition, the high moisture material may also be supplied as feed to the poultry at this time or even a time later to administer drugs or other substances as described herein. Typically, chick boxes are filled to capacity with chicks fresh from the shell, leaving little additional space for the high moisture material of the present invention. Therefore, as a practical matter, the newly hatched chicks that are in the chick boxes along with the high moisture material will stand on, will rub against, sting, and otherwise come into contact with high moisture material. Because newly hatched chicks can not regulate their body temperature well enough to tolerate cooling by evaporation, it is important that newly hatched birds do not get wet by (or become wet from) the high moisture material Under these conditions. Necessarily, therefore, the high moisture material must be resistant to syneresis under these conditions, that is, the high moisture material must not release an amount of water which is sufficient to wet the floor of the container in which the newly hatched birds are being kept or newly hatched birds as a consequence of standing on it, rubbing against it, pecking it, or otherwise coming into contact with it. When the high moisture material is initially offered to the poultry or other animal, it should contain at least about 40% by weight of water (an amount that is in excess of the amount of water contained in poultry feeds). dry "), preferably at least about 50% by weight of water, more preferably between about 50% and about 85% by weight of water, and much more preferably between about 60% and about 80% by weight of water, based on the weight of the high humidity material. The non-aqueous fraction of the high moisture material is sometimes referred to herein as the "dry matter" or the "solid matter" fraction, with the two terms being used interchangeably.

Carbohydrates provide a source of nutrition for animals, and, in addition, can help in the formation of the solid. In general, the digestible carbohydrates constitute at least about 8% by weight of the high moisture material, preferably at least about 10% by weight of the high moisture material and, for some applications, at least about 20% by weight of the material of high humidity. The digestible carbohydrates contemplated herein include isolated carbohydrates such as corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, cellulose, pectin, agarose and gums; bioavailable sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose; chemically modified starches such as modified corn starch, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and dextrin; humectants such as glycerol or propylene glycol; inverted sugar or invertase; and complex, ground carbohydrates such as corn, rice, oats, barley, wheat, sorghum, rye, millet, cassava, triticale and tapioca, in complete form, crushed, cracked, milled, rolled, extruded, pelletized, degreased, dehydrated, extracted with solvents or other processed form. When included, the preferentially modified starches constitute at least about 0.01% by weight of the high moisture material. The high moisture material is formed from a mixture of water and a combination of ingredients that makes possible the formation of a high moisture material of the mixture and that satisfies the nutrient specifications, if any. Depending on the selected ingredients, the preparation of the high moisture material may additionally require heating the mixture. In one embodiment, the mixture contains starch and is heated until the starch granules are broken and the mixture becomes viscous. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 2,593,577 issued to Lewis. In another embodiment, the high moisture material is formed from a colloidal solution containing a gum dissolved in water; some gums make possible the formation of high moisture materials of the colloidal solution without heating while others require the solution to be heated to a temperature in excess of about 82 ° C (180 ° F). In general, the gums may constitute about 0.001% to about 5% by weight of the high moisture material. The gums which can be used for this purpose are generally high molecular weight molecules of vegetable or animal origin, usually with colloidal properties, which in suitable solvents are capable of producing gels, such as agar, algin and carrageenan derived from seaweed, plant exudates such as gum arabic, ghatti and tragacanth, plant extracts such as pectin, plant seeds such as guar (Cyamopsi s te tra gonol oba), carob and animal exudates such as plasma, serum albumin, egg albumin , chitin and gelatin. Other gums include amylose and amylopectin and gums of bacterial origin. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,217,740. In yet another embodiment, a gelatinization aid such as carboxymethylcellulose, lignin or a lignin derivative is dissolved in water to form a colloidal solution that forms a gel upon cooling. After the ingredients of the high moisture material are mixed and heated (if necessary), the material can be left to form a gel in situ, transferred to another vessel or container for storage in a bulky form, or cast in a form and size that makes possible the convenient feeding for the animals. In a preferred embodiment, the mixture can be transferred to a container such as a drum or a deformable plastic which maintains, for example, between about 25 and about 1,000 kilograms of the high moisture material. For administration to freshly hatched poultry, the high moisture, pre-gelled material has a texture that makes it possible for newly hatched birds to break the high moisture material into pieces by pecking it.; that is, the high humidity material is sufficiently soft that the pecking of newly hatched birds will cause the high moisture material to break or crumble into consumable fragments. However, once it breaks into fragments, the high moisture material preferentially does not adhere to the feathers or down freshly hatched poultry. In addition, it is preferred that the high moisture material comprises particles that are visible to the naked eye. Such particles include, for example, ground ingredients such as ground grains and seeds such as corn and soybeans, and other particles that do not exceed the size of a typical grain of white rice (i.e., about 1 mm). Unless the high moisture material is fed quickly to an animal, it is preferably stabilized against microbial growth. That is, by being sealed and stored at room temperature for a period of at least about eight weeks the high moisture, stabilized material will show no indication of microbial growth. The high moisture material can be stabilized, for example, by sterilization, the addition of a microbial growth inhibitor such as methyl paraben or a sorbate thereto, or the pH adjustment of the mixture from which the material is formed. of high humidity. Preferably, the high moisture material is stabilized by adjusting the pH of the mixture with an acid at a pH within the range of about 3 to about 4, more preferably at a pH within the range of about 3 to 3.5. Such an acid may be a low molecular weight carboxylic acid, preferably having a C: -Cio chain length, more preferably having a chain length of C2-C-7, more preferably having a chain length of C2 - C5. Examples of useful carboxylic acids include citric acid, propionic acid and fumaric acid. You can also use phosphoric acid. The propionic acid may be present in an amount of about 0.5% to about 1% by weight of the present high moisture material; citric acid and fumaric acid may be present in an amount of about 0.7% to about 2% by weight of the high moisture material. High moisture material can be supplied as food to animals in a variety of ways. For example, the amount required for feeding may be scooped, cut, or otherwise removed from the unit, vessel, or pouch in which it is maintained and transferred to the animal (s) in a unitary manner. However, to reduce work, unit doses of the solid can be generated from the bulky material by pumping or compressing the high moisture material and forcing it through an opening. The resulting material, referred to herein as an extruded material, is in the form of a high moisture material that contains substantially the same amount of water as the bulky material. In one embodiment, the high moisture material may be in a compressible container which is compressed to force the high moisture material to flow through a nozzle and into a location where it can be consumed by the animal (s). In some examples, it may be preferred to combine the high moisture material with a labile, hot ingredient or other ingredient before the high moisture material is supplied as food to the animal (s); In these examples, the labile, hot ingredient is added to the high moisture material at or near room temperature and the total mixture is then remixed before being divided into unit doses. Alternatively, the hot, labile material can be sprayed on the unit dose of the high moisture material. However, in any case, the extrusion step should not cause the high moisture material to lose a significant amount of water or the desired texture. This is, the extruded material must preferably contain at least 40% by weight of water, preferably at least about 50% by weight of water, more preferably between about 50% and about 85% by weight of water, and in much more preferably between about 60% and about 80% by weight of water, based on the weight of the extruded material and, in addition, the extruded material must be sufficiently smooth such that the pecking of newly hatched birds causes the material High moisture breaks or crumbles into consumable fragments. The high moisture material of the present invention resists syneresis when it contains at least about 5% protein. To increase its nutritive value for some applications such as long-term feeding, the high moisture material preferably comprises at least about 7% by weight, more preferably at least about 10% by weight of an amino acid source such as protein (s), amino acid precursors or amino acid analogs, and mixtures thereof. Furthermore, it is preferred that the weight ratio of all the digestible carbohydrate to all amino acid sources in the high moisture material be between about 0.6: 1 and 3: 1, respectively. Exemplary amino acids are essential amino acids such as methionine, tryptophan, threonine, arginine and lysine. Exemplary amino acid precursors are 2-hydroxy-4- (methylthio) butanoic acid sold, for example, under the trademark Alimet by Novus International (St. Louis, MO), and salts of 2-hydroxy-4- (methylthio) acid ) butanoic such as the calcium and sodium salts. Exemplary proteins include proteins from individual cells or hydrolyzed proteins such as those from yeast, algae or bacteria; proteins from isolated animals, peptides or protein hydrolysates such as hemoglobin, myosin, plasma or other whey proteins, collagen, casein, albumin or keratin; Protein sources complex or hydrolyzed proteins such as milk, blood, whey, blood powder, meat powder, feather meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal, offal of poultry, flour derived from poultry, hatchery derivatives, egg scraps, egg white, egg yolk and eggs without eggshells; plant protein or protein hydrolyzate such as soybean meal, isolated soy protein, wheat protein, wheat germ, grain distillers and gluten. Although not preferred for certain applications, grease can also be included in the high moisture material in relatively small proportions. Therefore, a suitable high moisture material would comprise at least about 50% by weight of water and not more than about 5% by weight of fat, preferably not more than about 4% by weight of fat. Suitable fats include fatty acids such as linoleic acid; oils isolated from plants such as sunflower, safflower, soybean, peanut, cañola, corn, naba or rape seed, olive, flaxseed and palm kernel; greasy flours such as cottonseed, peanut, naba or rape seed, palm flour and walnut flours; and fats of animal origin such as egg yolk, lard, butter, poultry fat, tallow and fish oil. The various processes described herein may employ different types of high moisture materials depending on the particular application. These high moisture materials may contain: between about 50% and about 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; and a member selected from the group consisting of: at least about 5% by weight of protein, at least about 7% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 5% by weight of protein and at least about 5% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogues or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 10% by weight of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors and amino acid analogues, and at least about 10% by weight of protein. The ratio of carbohydrates to the various nitrogen containing members in those high moisture materials may be in the range between about 1: 1 and about 3: 1. When the high moisture material contains at least about 7% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs, or a combination thereof, or a combination of at least about 10% by weight of protein, amino acids, precursors of amino acids, and amino acid analogs, the high moisture material may also contain a starch, a gum or a combination thereof. The starch can be an unmodified starch or a combination of an unmodified starch and a modified starch. When the starch is an unmodified starch, it may be present in an amount of at least about 10% by weight. When the starch is a combination of an unmodified starch and a modified starch, the modified starch may be present in an amount of at least about 0.01% by weight. When a gum is employed, it may be present in an amount of about 0.001% to about 5% by weight. To make it possible for newly hatched birds to use more effectively any fat that may be present in the high moisture material or to enable newly hatched birds to more effectively use their lipid and protein based on the yolk, the High humidity material may contain bile acid salts, cholesterol, surfactants, emulsifying agents, micelles, or an enzyme such as lipase, amylase, maltase, pepsin, trypsin or other enzyme which commonly occurs in the gastrointestinal system, or an enzyme such as keratinase which is not typically found in the gastrointestinal system but which has useful activities. The concentration of the digestion aid will depend on the application but, in general, it will be between about 0.01% and about 5% by weight of the dry matter. The high moisture material may additionally contain vitamins and minerals. The vitamin additives can be selected, for example, from vitamin A, B12, biotin, choline, folacin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamine, C, D, 25-hydroxy, D, E and K. The additives Minerals can be selected, for example, from calcium, phosphorus, selenium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese and chromium pincolinate. The concentration of the vitamins and minerals will depend on the application but, in general, it will be between approximately 0.01% and approximately 5% by weight of the dry matter.

Bacterial, yeast or mold preparations, commonly referred to as probiotics or direct-feeding microbes, have been administered orally or have been added to animal feeds to provide various benefits such as altering the gastrointestinal microflora / microbiota of poultry. corral and other animals. These microbial additives which have been approved for use are identified in the annual Feed Additive Compendium published by The Miller Publishing Company (Minnetonka, MN) in cooperation with The Animal Health Institute and the Direct-fed Microbial, Enzyme and Forage Additive Compendium published by The Miller Publishing Company. Among the direct-feeding microbial agents which have been approved are strains of lactic acid bacteria, particularly those classified in the following genera: Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Enterococcus. Included among these are the following species: Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus lactis, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus diacet ylactis, and Enterococcus faecium. In addition to these lactic acid bacteria, some species of Bacillus (such as Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus toyoi), some species of Streptococcus (such as Streptococcus faecium), and yeasts and molds (such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus oryzae, and Torulopsis sp. ) have also been used as direct feeding microbial agents. Therefore, the high moisture material of the present invention can be used as a vehicle for administering direct feeding microbial agents to poultry or other animals. When used for this purpose, the high moisture material should contain enough colony-forming units of the yeast or bacteria that is of benefit to the animal. In general, the high moisture material used as a direct feed microbial agent should contain at least about 102, preferably about 10"5, and most preferably about 106 colony forming units of bacteria or at least about 10, preferably about 10 2, and most preferably about 104 yeast colony forming units per gram of composition.The yeast or bacteria can be incorporated into the high moisture material before solidification or can be deposited on or in the High moisture material after it has solidified.

Although the high moisture material can be supplied as food at any time to alter the gastrointestinal microflora / microbiota of or provide other benefits to the animal, it is preferably fed to poultry as soon as possible after the exit of the animal. shell to establish the direct feeding microorganism (s) as the dominant flora or culture in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby exclude potential pathogens. The high moisture material can additionally be used as a vehicle to supply a variety of other substances to poultry and other animals. For example, the high moisture material may contain a peptide such as epidermal growth factor, transformation growth factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulation factor, erythropoietin, esin, fibroblast growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor. , nerve growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, bovine growth factor or other somatotropin or insulin-like factor (IGF-I or IGF-II). The high moisture material may also contain a steroid or polypeptide hormone such as estrogen, glucocorticoids, insulin, glucagon, gastrin, calcitonin or somatotropin. The high moisture material may additionally contain an antibiotic approved for use in animal feed such as bacitracin, BMD (bacitracin methylendisalicylate), lincomycin, or virginiamycin or other therapeutic drug. The high moisture material may also additionally contain a natural or synthetic antioxidant such as ethoxyquin, tocopherol, BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), vitamin C or glutathione; a receptor, transfer factor, chelating agent or a complexing agent that modifies the rates of release of nutrients or other bioactive compounds; an immunoactive agent such as cytokines, vaccines and other immunomodulators, immunoglobulins, antigens, dead cells, attenuated strains, toxins, or adjuvants; or a flavor modifier or an uptake regulator such as food dyes, grains of sand, oyster shell or shell, seeds or whole grains. These substances can be used alone or in combination with others. The concentration of these additives will depend on the application but, in general, will be between about 0.0001% and about 10% by weight of the dry matter, more preferably between about 0.001% and about 7.5%, more preferably between about 0.01. % and approximately 5%. Food colorants useful in the present invention include, for example, red, green, blue, blue-green, black and beige. Substances useful as flavor modifiers or uptake regulators in addition to those mentioned above include the t-glycerides; fish products such as fish meal and fish oils; spices such as sage or mugwort, thyme, cloves, etc .; clonidine; hydrolysed gums and gums such as guar gum, xanthan gum, algin, etc .; gastrin antagonists; cholecystocin antagonists; amino acids such as methionine, tyrosma, ferulalamine, etc .; naloxone; pancreatic polypeptide; norepinephrine; melatonin antagonists; Thyroid hormones such as thyroxine, T3, T4, etc .; and pentobarbital. Adjuvants that can be incorporated into the high moisture material can be of several different types, for example, microbiologically derived substances, viruses, lectins, polysaccharides, oils, peptides, polypeptides and proteins, and various nucleic acids. Microbiologically derived substances include materials produced by, or which are cellular components of, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi such as yeasts, etc. Prior to the present investigations, it was not known that such substances could be used as orally effective adjuvants in poultry to stimulate the immune system and / or to increase the resistance of poultry to pathogens or other stresses, including exposure to heat or cold, dehydration, ammonia fumes in bed or straw, transport, etc. Similarly, it was not previously known that such adjuvants, when administered orally, could positively affect the health, life expectancy, weight gain or feed conversion efficiency of poultry. The microbiologically derived adjuvants comprise a variety of different types of substances. For example, these may include lysates of -bacteria such as Ha emophillus sp., Dipl ococcus sp., Nei sseri a sp., Etc .; 6, 6-diesters of trehalose (cord factor) and synthetic analogs thereof; muramyl dipeptide (N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine) and synthetic analogs thereof; L-seryl and L-valyl derivatives of muramyl dipeptide; dead bacteria and derivatives thereof such as Escherichia spp, Clostridia spp, Salmonella spp, Lactobacillus spp, Streptococcus spp, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, Micobacterium spp, Bordetella spp, Klebsiella spp, Brucella spp, Propionibacterium spp such as Corynebacterium parvum, Pasteurella spp , Norcardia spp such as Norcardia rubra and derivatives thereof such as water-soluble mitogen Norcadia; Staphylococcus cell wall products; bestatin; dead yeast such as Saccharomyces spp and Candida spp .; yeast derivatives such as cimosan, glucan and lentonin; endotoxins and enterotoxins such as cholera toxin; cell wall peptides-glycans; and bacterial ribonucleoproteins. Microbiologically derived adjuvants also include viruses, for example Avipoxvirus and Parapoxvirus. Useful lectins include, for example, concanaval ina A, carmine or grana herb mitogen, and phytohemagglutinin. Useful polysaccharides include mannans such as acemannan, acetylated mannan linked in β- (1, 4), and mannan oligosaccharide; glucans; carrageenan and carrageenan iota; hemicelluloses; levans; agar; tapioca; dextrins; dextrans, for example dextran sulfate salts of various molecular weights; and lipopol isaccharides.

Oily emulsions useful as adjuvants can be produced using mineral oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil, for example. Useful peptides and macromolecules include cytokines such as lymphokines, interleukins, Transfer Factor, Macrophage Activating Factor, Migration Inhibitory Factor and mitogenic factors for lymphocytes; digestive substances of nucleic acid; interferon and interferon inducers such as BRL 5907; double-stranded, complementary RNA homopolymers such as poly I: C and poly A: U; Immune RNA; thymus hormones such as timostimulin, thymulin, thymosin and t imopoyet ina; protease inhibitors; chemostatic factors for macrophages and other cells; tuftsina; and serum albumin (bovine, human, acetylated derivatives, globules, etc.). Finally, a variety of other substances that can be employed as adjuvants in the present invention include saponins such as QuilA and Iscoms; thiabenedezol; tilorone; estatolone; maleic anhydride-divinyl ether; pyran copolymers; amphotericin B; liposomes; silica; calcium phosphate; glycerol; betaine; protodine; cyanidanol; imutiol; picibanil; isoprinosine; lentinan; azimexon; lecithin; levamisole; vitamin A and other retinols; vitamin E and other tocopherols; antioxidants such as ethoxyquin; aluminum salts, such as sulfates and phosphates, including alum (KAl (S04) 2-12H20); aluminum hydroxide; and aluminum oxide. Vaccines useful in the present invention include those effective against diseases common in poultry such as Newcastle Disease, Marek's Disease, infectious cavity disease, infectious bronchitis, enteritis, coccidiosis, etc. These vaccines include the Newcastle vaccine, Marek's disease vaccine, vaccinia for infectious cavity disease, vaccine for infectious bronchitis and CocciVac, for example, when used in conjunction with the high moisture material of the present invention. , these vaccines can be administered to young birds within 0 to about 10 days from hatching, orally, by injection of yolk sac, subcutaneously, in ovo, or by inhalation through mist or spray. formulation that satisfies the nutrient specifications of the high moisture material of the present invention can be prepared, for example, from the following mixture of ingredients (based on the weight of the non-aqueous fraction of the high moisture material): soybean meal 58 Dry egg white% corn starch 4% corn flour 30% Alimet® 0.5% propionic acid 0.5% citric acid for pH 3.5 - 4 High moisture materials containing these ingredients (and optionally one or more of the other additives described herein) can be made by dry blending the ingredients, add hot water (80 ° C) and quickly mix the moistened ingredients while maintaining the temperature above the gelation temperature of the starch for at least one minute. The mixture is then stirred and pressed into a plate, cylinder, mold or other container or container. Although a high moisture material can be prepared from a starter diet formulation for poultry, such simple mixtures readily allow the escape of free water that is potentially deleterious. The newly hatched chicks could not only suffer from evaporative cooling as a result of being moistened by the moisture released, they could suffer from the consumption of high moisture material that contains insufficient moisture. In addition, a loss of moisture could cause a substantial change in the texture of the high moisture material, changing it from a material which the newly hatched chicks can break into parts by snacking and consuming one which is hard or "rubbery" and inaccessible to birds. Therefore, it is preferred that the high moisture material have an initial moisture content of at least about 40% by weight of water and that the high moisture material retains substantially all of its water under the conditions in which it must be provided to the chicks. More preferably, the high moisture material will retain at least 80% and more preferably at least about 90% of its water content when exposed to a temperature of 80 ° C and a relative humidity of 70% for 24 hours. . To improve the water retention capacity of the high moisture material, humectants, gums, proteins or other ingredients may be included in the formulation. Similarly, the digestibility of the ingredients could be improved with additions to the formulation such as, but not limited to, enzymes, bile acid salts or surfactants. Similarly, the total qualities can be improved with the addition of selected micro-ingredients, minerals, microorganisms, growth promoters, hormones, prostaglandins such as E2 or other factors that promote enhanced, digestive enzymatic activity, nutrient absorption or maturation of the gastrointestinal system as a whole. In general, highly available protein sources could include hydrolyzed protein for poultry, hydrolyzed casein, or peptone. In contrast, less available protein sources such as by-product flours or vegetable proteins could be provided as foods in combination with factors such as proteases or microorganisms that secrete proteases to increase disgestibility. Similarly, carbohydrates such as glucose can be selected for high availability or more complex sources such as ground corn or potato starch can be supplemented with enzymes or can be subjected to gelation to increase their availability. The digestibility of saturated fats could be improved through the addition of lipase, bile acid salts or surfactants. In this way, the formulation would include either highly available ingredients or additives or management methods that improve the digestion of ingredients less available in very young birds. The ingredients would be administered in a semi-solid or solid form. In addition, it has been shown that the gastrointestinal system of young birds is not able to use certain ingredients such as sebum with the same efficiency as mature birds (Fredde et al., Factors Affecting the Absorbability of Certain Dietary Fats in the Chick, J. Nutrition, Vol. 70, pp. 447-452 (1960); Gómez et al., The Use of Bile Salts to Improve Absoption of Tallow in Chicks, One to Three Weeks of Age, Poultry Science Vol. 55, pp. 2189-2195 (1976); Polin et al., The Effect of Bile Acids and Lipase on Absorption of Tallow in Young Chicks, Poultry Science, Vol. 59, pp. 2738-2743 (1980); Sell et al., Influence of Age on Utilization of Supplemental Fats by Young Turkeys, Poultry Science, Vol. 65, pp. 546-554 (1986)). The ontogenetic changes accompanying enhanced digestion include increased levels of pancreatic and intestinal enzymes (Krogdahl et al., Influence of Age on Lipase, Amylase, and Protease Activities in Pancreatic Tissue and Intestinal Contents of Young Turkeys, Poultry Science, Vol. 68, pp. 1561-1568 (1989), Sell et al, Intestinal Disaccharidases of Young Turkeys: Tempral Development and Influence of Diet Composition, Poultry Science, Vol. 68, pp. 265-277 (1989); Noy et al., Digestion and Absorption in the Young Chick, Poultry Science, Vol. 74, pp. 366-373 (1995)), the surface area of the total intestines for absorption (Nitsan et al., Growth and Development of the Digestive Organs and Some Enzymes in Broiler Chicks Adter Hatching, British Poultry Science, Vol. 32, pp. 515-523 (1991); Nitsan et al., Organ Growth and Digestive Enzyme Levéis to Fifteen Days of Age in Lines of Chickens Differing in Body Weight, Poultry Science, Vol. 70, pp. 2040-2048 (1991); Sell et al., Developmental Patterns of Selected Characteristics of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Young Turkeys, Poultry Science, Vol. 70, p. 1200-1205 (1991)), and changes in nutrient transporters (Shehata et al., Development of Brush-Border Membrane Hexose Transport System in Chick Jejunum, Am.

J. Physiol, Vol. 240, pp. G102-F108 (1981); Buddington et al., Ontogenetic Development of Intestinal Nutrient Transporters, Annu. Rev. Physiol., Vol. 51, pp. 601-619 (1989); Moreto et al., Transport of L-Proline and a-Methyl-D-Glucoside by Chicken Proximal Cecum During Development, Am. J. Physiol, Vol. 260, p. G457-G463 (1991)). The high moisture materials of the present invention would minimize or exclude poorly utilized ingredients and replace the most highly available ingredients as assessed by the subsequent qualities of the birds. The amount of high moisture material supplied as food will be a function of the species of the animal, age, environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity and, in the case of poultry, the length of the preset period, ie, the time total consumed in the waiting period after hatching, the processing period and in transit to the poultry production farm. However, in general, at least approximately 5 grams of high moisture material per chick per day should be provided to chicks 0 to 2 days old, approximately 10 grams of high moisture material per chick per day should be provided. chicks 2 to 3 days old, and up to about 20 grams of high moisture material per chick per day should be provided to chicks 4 to 7 days old. As previously observed, the chicks are conventionally placed in the poultry production farms within approximately 2 days of hatching. This practice has been developed, in part, outside the fact that incubators typically do not provide food or water to newly hatched birds and the fact that newly hatched birds must receive water and a source of nutrition for approximately 3 days. or also that they suffer. Because the composition of the high moisture materials of the present invention can be controlled to meet the change in nutritional requirements of newly hatched birds as they mature, it can become practical for incubators to retard sending the chicks to the poultry production farms for a longer period of time or to ship the chicks a greater distance without experiencing many of the difficulties associated with providing water and chick nutrition. In this way, for example, the incubators could conveniently feed the high moisture material of the present invention to the chicks for a period of about 3 to about 7 days from hatching before shipping them to the production farms. poultry. Alternatively, the chicks could be shipped from the incubator to an intermediate facility where they could be fed with the high humidity material for a period of time. period of approximately 7 days and then be shipped to the poultry production farm, normal. Any proposal would allow poultry production farms to use their buildings more efficiently without the incubators being concerned about feeding freshly hatched birds with water and dry feed. The following examples will illustrate the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 The qualities of birds from 1 to 4 days of age, that is, birds that were no less than 1 day old and no more than 4 days old at the start of the test when measured from hatching to each bird, fed with high moisture solids consisting of agar (1.5% agar and 98.5% water weight) or agar and egg yolk (1.5% agar, 10% egg yolk and 88.5% weight water) were compared to fasting and water-deprived birds. The results are presented in Table 1. Birds initially lost weight in all feeding regimens and agar alone did not give benefit in either cumulative gain or cumulative feed-to-cumulative gain ratio ("FTG"). The agar plus the yolk showed an effect on the cumulative gain on days 6 and 13, but the cumulative feed-to-gain ratio (sometimes referred to herein as cumulative feed efficiency) was poorer than for fasting birds. The data also suggest that hydration alone (agar treatment) with or without yolk did not confer cumulative feeding efficiency benefit in this study. The cumulative life expectancy was improved by feeding with any formulation containing water.

TABLE 1 Growth of Non-Fed Birds or Formulations Consisting of Agar (1.5%) with or without Egg Yolk (10%) > - - l EXAMPLE 2 In this example, groups of birds from one to four days old were fed for 24 or 48 hours with a high moisture solid consisting of starter feed and water. The cages were given enough solid of high humidity for each bird to consume 10 g. The food was presented in either 25, 50 or 100% of the high moisture solid. From Table 2 it appears that the high moisture solid containing 25% dry matter gave the best cumulative gain after feeding for either 24 or 48 hours. However, it should be noted that all high moisture solids showed cumulative gain higher than fasting controls. When the cumulative feed efficiency was corrected for differences in body weight (BW FTG), the high humidity solid of 25% dry matter was again superior to the others provided as food either for 24 or 48 hours. The uptake of the cumulative feed subsequent to the 48-hour treatment period was higher when the high-moisture solid birds were given than when they were fasting. This was the case for formulations containing 25, 50 or 100% dry matter. Cumulative life expectancy data suggest that high moisture solids containing a higher percentage of dry matter are associated with lower life expectancy than fasting control or formulations with 25% dry matter.

TABLE 2 Growth of Birds Fed with Food Starter and Wet Combinations EXAMPLE 3 In this example, groups of birds from one to four days old were given 20 g each of a high moisture solid consisting of a gelatin base and Alimet® (2-hydroxy-4- ( methylthio) butanoic) with additions of either corn starch or corn starch and lysine. The dry matter content of the high moisture solid was about 5% and the amount of each of the constituents of the dry matter, based on the weight of the high moisture solid for each formulation, was as indicated in Table 3. The formulation containing corn starch, gelatin and Alimet® showed a cumulative gain and life expectancy superior to fasting control and the other two formulations. Treatments 2 and 3 also showed uptake of the cumulative diet, higher when compared with the fasting control, but the formulations tended to melt at the hatching temperature which could cause problems in the hatching and transit of the boxes.

TABLE 3 Growth of Birds Fed with Formulations Containing Starch, Gelatin, Alimet and Lysine Combinations Ui EXAMPLE 4 Groups of birds from one to four days of age were fed formulations containing fat and protein sources administered with or without added lipase to aid in the digestion of fat. All the formulations contained corn starch, Alimet, lysine and the salt of bile acid, chenodeoxycholic acid. In case one, the protein and fat were provided together in the form of yolk solids. In the second case, the protein of coral birds and soybean oil were used to provide protein and fat. The dry matter content of the high moisture solid was about 25% and the amount of each of the constituents of the dry matter, based on the weight of the high moisture solid for each formulation, was as indicated in Table 4. Table 4 indicates that cumulative gains and improved cumulative feed efficiencies were observed in all treatments with the formulation. Lipase did not appear to increase the availability of these complex fat sources. The first cumulative feeding uptake, superior was achieved with yolk solids in the absence of additional lipase. It should be noted that the yolk was also used in Example 1, but the response of the birds was not evident in the absence of a source of carbohydrates, salts of bile acid, a source of methionine and added lysine.

TABLE 4 Growth of Birds Fed with Formulations Containing Protein and Fat Sources, with and without Lipase (Corn starch: 2.5%, Alimet: .05%, Lysine .05%, Chenodeoxycholic acid: .02%) Cp EXAMPLE 5 Groups of one to four day old birds fed agar (1.5% agar and 98.5% water) and agar plus a direct feeding microbial agent (1.5% agar, 88.5% water, 10% microbial agent of direct feeding Biomate that includes the microbial carrier) were compared to a control in fasting. The direct feeding microbial agent ("DMF") consisted of two species of La ctoba ci l li and two species of Ba ci l l i. The direct feeding microbial agent contained 2.2 x 108 colony-forming units per gram of material for each of the species of La ct oba ci lliy and 5.5 x 108 colony-forming units per gram of material for each of the Bacillus species. lli with each cage of 8 birds that receive 1 gram of the product. Although the cumulative feeding efficiency of this treatment was poorer than that of the agar alone, the cumulative gain seemed to increase in the presence of water and DMF. Therefore, the DMF provided some benefit and to optimize this effect, more nutrients must be added to the high moisture solid.

TABLE 5 Growth of Birds Fed with Agar (1.5%) and Agar Containing a Direct Feeding Microbial Agent Consisting of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactis, and Bacillus subtilis and licheniformis (10%) Lp EXAMPLE 6 This example shows the response of freshly hatched birds from one to four days of age to casein, casein hydrolyzed with enzymes and casein administered with a source of proteolytic activity. The high moisture solid contained 85% water with the rest of the constituents as indicated in Table 6. In treatment 3, 0.6% pepsin (based on the weight of the high moisture solid) was added to the formulation and in treatment 4, a microbial agent that secretes a proteolytic enzyme was added. All treatments with the formulation showed cumulative gain, cumulative feeding efficiency and higher life expectancy when compared to fasting control.

TABLE 6 Growth of Birds Fed with Formulations with Casein, Hydrolyzed Casein, Casein with Pepsin or Casein with B. licheniformis (2xlOe / bird) (Ground corn: 10%, Agar: .25%, Alimet: .125%, Lysine: .04) Lp 00 EXAMPLE 7 In this example, birds from zero to two days of age were fed formulations consisting of 10% dry matter in the form of corn starch (2.5%), protein (5%), and glucose (2.5%) ), based on the weight of the high moisture solid. The birds were treated for 24, 48 or 72 hours, to analyze the possibility of treating the birds during the total pre-placement period of approximately 2 days in the incubator and 1 day in transit. All birds treated with the formulation showed greater cumulative gain than fasting birds during an equivalent period. In addition, birds treated with the formulation for 24 and 48 hours also showed higher cumulative feeding efficiencies. The answer seemed to decline at the 72-hour time point. From these data it seems that 10% of dry matter is sufficient to improve the qualities of young birds during a period of 2 days, but that a higher concentration of nutrients may be required by the third day. It should be noted that for each period of time, the life expectancy of the birds fed with the formulation was higher than the fasting controls.

TABLE 7 Growth of Birds Fed with Breeding Formulations Consisting of Maize Starch (2.5%), Porcine Plasma (5%), Agar (.5%), Alimet (.125%), Lysine (.125%), Glucose (2.5%); 10% of Total Dry Material) or EXAMPLE 8 In this example, the growth of non-fed chicks was compared, fed solidified formulations with dehydrated egg white, whole egg or guar / xanthan gums, or a simple corn and rice atole. Table 8 shows the qualities of the first birds when they were influenced by the solidified formulations in various forms. Treatment 1 was the control in fasting. The formulation in treatments 2 and 3 consisted of corn flour (15%), corn starch (2%), soybean meal (12%) and either dehydrated egg white (3.6%) or whole egg (20%). ). Treatment 4 had slightly more soybean meal (16%) to compensate for the loss of egg protein and solidified with a combination of guar (.35%) and xanthan (.05%) gums. Treatment 5 was a simple atole of rice (22.5%) and corn (22.5%).

All formulations contained fumaric acid (1%) and propionic acid (.5%) and a premix of vitamin (.1%) and mineral (.05%). Birds one to four days old were weighed (Table 8, body weight day 0) and were treated with 10 mg / bird of a high moisture solid or fasted for 24 hours. The birds receiving the high moisture solid received one of four high moisture solids designated in Table 8. The birds were then weighed again (body weight day 1) and all were offered water and starter feed for consumption ad libitum As can be seen in Table 8, fasting birds initially lost weight while birds treated with the formulation either maintained or even gained weight. However, the result of day 6 indicated that formulations with higher protein (2-4) were more beneficial than the simple mixture of rice and corn. Both the body weights and the feeding efficiencies of the birds in treatments 2-4 were superior to those of treatment 5. All birds showed an improvement in the first life expectancy compared to fasting controls.

TABLE 8 Growth of Birds Not Fed or Fed with Solidified Formulations with Dehydrated Egg White, Complete Egg or Guar / Xanthan Gums, in Comparison to a Simple Rice and Corn Atole.

EXAMPLE 9 In this example, the water retention characteristics of the various formulations described in Example 8 were compared to those in a simple gruel of rice and ground corn. After 24 hours, the formulations in which egg or gums were added to the water maintained more moisture than the thick, simple suspension with hot water of rice and ground corn. When these were fed to chicks from one to four days of age, it was observed that the birds fed the rice gristle and ground corn were moistened, although no measurable water escaped from any of the mixtures. The results were presented in the Table TABLE 9 Water Retention (%) in Formulations after 24 hours at 80, 90 or 100 ° C and 40% Humidity i EXAMPLE 9a Table 9a shows the loss of water by high moisture solids maintained at 80 ° C and 70% humidity. Formulations 1-4 contained guar and xanthan gums (0.6-1%), 20-22% soybean meal and approximately 16% corn flour, with the rest as water. The levels of humectants ranged from 1 g (modified corn starch) to 50 g (propylene glycol and glycerol). Formulations 5 and 6 were included as examples of simple formulations which did not include a humectant. Formulation 5 consisted of 21% soy flour, 11% oats and 8.5% rice, with the rest as water. Prior to the experiment shown in Table 9a, all formulations were kept at room temperature overnight to allow the mixtures to absorb water. In the absence of a humectant, a gel based on rubber lost 19% in its water in 24 hours and 34% after 48 hours. The high moisture solids containing the propylene glycol and glycerol humectants lost 0-10% of their water in 24 hours and 4-17% after 48 hours. The modified corn starch did not perform as well under these conditions as the other humectants. Simple mixtures of grain and rice retained water under these conditions, losing 24% of water during the first 24 hours and 47-53% of their water for 48 hours.

TABLE 9a Water Retention (80 ° C, 70% Humidity) in 24 and 48 hours by High Moisture Solids Containing Gums or Moisturizers Compared with Simple Blends of Grains, Soybean Meal and Rice EXAMPLE 10 In this example, the samples of the formulations containing soy flour (12%), corn flour (17%) and either complete egg (20%) or guar gum / xanthan (4%) stabilized with acids fumaric (1%) and propionic (0.5%) were compared to a simple mixture of corn (23%) and rice (23%) for microbial growth. All mixtures were stored sealed (except for sampling) at room temperature. Plates were incubated for 3 days at 37 ° C in a saturated atmosphere. MacConkey agar was included to evaluate the growth of Gram negative organisms such as E. Coli. From Table 10 it is clear that the mixture of rice and corn was not stable and supported high levels of microbial growth when stored at room temperature in a sealed bag. The heating procedure did not destroy the spores of bacilli, and these would be the source of the colonies observed in the blood agar on day 1 and 2 in the formulation containing guar and xanthan gums. However, it is clear that the bacilli did not multiply in the formulation itself, because the numbers did not increase with time. The organisms present in the rice and maize atole included Gram-negative rods, Gram-positive cocci and yeast. The formulation made with soy flour (11%), corn flour (15%), corn starch (2%), dehydrated egg white (6%) and stabilized with citric (1%) and propionic (0.5%) acids were also analyzed for stability to microbial growth. Samples were stored for 9 weeks without showing any indication of microbial growth when analyzed on blood agar and MacConkey agar. There was no obvious mold growth in the samples and there was no indication of water separation from the high moisture solid during this period of time.

TABLE 10 Microbial Growth of a 1: 1000 Dilution of the Formulation or EXAMPLE 11 This example shows the close analysis of several high moisture solids in comparison with the mixtures of rice and several grains with as much water as the combination will maintain (excess water poured). The values for carbohydrates were obtained by difference. Studies of qualities using live birds have indicated that the optimum level of protein in a high moisture solid supplied as food to one-day-old birds is 10-11%. Using 33% dry matter levels, feeding at a 10% protein level and 20% carbohydrate in a high humidity solid resulted in a gain on day 6 and feed conversion results (Example 8) better than a mixture of rice and corn that contains 4% protein and 35% carbohydrate. A protein level of 10% is not possible using a mixture based on a whole grain and rice or whole grain alone, even with 100% dry matter. Even if the grain were relatively high in protein, such as wheat (15% maximum), protein levels higher than 7-8% would not be possible in a mixture containing 50% water. With a mixture of wheat and water, a protein level of 10.5% would require 70% dry matter. The results are presented in Table 11.

TABLE 11 Next Analysis of Corn and Soybean Flour Formulations and Containing Dehydrated Egg White to Adhere to Water in Comparison to Various Mixtures of Rice, Corn and Water. co EXAMPLE 12 The objective of this experiment was to determine the optimum ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrate in a formulation with a composition of 25% solids. An experimental design was generated to comply with the established objective and implemented as a cage 96, 41 days of study. In this study, the 1-4-day-old chicks were fed the formulation and fasted for 48 hours. The results are presented in Figure 1. The quality parameter illustrated in Figure 1 is the estimated feed conversion for a tender chicken of 2 kg in 41 days. A response surface model was made for the conversion of the corrected feed to a constant live weight. It was found that fat had a large negative impact on the qualities. Birds treated with more than 5% fat showed live weight losses and increased feed conversion. The best result for this 25% dry matter formulation occurred with protein and carbohydrate treatments where the birds exhibited corrected feed conversions of body weight of 1.72-1.73. Mortality was lower in 21 days for treatments with higher levels of protein, and higher with treatments that contained significant amounts of fat. The data from this experiment indicate that the optimal, digestible carbohydrate level is above 8%.

Example 13 Premature mortality in poults is a particular problem in this industry. This is attributed to a number of factors, including the failure of birds to ingest food and water ad libitum due to an excessively long time between hatching and laying. In this experiment, groups of one to four day old turkey poults were fed a 33% dry matter formulation containing less than 1% fat, 9-10% protein and 22-23% carbohydrate, or They kept fasting and were deprived of water for either 24 or 48 hours. In a percentage of dry matter bases, the formulation contained 44% corn flour, 6% corn starch, 36% soybean meal, 11% dehydrated egg white, 2% fumaric acid, and 1.5% of propionic acid. As a percentage of the total formulation, this was equal to 15% corn flour, 2% corn starch, 12% soybean meal, 3.6% dehydrated egg white, 0.7% fumaric acid, and 0.5% of propionic acid. Then, the birds were given a conventional feeding formulation. As shown in Figure 2, the qualities of the birds in this regimen showed differences in cumulative mortalities on days 7, 14, 21: fasting birds for 24 hours showed greater mortalities than those given the formulation during 24 hours. hours. This was further accentuated when the birds fasted or were given the formulation for 48 hours. In the group fasting for 48 hours, premature mortality reached almost 20% by day 21, while the birds were given the formulation during the same time period they showed the lowest cumulative mortality in 21 days in the study, ie , less than 10%.

EXAMPLE 14 This experiment was performed to analyze the effect of feeding the high moisture material of the present invention to fresh hatched birds before they are offered dry feed ad libitum containing approximately 77% water, 1% fat. , 11% carbohydrate and 11% protein, on the resistance of chickens to a disease challenge with or without previous vaccination for the pathogen. (The same basic composition was also used in the examples that follow). The term "disease provocation" refers to the contact of poultry with a pathogenic agent, causing a negative effect on a parameter of qualities such as health, life expectancy, weight gain or efficient conversion of food. The treatments 1-4 did not receive food or water, while the high humidity material (designated "1027" in Figure 3) was the only source of nutrition and hydration during the first two days of the experiment for treatments 5-8. A dose of oral immunization of a coccidial vaccine (CocciVac®, Ster in Laboratories) was given to birds in treatments 2, 4, 6 and 8 on day 0. Birds in treatments 1, 3, 5 and 7 they received orally an equal volume of saline at that time. All birds were fed the same food and water ad libitum subsequent to day 2 after hatching. On day 14, birds were administered in treatments 3, 4, 7 and 8 a very high dose of coccidia (lOOx / lOOg body weight of CocciVac®), enough to affect the qualities of birds both natural and immunized. Figure 3 shows the cumulative gain of these birds on day 21. Compared to fasting, feeding with the present high humidity material was associated with a significantly higher gain in unvaccinated, unprovoked birds (treatment 1 versus treatment 5) , vaccinated birds, unprovoked (treatment 2 against treatment 6), unvaccinated birds, provoked (treatment 3 against treatment 7), and vaccinated birds, provoked (treatment 4 against treatment 8). In this way, feeding with the high humidity material not only improved the ability of unvaccinated birds to resist disease provocation, but also resulted in superior qualities of the vaccinated, provoked birds (treatment 8) when compared to their fasting controls (treatment 4). These data show that feeding the high moisture solid to newly hatched birds improved the general qualities of the birds and their ability to respond to a disease challenge as exemplified by the qualities of each of the groups they receive. the high humidity material compared to its fasting control.

EXAMPLE 15 This example shows the results of an experiment in which the chickens were fed the high moisture material as the sole source of nutrition and hydration during the first two days of the experiment. During these two days, adjuvant birds were also administered variously consisting of (as a percentage of dry matter) muramyl dipeptide (0.015%), mannan (0.06%), dead yeast cells (0.15%), dead bacteria (Propi oniba ct eri um a cnés, 0.03%), saponin (0.3%), levamisole (0.005%), and vitamins A (0.0001%) and E (1.5%), or saline (0.01%). All birds were given a common diet following this initial two-day treatment period, and were orally vaccinated with CocciVac coccidial vaccine on day 0 following manufacturers' instructions. The data in Figure 4 show the effect of the various adjuvants on bag weight as a percentage of body weight on day 7. Clearly, several of the adjuvants were associated with a relatively heavier bag weight than in birds fed with high humidity material (designated 1027) only. Since the weight of the relatively heavier bag is associated with disease resistance, these data suggest that the addition of an adjuvant to the high moisture material, in association with vaccination, can improve the ability of the birds to resist the agents pathogens and other stresses.

EXAMPLE 16 This example demonstrates the effect of the same adjuvants, in the same amounts, used in Example 15 on the amount of IgA in the bile of the chickens, 21 days after the vaccine and the adjuvants were administered orally. IgA is the class of antibody associated with resistance to diseases that attack the intestinal mucosa, such as coccidiosis. The data presented in Figure 5 were obtained by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect (ELISA) using mouse IgA, monoclonal, anti-chicken as the first antibody, goat IgA, polyclonal, anti-chicken as the second antibody and anti-goat immunoglobulin conjugated with biotin for detection. Samples were read on an automated ELISA plate reader and corrected for differences in dilution. The data showed that the adjuvants contained in the high moisture material (1027) were active when administered orally, and stimulated the mucosal immune system specifically and differentially. Some, for example, treatment 5 (Propi on was used to kill), resulted in a significantly higher bile IgA content 21 days after administration of the high moisture material with the adjuvant and the vaccine. These results suggest that the high moisture material of the present invention can be used for the oral delivery of effective adjuvants in the stimulation of the mucosal immune system in poultry. This may result in the stimulation of the production of specific antibodies to, or associated with, the mucosal immune system, including the intestines, respiratory system, genital-urinary system, reproductive system and lacrimal system. This may also include the stimulation of lymphocytes or cytokines characteristic of cell-mediated immunity.

EXAMPLE 17 A series of experiments was carried out on chickens fresh from the shell in which the high moisture material (designated "1027" in Figure 6) was administered with or without an adjuvant for two days after hatching, then of which half of the birds were provoked with an oral dose of coccidia oocysts (CocciVac® used at 100 times the vaccination dose) two weeks later. The unchallenged birds were given either the high moisture material (1027) or the high moisture material containing vitamin A (0.015% dry matter) and vitamin E (0.27% dry matter) (1027AE) were used as controls. The data in Figure 6 present the results of this study, designed to evaluate the effects of vitamins A and E as adjuvants when they were given in the high humidity material during a period of two days after hatching. The gain and feed efficiencies of the controls without causing were the same 21 days after treatment with either 1027 or 1027AE (the first two groups of bars). The qualities of the birds that were given the provocation of coccidia on day 15 were compared with those of the control birds. It is clear that the provocation affected both the efficiency of gain and feeding. However, the gain of the birds that were given 1027 and then caused by coccidia is lower than that of the birds that were given the 1027AE and caused by coccidia. In addition, feed conversion is poorer for birds that were given 1027 pure than those treated with 1027 plus an adjuvant and subsequently triggered. It seems that the presence of vitamins A and E in the high humidity material resulted in birds more able to resist an immune, oral tension (provocation with coccidia) two weeks later.

EXAMPLE 18 Another example of the effects of an adjuvant is shown in Figure 7. In this experiment, the qualities of the birds fed the high moisture material containing the adjuvants Concanavalin A (0.001% dry matter) and levamisole (0.0005 % of dry matter) (designated 1027CL) were compared with those of birds fed with high moisture material alone (1027). It is believed that Concanavalin A and levamisole are stimulators specifically for T lymphocytes. As shown in Example 16, levamisole resulted in higher levels of bile IgA in 21 days when given individually. In this experiment, chickens fresh out of the shell were induced with a coccidial strain on day 14 after administration of the high moisture material. To the birds without causing that they were given the high humidity material alone (1027) or the high humidity material that contains Concanavalin A and levamisole (1027CL) served as controls.

The data in Figure 7 show that the presence of adjuvants in the high moisture material (1027CL) administered on days 0 and 1 was associated with a significantly higher cumulative life expectancy after challenge with coccidia and a feeding relationship to gain numerically superior during a period of 7 days immediately after the provocation than in the birds fed with the high humidity material (1027) alone. The two treatments did not result in differences between the control groups without causing. As in Example 17 above, the birds that exhibited a benefit of Concanavalin A and levamisole were not previously exposed to a coccidial vaccine, but they were unaffected at challenge on day 14.

EXAMPLE 19 In this experiment, freshly hatched chickens were given bacterial, dead cells of Propi on iba teri um spp (0.06% dry matter) and Sa lmonel l a ssp (0.06% dry matter). As shown in Examples 15 and 16, an oral dose of Propa ons were killed in birds vaccinated for coccidiosis resulting in both bag weight and relatively higher bile IgA levels than in the birds given the high moisture material alone. Similar results were observed with dead cells of Sa lmonella (data not shown). In this example, the dead cells of both bacteria were administered in the high humidity material on days 0 and 1 of the study. In addition, half of the birds were given a dose of CocciVac immunization on days 0 and 1, and a booster dose was given on day 7 (vaccinated). Vaccination in the presence of adjuvants was associated with the poorer qualities of day 14, presumably due to the strong immune response, and data were covaried for body weight on day 14 in Figure 8. All birds were caused with coccidia on day 14. The data shown in Figure 8 indicate that the presence of adjuvants was associated with improved body weight after challenge in both the control and vaccinated birds. In the case of birds vaccinated prior to challenge, the presence of the adjuvant resulted in significantly higher body weights after challenge, indicating an improved response to the vaccine when administered in association with the oral adjuvant given in the 1027 high moisture material. Life expectancy was not affected by any of the treatments in this experiment.

Example 20 This example demonstrates the effect of texture and color on the ingestion of high moisture material by turkeys fresh from the shell. The texture agent used was millet. The poults were offered high colored and textured moisture material for a period of approximately 12 hours. As shown in Figure 9, both the appearance and the texture of the high humidity material influence the ingestion by the birds. In view of the above, it will be noted that several objects of the invention are carried out. As several changes could be made to the above compositions and processes without departing from the scope of the invention, it is proposed that all material contained in the above description be construed as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property.

Claims (50)

1. A process for increasing health, life expectancy, weight gain or feed conversion efficiency of poultry, the process is characterized in that it comprises feeding a high moisture material containing at least about 20% by weight of feed. water and an additive selected from the group consisting of a coloring agent, an adjuvant, a flavor modifier, and a combination thereof to the poultry before dry feed ad libitum is offered to the poultry.

2. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the coloring agent is red, blue, green, blue-green, black or beige.

3. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the flavor modifier is selected from the group consisting of grains of sand, oyster shell, whole seeds or grains.

4. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of material obtained from a microorganism; A virus; a lectin; a polysaccharide; an oily emulsion; a peptide, polypeptide, or protein, and a nucleic acid.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the material obtained from a microorganism selected from the group consisting of a bacterial lysate, 6,6-diester of trehalose, a synthetic analogue of a 6,6-diester of trehalose, muramyl dipeptide, a synthetic analogue muramyl dipeptide, an L-seryl of muramyl dipeptide, an L-valyl of muramyl dipeptide, killed bacteria, soluble mitogen water Noca rdi to, components of the cell wall of S taphyl ococcus, bestatin, dead yeast, zymosan, glucan, lentanina, endotoxin, an enterotoxin a peptidoglycan bacterial cell wall and bacterial ribonucleoprotein.

6. The process according to claim 5, characterized in that the bacterial lysate is prepared from a bacterium of the genus Haemophilus, Diplococcus or Neisseria.

7. The process according to claim 5, wherein the killed bacteria are selected from the group consisting of spp Escherichia, Clostridia spp, Salmonella spp, Lactobacillus spp, Streptococcus spp, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, Mycobacterium spp, Bordetella spp, Klebsiella spp, Brucella spp, Propionibacterium spp, Pasteurella spp, and dead Nocardia spp.

8. The process according to claim 5, characterized in that the dead yeast is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces spp and dead Candida spp.

9. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the virus is selected from the group consisting of an Avipoxvirus and a Parapoxvirus.

10. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the lectin is selected from the group consisting of concanavalin A, mitogen of carmine or grana herb and phytohemagglutinin.

11. The process according to claim 4, wherein the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of a mannan, carrageenan, iota carrageenan, one hemicellulose, one levan, agar, tapioca, a dextran, a dextrin, and a lipopolysaccharide.

12. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the oily emulsion comprises an oil selected from the group consisting of mineral oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil.

13. The process according to claim 4, wherein the peptide, polypeptide or protein is selected from the group consisting of an interferon, an inducer of interferon, a cytokine, thymic hormone, a protease inhibitor, a chemotactic factor, tuftsin, and serum albumin.

14. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid digestive substance, a double-stranded complementary RNA homopolymer, and immune RNA.

15. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of a saponin, thiabenedezol, tilorone, estatolone, maleic anhydride-divinyl ester, a pyran copolymer, amphotericin B, a liposome, silica, phosphate calcium, glycerol, betaine, proto-dine, cyanidanol, imutiol, picibanil, isoprinosine, lentinan, azimezon, a lecithin, levamisole, a retinol, a tocopherol, an antioxidant, an aluminum salt, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide.

16. The process for increasing the resistance of poultry to a challenge of disease or other stress, the process is characterized in that it comprises feeding a high moisture material containing: between about 50% and 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; a nitrogen-containing member selected from the group consisting of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogues and combinations thereof; wherein the carbohydrate ratio to the nitrogen-containing member is in the range between about 1: 1 and about 3: 1, to the poultry before dry feed ad libitum is offered to the poultry.

17. The process according to claim 16, characterized in that the high moisture material contains: between about 50% and about 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; and a member selected from the group consisting of: at least about 5% by weight of protein, at least about 7% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogues or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 5% by weight of protein and at least about 5% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 10% by weight of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors and amino acid analogs, and at least about 10% by weight protein.

18. The process for increasing the resistance of poultry to a challenge of disease or other stress, the process is characterized in that it comprises feeding a high moisture material containing: an adjuvant; between about 50% to 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; and a nitrogen-containing member selected from the group consisting of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs and combinations thereof; wherein the carbohydrate ratio to the nitrogen-containing member is in the range between about 1: 1 and about 3: 1, to the poultry before dry feed ad libitum is offered to the poultry.

19. The process according to claim 18, characterized in that the high moisture material contains: between about 50% and about 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; a member selected from the group consisting of: at least about 5% by weight of protein, at least about 7% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 5% by weight % by weight of protein and at least about 5% by weight of amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogues or a combination thereof, a combination of at least about 10% by weight of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors and the like of amino acids, and at least about 10% by weight of protein.

20. The process according to claim 16, characterized in that it also comprises administering a vaccine to poultry.

21. The process according to claim 18, characterized in that it also comprises administering a vaccine to poultry.

22. The process according to claim 18, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of material obtained from a microorganism; A virus; a lectin; a polysaccharide; an oily emulsion; a peptide, polypeptide or protein; and a nucleic acid.

23. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the material obtained from a microorganism is selected from the group consisting of a bacterial lysate, a 6,6-diester of trehalose, a synthetic analog of a 6,6-diester of trehalose, muramyl dipeptide, a synthetic analogue of muramyl dipeptide, an L-seryl derivative of muramyl dipeptide, an L-valyl derivative of muramyl dipeptide, dead bacteria, water soluble mitogen Noca rdia, cell wall components of Staphyl ococcus, bestatin, dead yeast, zymosan, glucan, lentonin, an endotoxin, an enterotoxin, a peptidoglycan from the bacterial cell wall and a bacterial ribonucleoprotein.

24. The process according to claim 23, characterized in that the bacterial lysate is prepared from a bacterium of the genus Ha emophi lus, Dipl ococcus or Nei sseria.

25. The process according to claim 23, characterized in that the killed bacteria are selected from the group consisting of Escheri chi a spp, Cl tridia spp, Salmonella spp, Ctoba ci ll us spp, Streptococcus spp, Ba ci ll us Calmet te- Guerin, Mycoba cteri um spp, Bordetella spp, Klebsiella spp, Brucella spp, Propioniba cterium spp, Pas terurella spp, and Noca rdia spp.

26. The process according to claim 23, characterized in that the dead yeast is selected from the group consisting of Sa ccha romyces spp and Candi da spp dead.

27. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the virus is selected from the group consisting of an Avipoxvirus and a Parapoxvirus.

28. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the lectin is selected from the group consisting of concanavalin A, mitogen of carmine grass or grana and phytohemagglutinin.

29. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of a mannan, carrageenan, iota carrageenan, a hemicellulose, a levan, agar, tapioca, a dextran, a dextrin, and a lipopolysaccharide.

30. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the oily emulsion comprises an oil selected from the group consisting of mineral oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil.

31. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the peptide, polypeptide or protein is selected from the group consisting of an interferon, an interferon inducer, a cytokine, a thymic hormone, a protease inhibitor, an iotactic qui factor, tuftsin , and serum albumin.

32. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid digestive substance, a complementary double-stranded RNA homopolymer, and immune RNA.

33. The process according to claim 18, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of a saponin, thiabenedezol, tilorone, estatolone, maleic anhydride-divinyl ester, a pyran copolymer, amphotericin B, a liposome, silica, phosphate calcium, glycerol, betaine, proto-dine, cyanidanol, imutiol, picibanil, isoprinosine, lentinan, azimexon, a lecithin, levamisole, a retinol, a tocopherol, an antioxidant, an aluminum salt, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide.

34. The process for stimulating the mucosal immune system in poultry, the process is characterized in that it comprises feeding a high moisture material containing: an adjuvant; between about 50% and 80% by weight of water; at least about 10% by weight of carbohydrate; and a nitrogen-containing member selected from the group consisting of protein, amino acids, amino acid precursors, amino acid analogs and combinations thereof; wherein the carbohydrate ratio to the nitrogen-containing member is in the range between about 1: 1 and about 3: 1, to the poultry before dry feed ad libitum is offered to the poultry.

35. The process according to claim 34, characterized in that it also comprises administering a vaccine to poultry.

36. A high moisture material to increase health, life expectancy, cumulative weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, resistance of poultry to a challenge of disease or other stress, or to stimulate the immune response associated with the intestines in poultry, characterized in that it contains: at least about 20% by weight of water; at least about 8% by weight of carbohydrate; at least about 7% by weight of an amino acid source; and an additive selected from the group consisting of an uptake regulator or flavor modifier, an adjuvant, and mixtures thereof, wherein: the uptake or flavor modifier is different from a gum, an amino acid, a coloring agent or a fish oil; the adjuvant is different from calcium phosphate, an oily oil or emulsion, the dead ctoba cill, or a vitamin; and the high humidity material does not release free water in an amount sufficient to wet newly hatched birds as a consequence of their coming into contact with it.

37. The high moisture material according to claim 36, characterized in that the high moisture material contains between about 60% and about 80% by weight of water.

38. The high moisture material according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that the taste regulator or picker is selected from the group consisting of grains of sand; oyster shell; whole seeds or grains; a triglyceride; fish flour; a spice; clonidine; a gastrin antagonist; a cholecystokine antagonist; naloxone; pancreatic polypeptide; norepinephrine; a melatonin antagonist; a hormone of the thyroid; and pentobarbital.

39. The high moisture material according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of a microbiologically derived substance; A virus; a lectin; a polysaccharide; a peptide, polypeptide, or protein; and a nucleic acid, wherein the polysaccharide, peptide, polypeptide or protein is orally effective in poultry as an adjuvant to stimulate the immune system and / or to increase the resistance of poultry to pathogens or other stresses.

40. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the microbiologically derived substance is selected from the group consisting of a lysate of bacteria; a 6,6-diester of trehalose; muramyl dipeptide, N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine; an L-seryl or L-valyl derivative of muramyl dipeptide; dead bacteria and derivatives thereof; a product of the cell wall of Staphyl ococcus; bestatin; dead yeast; a yeast derivative; an endotoxin; an enterotoxin; a peptidoglycan of the cell wall; and a bacterial ribonucleoprotein.

41. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the virus is selected from the group consisting of an Avipoxvirus and a Parapoxvirus.

42. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the lectin is selected from the group consisting of concanavalin A, mitogen of carmine grass or grana and phytohemagglutinin.

43. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of a mannan, an acetylated mannan bonded with β- (1,4); an oligosaccharide of mannan, a glucan; a hemicellulose, a levan, a dextrin, a dextran; and a lipopolysaccharide.

44. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the peptide, polypeptide, or protein is selected from the group consisting of a cytokine, an interleukin; Transfer factor; Macrophage Activation Factor; Inhibitory Factor of Migration; a mitogenic factor for lymphocytes; interferon;, an interferon inducer; a typical hormone; a protease inhibitor, a chemotactic factor for macrophages and other cells; Tuftisin and serum albumin.

45. The high moisture material according to claim 39, characterized in that the nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of a digestive substance of nucleic acid, a complementary double-stranded RNA homopolymer, and immune RNA.

46. The high moisture material according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that the adjuvant is selected from the group consisting of a saponin; thiabenedezol; tilorone; estatolone; maleic anhydride-divinyl ester; a pyran copolymer; amphotericin B; a liposome; silica; glycerol; betaine; protodine; cyanidanol; imutiol; picibanil; isoprinosine; lentinan; azimexon; lecithin; levamisole; an antioxidant; an aluminum salt; aluminum hydroxide; aluminum oxide; and saline solution.

47. A high moisture material to increase health, life expectancy, cumulative weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, resistance of poultry to a provocation of disease or other stresses, or to stimulate the immune response in birds of farmyard, characterized in that it contains: at least about 20% by weight of water; at least about 8% by weight of carbohydrate; at least about 7% by weight of an amino acid source; an acid stabilizer; and a coloration of the blue-green food, where the high humidity material does not release free water in an amount sufficient to moisten the newly hatched birds as a consequence of coming into contact with it.

48. The high moisture material according to claim 47, characterized in that the high moisture material contains about 60% to about 80% by weight of water.

49. The high moisture material according to claim 47 or 48, characterized in that the carbohydrate is a mixture of ground corn and corn starch, and the source of amino acids is a mixture of soy food and eggs without shell.

50. The high moisture material according to any of claims 36 to 49, characterized in that it is in the form of an extruded material.