Biocat+ OSAA (Organic Surface Active Agents) is a bio stimulant product comprised of microorganisms including naturally occurring bacteria, Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota, that is harvested from both land and sea sources. It naturally replaces itself, making it 100% sustainable. OSAA can be introduced into the water feeding lines of layer or broiler operations. It leaves water lines pristine and reduces the need to use toxic cleaners like the industry standard – hydrogen peroxide. But that’s just the start. As an eco-friendly product, it improves worker safety and production efficiencies that can sustainably increase a producer’s bottom line.

Environmental impact

Reducing our reliance upon harmful, toxic chemicals that could enter the environment is key to sustainable farming practices.

“Like most people involved in agriculture, the environment is my workplace and it’s how I build a living for me and my family,” said a UK layer operator who uses OSAA on his UK farm. “I think most farmers are very mindful of the fact that how we treat the environment is key to our survival. Anything we can do to help lessen our footprint on the ecosystem, the better.

“Clearly taking caustic products out of your working environment benefits not only farmers and our workers, but also the animals and/or crop he or she is working with. I’m not a first-generation farmer, and I hope to pass our farm to the next generation, so it’s my responsibility to watch for new, more environmentally- friendly products like OSAA and test them in an effort to find tools that will help me leave the farm in the best possible condition that I can.”

Production efficiency

On-farm research conducted at a 16,000-hen layer operation in the UK shows that use of OSAA resulted in an 8% reduction in feed intake, while egg production increased by 4% and eggshell quality improved, providing a uniform, brown-colored shell.

“Outcome measurement points improved, and the welfare of the birds was better,” reported the UK producer who conducted the on-farm study. “I didn't use any antibiotics during the 14-month flock cycle and had no issues with flock health. The flock ran as well as it possibly could.”

Egg quality, color and weight are very important in the UK market. The producer saw improvements and consistency with each of these measures in the study.

“As birds near 13 to 14 months, there's a natural drop off in shell quality, but I didn't see that when using OSAA. We previously raised the flock from 16 weeks through 72 weeks,” he said. “Now we can keep flocks until 76 weeks and are considering going to 80 weeks in the future. This really adds to our stainability over time because the longer we can keep the hens performing at a high level, the longer we're spreading our investment out over a time. Using OSAA, egg production and quality didn't tail off like it had previously.”

The ability to keep water systems clean is directly connected to the health of the flock, specifically gut health, he said.

“The birds are healthier, living longer and more efficiently producing higher quality eggs because their gut health is so much better - that's also the reason why they're eating less food,” he explained. “We’re seeing better bioavailability in the bird’s gut, meaning they're able to absorb the important nutrients from their feed better, so they need less food to create the same – or even better – outcomes.”

A cleaner gut produces less manure that’s drier, which produces less ammonium and creates a healthier respiratory environment for the flock to grow.

“We can improve poultry productivity, first by increasing their production output using the current facilities,” noted Henry Madders, managing director at Citadel Environmental Solutions. “Feed prices are rising globally, so farmers are looking for new ways to reduce their feed costs amid tighter margins. We help producers reduce their inputs while producing a more efficient flock – whether that’s layers or broilers.”

Similar benefits – lower feed consumption, a reduction in antibiotic use and faster weight gain – can be seen in broiler farms.

“We also offer Biocat Electron+, an environmentally-friendly fogging solution that disinfects 100% of air and surfaces while killing 99.9% of pathogens with no production downtime, which is a real benefit for broiler operators,” said Madders.

For more information on Biocat+ OSAA, email [email protected].