Commercial Poultry
Run 4 ounces of Big Ole Bird per gallon of stock solution in a dosing medicator set at 1:128.
Start using Big Ole Bird probiotics for poultry between day 1 and 5. Run for 72 hours on the initial dose. After the initial dose, run one 24-hour period per week for cost effectiveness or for 48 hours to maximize benefits.
Run the day before feed change. Running during feed change is also recommended to help maintain a healthy digestive system during the feed transition.
We recommend charging the lines with Big Ole Bird before chicks arrive, so it will already be in the lines for day 1.
Since Big Ole Bird aids in nutrient absorption, we encourage growers to use it at the same time as Catalyst Poultry Vitamins.
*Do not apply with any disinfectants, apple cider vinegar, iodine, peroxide or acidifiers, as this will kill the beneficial bacteria. If applying any disinfectants, apple cider vinegar, iodine, peroxide or acidifiers, run Big Ole Bird three days after use.
**If you're also using our Mother Load Apple Cider Vinegar with Garlic (recommended), leave three days between running the products.
***No refrigeration necessary. Do not allow product to freeze or exceed 130 °F.
How to Use Big Ole Bird with Our Other Products
Backyard Poultry
Apply 1 teaspoon of Big Ole Bird per gallon of fresh drinking water.
For the initial application, we recommend giving Big Ole Bird probiotic supplements to your birds for 3 days. Then, mix Big Ole Bird into their water for one 24-hour period per week for cost effectiveness or more often to maximize benefits.
Since Big Ole Bird aids in absorption of nutrients, we encourage growers to use it at the same time as Catalyst Poultry Vitamins.
*Do not apply with any disinfectants or apple cider vinegar, as this will kill the beneficial bacteria. If applying any disinfectants or apple cider vinegar, apply Big Ole Bird three days after use.
**If you're using our Mother Load Apple Cider Vinegar with Garlic (recommended), leave three days between applying the products.
***No refrigeration necessary. Do not allow product to freeze or exceed 130 °F.
Improve Gut Health and the Immune System
Big Ole Bird provides a powerhouse of probiotic bacteria, organic acids and biologically active carbon in a liquid form to strengthen your birds’ immune system from within. Studies have shown these ingredients work together to support normal intestinal microflora, improve poultry health and flock weights, decrease mortality, improve the immune system and create better performance across the board.
When birds have a strong, healthy digestive tract, your nutrition program also goes further. This results in better feed conversion, tighter guts and healthier, bigger birds. Good bacteria in the intestinal tract from your chickens' probiotics helps in increasing digestive enzyme activity and decreasing bacterial enzyme activity to produce healthier chickens.
Scientific Studies
With the 2017 onset of no antibiotics ever (NAE) production, broiler farmers and integrators have struggled with pathogenic bacteria disease pressures with few options for relief. Big Ole Bird has shown to increase performance consistently in commercial broiler farms across the United States, but we wanted to put the probiotic strains to the test through third-party scientific trials to uncover the true impact.
We commissioned Dr. Greg Mathis to lead the first trial and Dr. Andy Bishop along with the University of Georgia to lead the second, both testing the true benefits of Big Ole Bird and probiotic supplementation for chickens. The numbers speak volumes.
The first study tested male Cobb-Vantress chickens that were challenged with necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. The experimental group that was challenged and given Big Ole Bird showed a significantly better feed conversion and lower mortality than challenged birds that didn’t receive Big Ole Bird treatment. The results showed the following significant improvements in adding probiotics versus those who did not get treated with Big Ole Bird.
- Feed conversion ratio improvement of 16 points
- Mortality improvement of 6.2%
The second study tested two groups of 50 male Ross 708 birds, administering Big Ole Bird to one group and not the other. At day 38, weights were significantly larger in the group treated with Big Ole Bird and feed conversion was improved, as seen below.
- Average weight gain improvement of 0.4 lb
- Feed conversion ratio improvement of 7 points
With the absence of antibiotics and the ever-present challenges of environmental conditions, harmful bacteria and disease, Big Ole Bird poultry probiotics are scientifically proven to be a valid performance product. Big Ole Bird includes carefully selected probiotic bacteria to prevent the harms of intestinal pathogens, promote digestive enzyme activity and help birds get even more out of their healthy diet. It stands among other products with freeze dried probiotic organisms that improve poultry health in the antibiotic-restricted poultry environment.
Big Ole Bird Ingredients and Other Documents
Bacteria + Organic Acids + Active Carbon
Beneficial bacteria, organic acids and active carbon are our three secret ingredients in Big Ole Bird. These elements work together to help the gut microflora thrive, and thus, produce an overall healthier flock. Simply put, Big Ole Bird replenishes birds with living biology and provides valuable activated carbon. The process of cold water extraction leaves not only indigenous biology fully intact but provides an environment for them to rapidly multiply.
Beneficial Microbiota
Our microbes are mostly Bacillus species, which are heartier than other poultry probiotics that only feature Lactobacillus acidophilus and other lactic acid-focused species. Poultry production and poultry performance are greatly increased by live microorganisms.
Big Ole Bird is specially formulated with live bacteria in a vegetative form that prove a positive influence on gut health and gut integrity.
Here’s a look at some of the indigenous beneficial bacteria (probiotics) and what they do:
Organic Acids
Most people in commercial poultry production think of a mere acidification of water when they hear "organic acids." While organic acids do provide some acidifying effects, they also provide additional benefits to keep your flock healthy.
Pathogen colonization occurs when harmful microbes, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli, gather in the intestinal tract and destroy gut integrity. These harmful bacteria then attack the epithelial cells, causing inflammation in both baby chicks and adult chickens. As they attack the epithelial cells, they form a protective biofilm that serves as a physical barrier. Fulvic acid is "wetter than water" and serves as a destroyer of biofilms. Our acids destroy the protective layer produced by the disease-causing organisms. This mechanism assists the birds natural barrier function for improved immune response.
Carbon
The carbon baseline for Big Ole Bird binds harmful compounds and boosts gut integrity. This is similar to charcoal, which has been used for thousands of years to improve drinking water and for general detoxification purposes.
Activated carbon is a deeper level as it adsorbs longer chain hydrogen rich molecules. The activated carbon in Big Ole Bird has shown to adsorb benzenes, chelate nutrients and bind metals. The health benefits for both commercial and backyard poultry is in the adsorption of mycotoxins.
