Speaking at Phibro Animal Health, Poultry Gut Health and Coccidiosis Management Seminar under the title “Where are the losses?”, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Akan delivered a message that fits squarely into animal health economics: in large-scale poultry production, small invisible losses become large financial outcomes.

Akan pointed to growth projections in global poultry meat production and argued that Turkiye has a strong strategic position if management and sustainability improve. He also noted the scale of current activity in Turkiye, reminding the audience that around 1.5 billion chickens are slaughtered annually. At that volume, even minor shifts in feed intake, gut integrity, or subclinical disease pressure can compound into major cost.

His analysis focused heavily on the link between feed intake behavior and gut inflammation, especially in young birds. He urged producers to closely observe when birds begin rejecting feed, because early gut inflammation can reduce consumption and start a chain reaction of performance loss, often without clear clinical signs.

On coccidiosis, Akan emphasized that it has been recognized as a cause of economic loss for more than a century, with young animals particularly vulnerable. He stressed that damaged intestinal integrity harms not only digestion but also immunity, meaning even subclinical coccidiosis can cause significant efficiency losses.

From a program design standpoint, his message was uncompromising: anticoccidial plans must be designed for field conditions and production goals, not applied randomly. Wrong product choice, poor rotation, or weak implementation can increase disease pressure and accelerate resistance, creating costs that are hard to reverse.

He concluded by reminding the industry that gut health is not just “nutrition.” It requires integrated execution: correct feeding, effective coccidiosis control, strong environment management, and continuous observation. Losses often start invisibly, he said, but without correct analysis they end with very visible consequences.