Probac Soluble 200g

An extremely popular multistrain, avian-origin, concentrated probiotic. For tight brown droppings. Aids with nutrient

absorption and digestion. Helps protect the bowel from disease, in particular E. coli and thrush. Used during

post-race recovery following any stress, during weaning, disease outbreaks (in particular Circo virus) and following

antibiotic use. Can be given in the water or on the feed.

Probac can be added to the drinking water at the rate of 1 teaspoon to 4 litres or added to the grain (after first moistening with a seed oil, ½ - 1 ml per kg) at the rate of 1/3 teaspoon (1 gram) to 1 kg.

Probiotic preparations flood the bowel with beneficial bacteria. These bacteria produce acids such as lactic acid, that keep the contents of the stomach and intestine weakly acidic, thus favoring the growth of ‘good’ bacteria and inhibiting the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria. They also preferentially occupy receptor sites so that they are not available to disease causing bacteria and produce protective slime layers. Probiotics also have an appetite-stimulating effect, producing digestive enzymes and B vitamins. They also stimulate general immunity. Probac has the added advantage of also containing allicin, the natural immune stimulant found in garlic.

So when can the fancier use probiotics to his advantage:-

After any stress - It is well known that stress induces a disruption of the normal bowel bacteria and that the beneficial bacteria are the first ones to be lost with stress. Once these beneficial bacteria are removed from their normal environment by stress, many more are lost from the digestive tract and are replaced by an overgrowth of non-beneficial bacteria. This can result in diarrhoea, loss of performance, decreased appetite and in the stock loft, inhibited growth and limited weight gain in the youngsters. Probiotics restore the balance of beneficial to non-beneficial bacteria. They are best given as soon as possible after the stress or just before the time of the stress. By doing so, disease or performance problems may be avoided.

In the stock loft - Use probiotics regularly in the stock loft as part of routine management, particularly during the breeding season. Use two to three times weekly when the stock birds are feeding youngsters. This helps the birds resist E. coli (often associated with wet nests) and ensures that the birds get the maximum nutrition possible out of their seed at a time that often puts real demands on them. Probiotic use will help the parents produce vigorous robust young.

In the race loft - Probiotics can be used in the race loft to both treat and prevent E. coli and Candida nfections. Stress disrupts the bowel bacteria, giving E. coli and yeast the opportunity to cause disease. In lofts where these are a problem, probiotics can be used whenever E. coli or yeasts are seen under the microscope, when the droppings become green or green and watery, or when there are weather conditions that favour E. coli, in particular when the weather is cold and damp or humid. In such lofts, it is a good idea to give probiotics routinely as part of the loft’s disease management program, with the focus here being on disease prevention rather than waiting for disease to appear. When E. coli and yeast flare-ups are a problem, our challenge is to identify the stress that caused the flare up while at the same time helping the birds clear the E. coli and yeast through use of probiotics. With no on-going stress, the droppings will appear normal within 24 hours of the start of probiotic use.

Postrace - The stress of racing itself causes disruption to the normal bowel population. Fanciers will have noticed that the droppings of birds that have raced often take 24 - 48 hours to return fully to normal. With my own birds, I find that if they come home to probiotics, then the next morning it is much more likely that the droppings will be normally formed and brown and that the bird will continue with a feather down drop. Probiotics can be combined with electrolytes and vitamins.

Postweaning - At this time, we don’t want to use drugs. We want to develop a strong natural immunity. Probiotics specifically stimulate this.

Following antibiotic use - Particularly during racing, probiotic use after antibiotics hastens the re-establishment of the normal bowel population.

Moulting - Maintaining a healthy bowel during moulting aids in on-going nutrient delivery to the developing feather in the feather follicle and decreases the chance of fret marks, etc.

In the show loft - Probiotics can help birds resist Salmonella. Although all pigeons are susceptible to Salmonella, clinical disease is seen more commonly in fancy breeds rather than racing birds. Certain breeds are particularly susceptible, e.g. Modenas, Show Homers and the high flying breeds, especially Doneks. The way an outbreak is managed depends on the severity of the problem. Regular probiotics have been shown to help birds resist the disease.

Probiotic use can never be harmful as we are simply flooding the bowel with beneficial bacteria that should always be there. Their use has many advantages and should be encouraged.