In Nepal, commercial poultry production began in 1974. Since then, the more affordable prices of this type of animal protein compared to other animal industries have contributed to making broiler the meat of choice for consumers as source of animal origin protein, just like the egg. Poultry farming, both broiler and laying, will continue to make up the majority of per capita consumption, and the sector is expected to continue to grow.

Intensive farming occurs in more than 60 of the country’s 75 districts, with an estimated total of almost 22,000 commercial poultry farms, of which some 1,300 (more than 6%) are medium- and large-size layer farms. According to the Nepal Egg Producers Association (NEPA), the country had begun a few years ago to produce eggs according to the country’s own national demand, following the objective of being a self-sufficient country in egg production, a status that was reached in the past 2021.

The national population in Nepal of poultry has gradually increased from 21.34 million in 2002 to 75.70 million in the most recent stage. Similarly, the number of laying hens increased steadily from 6.68 million in 2004, to 12.52 million in the latest recent data. The largest increase was recorded from the year 2014-2015.

The most used commercial layer breeds in Nepal are Hyline Brown Classic, H&N Brown Nick, Hisex Brown Classic and Lohmann Brown Classic, due to their productive characteristics. However, the choice of one or the other does not influence a lower prevalence of the diseases detected in the country.

Recent prevalence studies indicate that the Nepalese poultry industry is affected by colibacillosis, mycotoxicosis, chronic respiratory disease, IBD, Newcastle disease, salmonellosis, infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis.

These studies have also provided data on seasonality. Colibacillosis cases are observed throughout the year and are usually accompanied by intestinal integrity problems. On the other hand, the most severe mycotoxicoses in this country are observed mainly

before and during the monsoon, although it is also common to find this problem throughout the year. IBD has a marked appearance during the spring and winter seasons. On the other hand, CRD, or chronic respiratory disease, is most commonly diagnosed during the summer and winter months in Nepal. Finally, the cases of Salmonella, bronchitis and coccidiosis do not show a marked seasonal trend and are identified throughout the year.

The identification of these common diseases and their seasonal distributions indicate that there are 3 important aspects to reinforce:

1. General immunity: to improve resistance to listed viral diseases. It can be achieved through the use of immunostimulant pronutrients that increase innate and acquired protection, and increase antibody titers.
2. Intestinal integrity and local immunity of the digestive tract (to avoid dysbiosis leading to excessive proliferation of pathogens, as well as for the prevention of coccidiosis). These factors can be reinforced with the administration of intestinal conditioner pronutrients, which improve the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium and tight junctions, and intestinal optimizer pronutrients that promote local immunity of the intestine, favoring the elimination of bacterial and protozoan pathogens.
3. Feed quality: to avoid the problem of mycotoxicosis collected by recent prevalence studies. It can be achieved by adding Silicoglycidol-based mycotoxin binders, a molecule optimized for the binding of mycotoxins from all chemical groups, at all digestive pH levels, without adsorbing nutrients or interacting with any other component of the diet. It would also be advisable to reinforce with natural antimicrobial compounds, such as the cimenol ring, effective in the specific elimination of pathogens, such as Salmonella or E. coli, among others, thus avoiding feed deterioration and various bacterial pathologies.

Consulted sources:

• https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/nvj/article/view/27746
• https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/IJASBT/article/view/17616/14305
• https://www.farm.com.np/knowledge/commercially-available-layers-breeds-in-nepal/
• https://fabm.org.my/archive/1fabm2021/1fabm2021-14-16.pdf
• https://lohmann-breeders.com/producing-eggs-on-the-top-of-the-world-lohmanns-success-in- nepal/