Many broiler chicken farmers over-use antibiotics due to lack of awareness

A large number of broiler growers routinely give antibiotics to healthy broiler chickens to prevent disease.

Many of these farmers say they use medicine on the suggestion of dealers who sell chicks, feed and medicines. Such excessive use of antibiotics creates serious risks for humans.

When antibiotics are given to healthy chickens, the germs on farms can become resistant to those antibiotics.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), when bacteria become resistant to drugs, infections become difficult or impossible to treat. Drug resistant infections caused about 4.7 million human deaths globally in 2021.

(source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance )

However, contract growers of poultry companies receive technical advice from veterinary practitioners employed by the companies. They try to prevent diseases by maintaining bio-security (by building a fence around the chicken house, and washing hands and feet before entering). These farmers use antibiotics only to treat sick chickens, and stop using antibiotics 10 days before selling. This is called a withdrawal period, which ensures that there will be no antibiotic residue in the chicken meat.

Mokhlesur Rahman (49) is an independent farmer in Koligram Narayanpur of Bagha upazila, Rajshahi, who has been growing broiler chickens for five years, and owes money to dealers. On average, he spends Tk 5,000 to 6,000 on medicine for each batch of broilers. Almost half of this money is spent on  antibiotics. "I use antibiotics four times during the 35-day cycle. What's the benefit of giving medicines to chickens once disease breaks out? If we don't use antibiotics, the risk is  higher," he candidly said on 18 August.

Murad Sarkar (42), another farmer in Dakra, Charghat,  mentioned that he spent more than Tk 7,000 on medicines, mostly antibiotics, for growing 1,200 chickens. "We use antibiotics based on our experience. We believe antibiotics prevent diseases," he said.

Bahadur Sarkar (28), a young dealer at Baneshwar Muchipotti, Putia, who has about 100 farmers under his command, admitted that one third of the cost of medicines used on broiler chicken farms is spent on antibiotics. "Some farmers maintain biosecurity, some do not," he said.

Bacteria like salmonella and e-coli become resistant to antibiotics which are  over-used on farms. If antibiotic resistant bacteria  infect humans, the illness is difficult to treat. Field level study shows that Amoxycillin, Neomycin, Colistin, Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin and Doxicycline are commonly used antibiotics on poultry farms. According to WHO, Colistin and Ciprofloxacin are critical for human treatment, meaning they should never be given to healthy farm animals.

Most antibiotics have a withdrawal period of 10 days, meaning that a farmer should not sell the chickens for 10 days after giving them antibiotics. However,  Ciprofloxacin has a withdrawal period of 15-19 days. Farmers should observe withdrawal periods strictly, and should be instructed to avoid using the critical antibiotics.

Industry stakeholders say that dealers make money selling antibiotics, and they pressure small farmers to spend more money on antibiotics. As many farmers are buying chicks or feed with credit from dealers, it is hard for them to refuse to use antibiotics which dealers are trying to sell.

"Diseases should be prevented with bio-security measures like building a fence around the chicken house, and by washing hands and feet with soap before entering the chicken house," said Kazi Zahin Hasan, Director of Kazi Farms. He added, "Contract farmers of Kazi Farms get advice from our technical team. We never advise them to give antibiotics to healthy chickens. If they have a disease outbreak and need to treat sick chickens with antibiotics, we always advise them not to sell the chickens for a certain number of days after treatment, so that there will be no antibiotic residue in the chicken meat."

Mohammad Zahid Hasan (45), a 25th batch grower under contract farming in Charghat, said they use antibiotics only to treat disease.  "We do not give antibiotics to chickens unless it is necessary and prescribed by a veterinary doctor. We have to follow bio-security protocols including cleanliness in contract farming," he explained. Asked when they sold chickens after using antibiotics, he said they follow at least a 10-day withdrawal period so that there is no residue in the meat.

Hasan Ali (29), another contract farmer of Meramotpur, Charghat, echoed him, saying that he hardly used antibiotics. When he uses them, he maintains a 7-10 day withdrawal period before selling the chickens.

Professor Mahmudul Hasan Sikder of pharmacology department at Bangladesh Agriculture University explained that the marginal farmers use antibiotics based on  advice from the dealers they do business with. He emphasised the importance of strictly maintaining a 10-day withdrawal period to reduce the possibility of residual antibiotics in meat. "It is possible to prevent disease at lower cost by maintaining bio-security rather than spending on antibiotics," he said.