Production Profile of Laying Hens Without the Use of Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Bali, Indonesia

In Indonesia, the prohibition of Antibiotic Growth Promoter (AGP) is regulated in Law no. 18 of 2009 in conjunction with Law no. 41 of 2014 concerning husbandry and animal health. It is also regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture Regulation no. 14 of 2017 concerning the classification of veterinary drugs. This prohibition aims to prevent antibiotic resistance and ensure food safety of animal origin. Therefore, this research examines the production profile and health of laying hens that do not use AGP in the breeding process. This was conducted based on a field survey by measuring the health status and performance of hens. The measured health parameters included morbidity, mortality, haematological profile, antibody titers for Newcastle Diseases (ND) and Avian Influenza (AI), as well as intestinal macropathology. Meanwhile, the measured production performance included daily feed intake, age at first egg laying, age at peak egg production, hen day percentage (%HD) above 90%, peak production duration above 90%, and average egg weight. Laying hens aged 30 to 49 weeks were used as the animal models, and they belong to breeders in three locations, namely Penebel Tabanan, Kayuambe Bangli, and Pesedahan Karangasem. Furthermore, the data were descriptively analyzed. The results showed the production profile of laying hens that did not receive growth promoter antibiotics in the feed experienced intestinal wall problems in the form of necrotic enteritis, normal haematological status, seropositive ND and AI antibody titers, as well as decreased egg production.