Why Your Chickens Aren’t Growing as Fast: The Hidden Toll of Oxidative Stress in Philippine Poultry Farms
A summer you know too well
If you’ve noticed your broilers or layer chickens growing slower than usual — less weight gain, weaker feed conversion, or even inconsistent growth across the flock — you’re not alone. In the hot and humid climate of the Philippines, many farm owners face a challenge that often goes unnoticed: oxidative stress.
With rising ambient temperatures, especially during summer months or heat waves, poultry are under real pressure. Environmental heat pushes them to pant, drink more water, eat less feed — and ultimately, it steals energy meant for growth. Cambridge University Press & Assessment+2Poultry World+2
That stress doesn’t just slow growth. It triggers a cascade of cellular damage, gut problems, and poor nutrient use that quietly crushes productivity from the inside out.
What is oxidative stress and why does it matter for chicken growth?
When chickens are exposed to high heat, their bodies produce more reactive oxygen species (ROS) — unstable molecules that can damage proteins, fats, and DNA inside cells. PubMed+2sciresjournals.com+2
Normally, birds have antioxidant defenses to neutralize ROS. But under chronic heat, the balance breaks: ROS production overwhelms the body’s defenses. The result? Cells in muscles, gut lining, and other tissues suffer oxidative damage.
A recent experiment with broilers exposed to both heat and oxidative stress showed dramatic effects: compared to control birds, stressed chickens had significantly reduced body weight, poorer feed conversion ratio (FCR), and even higher mortality. clujveterinaryjournal.ro
In practical terms: ROS overload reduces protein synthesis, lowers muscle growth, and makes feed less digestible — turning every kilo of feed into less meat. jpsad.com+1
The ripple effects: growth loss, poor feed efficiency, and health issues
Because heat-stressed chickens eat less, often 4–5% less for every 1 °C above 30 °C, they simply don’t get enough nutrients to grow optimally. feedandadditive.com+1
On top of that:
Their immune system gets weaker, making them more vulnerable to disease. MDPI+1
Their gut integrity suffers, damaging the intestinal lining, reducing absorption of nutrients, and increasing the risk of infections. sciresjournals.com+1
Meat quality and yield decline, and muscles suffer oxidative damage, which affects texture, color, and overall carcass quality. OUP Academic+1
For farmers in layer farming or broiler operations in the Philippines, this means higher production costs, lower returns, and more unpredictability.
Tackling the problem: How natural nutrition can make a difference
Recognizing oxidative stress as a root cause is the first step. The next is proactive intervention — not just cooling the barn, but boosting the birds’ internal defenses and gut health.
That’s where solutions like ANN’s OxiShield and EnteroPro come in.
OxiShield is formulated to help poultry counter oxidative stress. By supporting antioxidant defenses and reducing ROS damage, it helps protein synthesis, muscle growth, and immune function stay closer to optimal, even under heat pressure.
EnteroPro works in tandem by promoting gut integrity, better nutrient absorption, and stronger immune resilience, safeguarding birds from the inside out.
Together, they don’t just help chickens survive the summer. They give them the chance to thrive — with more consistent growth, better feed efficiency, and improved flock health.
What this means for you: practical takeaways
If you’ve experienced slow growth, uneven flock weight, or higher feed costs lately, consider these steps:
Recognize heat and oxidative stress as real, production-limiting problems.
Monitor environmental temperature, but also pay attention to flock performance, feed intake, FCR, growth variability, and health indicators.
Consider nutritional strategies that go beyond standard diets, antioxidant support, gut protection, and proven functional additives.
View such investments not as added cost, but as protection against losses and long-term gains in productivity and profitability.
Ready to give your flock the edge?
Don’t let oxidative stress quietly eat away at your farm’s potential. With solutions like OxiShield and EnteroPro from ANN, you can safeguard growth, health, and returns — even under the tough climate conditions common in the Philippines.
👉 Talk to us today about how we can help bring resilience and consistent performance to your flock. Because when birds thrive, farms grow.
