Probiotic Bacillus licheniformis significantly improves layer performance
Adding probiotic Bacillus licheniformis DSM 28710 to layer diets was shown to improve layer performance, both in commercial as well as in research conditions....
New applications such as superdosing of phytase to maximize phytate destruction to improve performance...
It is well documented that phytase supplementation in broiler diets improves P and Ca utilization through the destruction of phytate (IP6) and thereby allows...
Performance, intestinal morphology and antioxidant status of broilers fed o-regano essential oil or an...
In this study, the effect of an oregano essential oil, or a blend of formic and propionic acids and essential oil on mineral carriers,...
Probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics for treating lameness in broilers
The pathogenesis leading to a form of lameness known as bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) appears to be initiated by mechanical microfracturing of susceptible...
Effects of probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 on performance and intestinal microbiota of chickens
Probiotics (direct fed microbials) are a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters for improving animal production and preventing enteric pathogen infections. The Authors are...
Using sunflower meal in broilers with the addition of a carbohydrase complex
Sunflower seeds are extensively grown for oil production for human consumption. Therefore, a great amount of sunflower meal becomes available for use in feed...
The selection element in whole grain feeding regimes
Seven dietary treatments consisting of a ground grain control and six treatments with pre- and post-pellet whole grain inclusions of 7.5, 15.0 and 30.0%...
The potential of perinatal nutrition
Based on Darwin’s theory of adaptive evolution and Mendel’s fundamental laws of heritability, breeding and genetic selection for increased growth rate and meat yield...
Drought impacts on plant ground cover on a free range egg farm
In this study drought conditions were experienced and was high-lighted the difficulty for farms in maintaining green ground cover during adverse dry conditions.
Introduction
Maintaining vegetation...
NIRS study on nutritional profiles of 100 soybean meal samples from USA and Brazil
This paper compares the nutrient profile of soybean meal (SBM) samples from the USA and Brazil. Proximate analysis, total amino acids, standardized ileal digestibility...
A new perspective on feeding broiler breeders
Due to sophisticated genetic selection programs carried out by poultry breeding companies such as Aviagen, today’s broilers can grow with very efficient feed conversion...
Pellet quality and its effects on poultry performance
Pellet quality provided to meat birds throughout the industry is highly variable. Feeding birds pellets of poor quality can in part be attributed to...
Effects of probiotic bacillus Amyloliquefaciens H57 on performance and intestinal microbiota of chickens
Direct fed microbials are a potential probiotic alternative to antibiotic
growth promoters for improving animal production and preventing enteric pathogen
infections. We are studying the effects...
The ability of meat chickens to extract energy from wheat
The apparent metabolisable energy (MJ/kg dry matter) values for wheats were determined in two conventional energy balance experiments on meat chickens. A blend of...
Broiler nutrition, future efficiency
Talking about broiler nutrition, we all want the best possible return while investing as little as possible: efficiency is the keyword to success and...
Modification of the chicken intestinal epithelial physical barrier in poultry by dietary factors
The intestinal epithelial physical barrier is the most critical element of maintaining an intact intestinal barrier and made up of a layer of columnar...
Metabolisable energy of ingredients in peak layers
Layer nutritionists typically rely on apparent metabolisable energy data generated in broilers as layer AME data are less available.
The bioassays are typically conducted...
Site and extent of digestion on poultry production
In poultry formulation and production of feed has evolved extensively in the last century with the identification of required nutrients, and subsequent and continuing...
Challenges in longer laying cycle. Stabilizing egg quality
In the past 50 years, selection, initially at the breed level and then using quantitative genetics coupled with a sophisticated breeding pyramid, has resulted...
Short chain fatty acids and poultry gut health
Due to customer demands, producers have been asked to change the way they grow production animals, specifically through the removal of antibiotics. With this...
Why do we need low protein meat chicken diets?
The current level of protein used in meat chicken diets is linked to various issues observed in the industry including feed cost and feed...
Development and evaluation of probiotics
As restrictions to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have become more prevalent, producers have turned to several technologies as probiotics - Direct Fed Microbials to...
Dietary non-phytate phosphorus levels for laying hens in the last phase of lay
The phosphorus (P) requirement of laying hens is an area of on-going debate and it is a factor that contributes to hen performance and...
Copper influences broilers’ performance and growth
Copper (Cu) is an essential component involved in a wide variety of biochemical processes. It must be supplemented in the trace mineral premix as...
Phosphorus: how low can we go in broiler diets?
Phosphorus (P) is essential for all forms of life. Dietary P content either in excess of, or below requirements may adversely affect broiler performance....
Research examines different dietary treatments for woody breast
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, in which researchers examined different...
Taking phytase superdosing from scientific concept to commercial application: a UK example
Scientific research is based on carefully designed experiments, performed in carefully controlled conditions with the outcome measured as accurately as possible, using a range...
Supplementing Bacillus strains in chicken diets
The present study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of several Bacillus strains on growth performance, intestinal inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, antioxidants and tight...
Path to the 100 week age layers in cage free systems
Egg producers are always looking for ways to improve layer hen’s efficiency as, nowadays, the genetic potential of layers is targeting an extended age...
Low protein diets in broilers
Some recent research at the Arkansas Agriculture Experiment Station Poultry Research Farm has been focused on low protein diets in broilers. Many nutritionists rely...
Comparative sustainability of differing dietary amino acids and energy regimes for individual laying hens...
Poultry production has been identified as an efficient source of terrestrial, farmed animal protein. However, in tandem with all food production, sustainability into the...
Energy utilization in broilers fed a sorghum-based diets supplemented with phytase and carbohydrases
This study was conducted to evaluate the endogenous enzyme activities and energy utilization of broilers fed sorghum-based diets supplemented with phytase and carbohydrases
Broilers were...
Feather-eating hens show specific essential amino acid appetites in a double-choice model
Nutritional balance is one of the major considerations to prevent severe feather pecking in layer hens. Individual variation in digestive and metabolic efficiencies and...
Nutritional implications of antibiotic free rearing of broilers
The gradual reduction in the use of AGP coincided with an increase in the therapeutic use of antibiotics on farm level. Especially in broiler...
The future of probiotics
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., in...
Best practice in feed management
How innovative thinking and a proactive approach can ensure best practice with feed on broiler farms
In partnership with Cobb, this article examines best practice...
Immediate post-hatch nutritional restriction in broilers
The effect on broiler muscle development and occurence of intramuscular fat.
Neonatal nutrition and immediate post hatch nutritional restriction represent an important facet of broiler...
The role of early experience on the behavior of hens housed in cage-free aviaries
Understanding the consequences of rearing experiences on the behavior and bone integrity of laying hens can help inform solutions to animal welfare and management...
Replacing soy in broiler diets. Effect on performance, carcass yield and cost of production
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) in broiler diets on performance, carcass quality and...
A rationale for elevated free threonine plasma concentrations in chickens offered reduced-crude protein diets
Pronounced elevations in free threonine plasma concentrations have been consistently observed pursuant to crude protein reductions in broiler diets. However, the magnitude of these...
Low protein diets supplemented with glycine, glutamine or arginine for broilers
A previous study highlighted differences between a low protein (LP) diet and a higher concentration of amino acids (AA) for intestinal permeability and performance...
Feed borne mycotoxins: the threat to poultry?
Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by molds (fungi) that can infest crops pre-harvest and can continue to flourish under sub-optimal storage conditions. Grains with high...
Calcium nutrition, bone metabolism, and eggshell quality in longer-persisting layers
As regard layers management, rather than being depopulated at 60 to 70 weeks of age, or being moulted to allow for additional production cycles,...
Changing role of poultry nutritionist in a changing industry
Reflecting back on 30 years of working in the poultry industry as nutritionists we realize that the biggest changes that have occurred have mostly...
Effects of low protein and balanced amino acid levels on birds under subclinic NE
One benefit of low protein (LP) diets is improving gut health in a future of antibiotic-growth promoter free diets.
Drew et al., (2004) found an...
Improving broiler-breeder performance with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 of fermentative origin
25-hydroxyvitamin D3 from a fermentative source was supplemented to broiler-breeders in two separate trials, compared to standard basal diets without a 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 source....
The use of moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) and its extract in low protein...
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of incorporating different levels of MOLM and its extract - as natural antioxidants...
Low protein diets down regulate hepatic enzymes
Low protein (LP) diets have clear benefits for the poultry industry with regards to health, welfare and production. Dean et al., (2006) found that...
Broiler management and feed formulation approaches in hot environments
High temperatures can be an obstacle in livestock production particularly in tropical regions. Broilers are more susceptible to high ambient temperatures because they lack...
Feeding broilers of the future
The only way to maintain production is to improve the understanding of precision nutrition so that producers can feed broilers with low or no...
Nutritional modulation of broiler intestine in the starter period and intestinal integrity
Gut health which is characterized by intestinal integrity, intestinal microflora, mucin and enterocyte functionality, may be of greatest concern among poultry producers because it...
Feed physical quality
The effect of feed form is well established, however, feed physical quality is often seen as an issue in the field (see Figure 1)....
The challenge of feeding modern broiler breeders
Broiler breeders are expected to produce about 150 chicks in 40 weeks of production and even though it is commonly believed that selection for...
Effectiveness of a double choice test to assess dietary taste preferences in broiler chickens
Investigations into the taste system of chickens can help to improve poultry feeding strategies. However, a comprehensive study on dietary taste preferences for broilers...
The importance of feeding time observation
Achieving proper bodyweight, flock uniformity, and sexual maturity at light stimulation are some of the biggest management challenges for broiler breeder farms.
Today’s breeder pullets...
Crude soybean lecithin and vegetable acid oil as energy sources for broiler chickens
Lecithin and acid oil, as co-products from vegetable oil refining process, are economic alternatives to conventional fat sources and may represent an efficient energy...
Effect of arginine and lysine on broiler chickens
Arginine is an essential amino acid for poultry and plays crucial roles in different biological pathways. Recent findings highlighted that the recommended levels of...
Effect of multi-xylanase system on growth performance and gut health in broilers
Non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), particularly arabinoxylans (AX), with complex biochemical structures are one of the main causative factors for impaired growth performance and poor gut...
Evaluating phosphorous equivalency of phytases
The use of exogenous enzymes in non-ruminant nutrition is a valuable tool to increase digestibility and therefore spare the inclusion of expensive nutrients whilst...
Intestinal barrier function – A case to be studied in reduced protein diets
Maintaining intestinal health and growth remains a concern as demands increase to limit the use of antibiotics in poultry production. There is also an...
Lactobacillus acidophilus D2/CSL (CECT4529): 35 years of Italian research (1985-2020)
The history of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus D2/CSL (CECT 4529) follows that of many strains produced by Centro Sperimentale del Latte and acts...
Origin of feed ingredients in Dutch compound feeds
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) studied the origin of protein-rich feed ingredients, which in 2018 were applied in Dutch compound feeds. 65% of proteins...
Broilers diets with high and low net energy but similar metabolisable energy
A semi-commercial scale feeding study was conducted to compare formulations of broiler diets based on predicted net energy (NE) and metabolisable energy (ME). It...
Requirement of digestible calcium at different dietary concentrations of digestible phosphorus for broiler growers
An experiment was conducted to determine the digestible calcium (Ca) and digestible phosphorus (P) requirements of 11-24 days old broiler chickens.
L.S. David1, M.R. Abdollahi1,...
Training the animal microbiome to degrade fibre with NSPase
A new perspective on the mode of action of fibre-degrading enzymes NSPase.
Increased understanding of NSPase mode of action is presenting a new perspective on...
Priming young birds for gut health and resilience
This brief review focuses on the types of fibre that the nutritionist should be considering and how a phase feeding strategy should not only...
Natural antioxidants in poultry production
From vitamins to vitagenes - First part
In general, there are four major types of stress in poultry production: technological, environmental, nutritional and internal stresses....
The bioavailability of zinc in poultry: what does literature say?
Zinc bioavailability: zinc is an essential trace element for all the animals, including broilers. In case of deficiency, alteration of growth performance and distortion...
Natural antioxidants and vitagene concept in poultry production – Second part
From vitamins to vitagene. In this second part the focus will be on the Vitagene concept, which refers to a group of genes involved...
Protein digestive dynamics influence growth performance of broiler chickens
Three apical diets were formulated to stimulate different protein digestion rates dependent on the major constituents: standard (soybean meal), rapid (whey protein) and very...
Dietary calcium, phytate and non-phytate phosphorus, on IP6 degradation in broilers
The effectiveness of phytase is usually determined under phosphorus or both calcium and phosphorus deficient specifications. Phytase efficacy in terms of increasing available or...
Using a multi-protease enzyme in poultry diets to improve broilers performance
The present study investigates the effect of protease on the productivity of broilers under reduced crude protein (CP) and amino acid (AA) diet conditions....
Rise of Yeast Bioactives expands the toolbox for livestock operators
Canadian Bio-Systems receives Veterinary Health Products approval for Maxi-Nutrio® Liquid, a yeast bioactive technology.
An innovative new category of science-powered yeast technology, with dynamic potential to...
Animal feed probiotics market expands as antibiotic-free nutrition gains momentum
The global animal feed probiotics market is undergoing a significant transformation as livestock producers increasingly seek sustainable, science-driven alternatives to conventional growth promoters. Valued...
Comparison of wheat and maize-based diets on growth performance and meat quality of broiler...
Maize and wheat are a major source of energy in broiler diets. Generally, wheat-based diets are offered to broiler chickens in Europe, Australia and...
Dietary energy, digestible lysine and available phosphorus levels influence growth performance and carcass traits...
Energy (E) and amino acids (AA) are two of the most expensive components in broiler diets. There is no general consensus regarding the interaction...
The value of digestibility coefficients and protein
At all times and for all human cultures animal protein took an important part of nutrient supply and has been always of a high...
Effects of yeast and its derivatives on meat yield
The present experiment was designed to determine the effects of yeast and its derivatives on meat yield and hematological indices of broiler chickens challenged...
Barley in pelleted broiler starter diets: effects of carbohydrase supplementation and steam-conditioning temperature
The effect of pelleting barley-based diets on bird performance and nutrient utilisation depends, in part, on the conditioning temperature (CT) used. The influence of...
What is the influence of nutrition and management on egg weight?
Managing egg weight is important for farmers and can greatly vary depending on market demand. Obtaining an egg size in line with market demand...

























































































