Feeding management of broiler breeders
Modern strains of fast-growing broilers have been selected for fast growth, feed efficiency and high feed intake, and broilers are processed once they achieve...
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)....
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...
FAO published a report on animal nutrition strategies
FAO’s publication helps producers use nutrition strategies to reduce the use of antibiotics in their farms. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing threat to...
Performance, immunity and blood biochemical parameters of broiler chickens fed diets containing Kappaphycus alvarezii
Kappaphycus alvarezii (KPA) can be incorporated at 1.50% in diets for improved performance, immuno-responsiveness and blood biochemical parameters in broiler chickens.
Introduction
Kappaphycus alvarezii (KPA) is...
A synergistic herbal alternative combination: curcumshield vs poultry infections – a broad-spectrum study
Introduction
In the case of bacterial infections, various categories of antibiotics – especially synthetic ones – are widely used as broad-spectrum bacteriostatic and bactericidal agents....
Feed Conversion Ratio optimized for farmer profit
The farmers’ cost for animal feed is one of the main expenditures consisting of 60-70% of the overall producer costs. These producer costs are...
How to improve hen fertility
Following specific procedures to increase hen fertility will not eliminate drops in fertility, but it may also reduce the need to trouble-shoot breeder flocks.
Artificial...
Impact of grain type on performance in broilers under Necrotic Enteritis challenge
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of grain type on performance and gut microbiota composition in broiler chickens under a...
Corn milling efficiency and particle size effects on pullet growth performance
Corn is usually ground locally at the feed mill, while soybean meal is pre-processed and feed mills have little control over its particle size...
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...
Broiler breeders, a research on alternative feeding programs and photostimulation periods
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, in which researchers...
EU compound feed production market forecast 2025
FEFAC market experts forecast continued stability in the EU compound feed production market for 2025. The total industrial compound feed production in the EU27...
Phytic acid reduction in canola and camelina meals
Canola and camelina meals have been identified as alternative plant protein sources in place of soybean meal for animal feeding. The use of these...
In vivo digestion of GM proteins in laying hens
Despite all of the positive effects of modern technologies to improve corn and soybean yields, the consumer often has a different perception of the...
Effects of beta glucans in poultry health and nutrition
Immune modulators such as beta glucans have today a major role in poultry production.
The poultry production industry has seen astonishing improvements over the past...
How Xylanase can improve performance of a broiler diet
Whilst xylanase rich NSP-enzymes are used consistently in wheat based diets the question remains whether the positive response seen can be ascribed solely to...
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...
Laying hen nutrition for optimizing egg production and quality
Hen nutrition is important; during the initial period of pullet rearing (<45 days of age), small particle size obtained by grinding of main cereals...
Organic acids as feed additives: pros and cons
Organic acid salts are often included as feed additives in livestock nutrition as feed preservatives but also as growth promoters, intestinal microbiota enhancers, and...
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...
Response of broilers fed phytase enzymes of different optimal pH ranges alone or in...
Dr. Kelley Wamsley and colleagues at the Mississippi State University Poultry Science Department recently completed a research project that investigated how broilers respond when...
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...
Challenges in poultry feeding
Poultry producers around the world continue to struggle with high production costs for poultry feeding, largely due to volatility in prices for basic feed...
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...
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...
Vitamin D in laying hens: how high is high enough?
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine in the United States reviewed current literature and changed the estimated average requirement of 400 IU/day to a...
The effects of a multi-enzyme and Bacillus probiotic combinations on calcium and phosphorus digestibility...
450 day-old male Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated to 3 dietary treatments with 6 replicate pens per treatment and 25 birds per pen....
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...
Antioxidants in broiler breeder diets can affect offspring performance
In a series of experiments, it was shown that antioxidants in broiler breeder diets can affect broiler performance trans-generationally. To study this, a polyphenol...
Effect of two different fibre sources on growth and immune function in grower layer-pullets
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two different fibre sources on pullet growth, gut immune tissue, and lymphocyte proliferation of strain...
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...
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...
Transgenerational impact of broiler breeder nutrition
Continuous genetic selection in meat-type chicken for rapid growth resulted in increased meat production and decreased the time required for achieving the market weight....
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....
Trials show oregano essential oil supports anticoccidial vaccination
Oregano essential oil, well-documented for its antimicrobial action when included in the diets of various poultry species, has been found to be particularly effective...
Effectiveness of a double choice test to assess dietary taste preferences in broilers
Investigations into the taste system of broilers can help to improve poultry feeding strategies. However, a comprehensive study on dietary taste preferences for broilers...
NSP enzymes, gut microbiota and fermentation products
Arabinoxylans account for 50-70% of the NSP feed enzymes present in cereal grains and make up the majority of cell wall NSP in corn,...
Measurement of true ileal calcium digestibility of meat and bone meal for broiler chickens
Currently, there is a move towards the use of digestible phosphorus (P) in diet formulations for poultry due to P excretion into the environment...
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...
Reducing undigested protein available at the intestinal wall on broilers
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing an inherently thermo stable protease in broilers fed diets based on single raw materials,...
Apparent metabolisable energy of common cereal grains for broiler chickens is influenced by bird...
The current study was conducted to investigate the influence of broiler age on the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn) of four...
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...
Additivity of ileal amino acid values of sorghum with different protein sources
Sorghum is used widely in Australian poultry diets, primarily as an energy component. It is usually fed in diets that contain wheat but may...
Ileal amino acids digestibility in response to increasing phytase dose or MCP levels in...
Commercial broiler feed is formulated mainly with plant based ingredients including cereals and oil seeds. These ingredients provide low available P because 70-80% of...
High levels of cottonseed meal supplemented with composite microbial enzymes
Effects of cottonseed meal supplemented with composite microbial enzymes on broiler chickens.
Soybean meal (SBM) is the premier plant protein source used by the poultry...
Using more bioavailable sources of trace minerals pays off
A study of broiler breeder performance was conducted using three separate minerals programmes. The objective was to determine if productivity could be maintained at...
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...
Hybrid Feed – New approach in layer hen feed at start of production
The actual genetic improvements in layer hens are providing the market with a layer hen producing saleable size eggs quicker than before and extending...
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...
Evaluation of anti-inflammatory capacities of bacillus-based probiotics using an in vitro intestinal cell model
With the evolution of genetic potential of modern broilers, transforming the large feed intake into protein deposition is a real challenge for the digestive...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Dietary approaches to control Necrotic Enteritis in broilers
Necrotic Enteritis (NE) occurs in broilers due to an overabundance of C. perfringens and is usually associated with predisposing factors which include coccidial challenge,...
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....
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...
Lowering dietary calcium and available phosphorus in broilers
The aim of this trial was to investigate the effect of lowering dietary calcium (Ca) and available phosphorus (av.P) during Starter (0 to 10d),...
Fatty acids in ABF poultry production: a nutritionist’s perspective
The beneficial role of short-chain fatty acids and medium chain fatty acids on gut health and reducing pathogen colonization has been well documented over...
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...
H7N9 flu mutation identified that allows immune system escape
The research, published in the Journal of Virology, demonstrated that small genetic differences in the virus surface proteins can prevent antibodies that protect against...
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...
Thoughts on diet energy. Definitions, requirements and alternatives
Energy is by far our most expensive nutrient, yet surprisingly we never receive guarantees when we trade ingredients or manufacture diets. Energy level dictates...
A dose response of a heat stable phytase on broiler performance and nutrient digestibility
Phytases have been heavily researched for decades and been used commercially since the early 1990s. Phytase from microbial origin is therefore added to monogastric...
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,...
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....
Layer nutrition associated with different production systems
The egg industry continues to grow; in the past this was in cage production, but today’s growth is focused on alternative production systems such...
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...
IFIF: Better nutrition for improved animal health
The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) underlined its commitment to supporting efforts by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to strengthen animal health...
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...
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...
Phytase efficacy in young turkeys versus young broilers
Based on tibia-ash content, equivalency between phytase enzymes with young turkeys appeared to be similar with young broilers. An extensive review about “microbial phytase...
Sustainable chicken meat production is enhanced by tangibly reduced crude protein diets
The environmental impact of soyabean meal is estimated to be approximately three times that of grain and successful implementation of reduced crude protein diets...
Black soldier fly larvae in meat chicken diets modifies the fatty acid profile in...
Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are a promising alternative feed ingredient for monogastrics,includingpoultry.However,theimpactoffeedingBSFlarvaeinbroilerdietson the fatty acid profile of the breast chicken meat remains unknown.
This...
Early introduction of whole-grain diets to broiler chickens
The main problem with introducing whole-grain diets (WGD) to newly hatched chicks is the kernel size and this has led to such diets being...
Improving feeding efficiency with innovating products
At Trouw Nutrition they have focused their innovation in the poultry business on finding new ways of achieving improved feeding efficiency and enhanced performance...
Low protein diets downregulate hepatic enzymes
Low protein diets have clear benefits for the poultry industry with regards to health, welfare and production.
Dean et al., (2006) found that supplementing low...