NUTRITION ▶▶▶
How broiler feed complements performance
A BY JAKE DAVIES
chieving the genetic potential of broiler birds is a sure-fire way to improve farm profitability, but getting it right isn’t always straightforward. “We are now processing birds as early as 28 days,” ac-
cording to senior nutritionist at UK compound feed manufac- turer ABN Brian Kenyon. “Those seven days are 25% of that bird’s life, so it’s absolutely key that we get it right, and get birds off to the best start.” Chicks are placed weighing around 42g, and by 42 days will be “at least” 2.8kg, explains Mr Kenyon, making average daily liveweight gain 66g. But con- sider the first seven days, when the target weight is 189g – “that is a full fivefold increase in bodyweight and is the fast- est rate at which the bird is going to grow.”
Potential
As such, it is also the period where the best gains can be made in growth, or the losses are greatest if it goes wrong. To top it off, in much of the world today, and certainly the UK, it routinely must happen without antibiotics, which were traditionally used at the beginning of the birds’ lives to guard against health issues and to support the bird’s growth. Mr Kenyon says there are three challenges that chicks face when placed on farm; a switch to aerial breathing, the beginning of thermal regulation and the transition in feed material, from the lipid-based yolk to compound feed, which is largely car- bohydrate based. “The first two are about food house man- agement,” explains Mr Kenyon. “The feed transition is a
A broiler bird’s first seven days represents a quarter of its life, and the period at which growth is fastest. One nutritionist explains how important a role feed has to play in that performance, and some of the elements that make up diet formulation.
success when good house management meets good feed design, it’s not just one, it is both parts that have a key effect on how birds move on to this different diet.” Muscle develop- ment is determined by the proliferation of satellite cells, the numbers of which can be influenced by nutrition, brooding temperature and light – but cell numbers drop off between two- and three-days post hatch, and once they have dropped off, muscle cell number is fixed.
Intestinal growth and development Bodyweight growth is impressive, but even faster is intestinal growth. “Immediately post-hatch the proportional growth of small intestines is greater than that of the bodyweight,” says Mr Kenyon. A big influence on that is time to feed. “Feed in- take stimulates gut growth; it also starts and increases the rate of yolk sac utilisation. So, it’s key that when a bird starts to eat, it has continual access to feed, or we might run into problems.” And ensuring that feed is optimised for that grow- ing gut is critical, says Mr Kenyon. “We’re trying to balance nu- trition, because any excess will potentially be used by bad
Butyrate to reduce inflammation
Mr Kenyon spoke of the value butyrate has in broiler diets, explaining they worked as a source of energy for the gut. “Butyrate is a fantastic product as far as I’m concerned,” he told the meeting. “It supplies a di- rect energy source to the gut so in that early stage when we potentially have this imbalance and want to be sure the gut is getting all the nutri-
ents it requires, butyrate is a key energy source. It also helps and pro- motes mucus secretion. “It’s also in that feedback loop to inflammation – so when birds’ guts are being challenged, inflammation happens, which results in water loss, and you end up with wet litter. Butyrate is a key part there that helps to reduce inflammation.”
▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 4, 2019 21
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