NUTRITION ▶▶▶
Feed intake stimulates gut growth. So, it’s key that when a bird starts to eat, it has con- tinual access to feed.
PHOTO: JAN WILLEM VAN VLIET
bacteria in the gut or is wasteful.” “Both of these can have a negative effect on bird health and litter condition in the house – it’s key we try and get feed design to the optimum balance.”
Feed design Design comprises a range of elements, including ingredient quality, heat treatment, feeds’ physical form and any addi- tives such as probiotics, prebiotics acids and anticoccidials. Starter feeds usually include wheat, barley or maize at differ- ent levels complemented with a protein source such as soya- bean, rape or fishmeal, a small amount of an oil is included, and “maybe a small amount of sunflower depending on space, then you have got your minerals and vitamins top- ping up the diet.” But availability determines what is includ- ed in diets. “In an ideal world there are some raw materials I’d love to put in our starter feeds, but there aren’t the quanti- ties available to use them on a commercial scale,” Mr Kenyon says “We also need to keep diets as consistent as possible.” Legislation plays a part, but so too does customer preferenc- es. “We’re not allowed to use fish in some diets and are
22 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 4, 2019
actively trying to remove palm oil for some customers.” And variability in crops must also be taken into account when balancing rations.
Anti-nutritional factors “Plants didn’t design themselves to be eaten,” says Mr Kenyon. They contain components that hinder digestion. A wide range of processes take place to make feed as digestible as possible, including heat treatment, as well as the addition of additives such as feed enzymes to mitigate antinutritional elements in feed. In conclusion, Mr Kenyon says modern broilers have the genetic potential for rapid bodyweight gain in the first seven days, supported by and even more rapid growth and develop- ment in the intestinal tract. “We can achieve that challenge through good husbandry and house management and com- plementing that with a feed comprised of high-quality raw materials balanced in terms of energy protein to match the re- quirements of the production system.”
This report is based on a presentation delivered at the recent Northern Poultry Conference.
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