Minerals in poultry nutrition are typically classified as macro- or micro-minerals, depending on the levels needed in the diet. The macro-minerals include calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Requirements for the macro-minerals are typically expressed as a percentage of the diet, while the requirements for the micro-minerals are stated as parts per million. Although the quantities required for micro-minerals are lower than for macro-minerals, they play an essential role in the body's metabolism. The micro-minerals include copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc.
Introduction Increasing the efficiency of protein utilization is an important issue in livestock for production. Apart from the cost of protein (the input side), the issue is also driven to reduce nitrogen excretion (the output side) to limit the environmental impact of livestock production. The quantitatively most important role of dietary protein is to provide the amino acids for animal-derived products, such as meat, milk, and eggs. The similarities in the amino acids composition...
Brief project summary Administration of chelated minerals in ovo during the embryonic growth is a strategic approach to enhance chick’s immune system and physiological status, enabling better resilience against stressors and contributing to improved overall health and the ability to combat challenges. The project rationale stems from the existing knowledge gap regarding the precise concentrations of essential chelated minerals, namely zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn),...
Juan José Mallo, Technical and Commercial Director at Norel, explains how the company is helping nutritionists increase phosphorus release in animal diets. By reducing calcium–phytate complex formation and introducing calcium pidolate, a 100% available organic calcium source, it’s possible to unlock more phosphorus from plant ingredients while maintaining adequate calcium levels. ...
The current broiler chicken production demands low-cost, high-quality food options that ensure consumer health. New trace mineral programs like IntelliOpt combine science and technology to enhance productivity, animal well-being, and profitability. This study evaluates the effects of a synergic blend composed by hydroxy trace minerals and organic trace minerals (IntelliOpt), compared to inorganic minerals on broiler chickens’ performance and intestinal villi morphometry. The...
Jetsabel Gutiérrez Vallejos, Poultry Product Manager at Phosphea, explains how the interaction between calcium and phosphorus directly influences digestibility, bone development, and the metabolic functions of poultry.
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Ravi Renganathan, Director-Asia Pacific at PHOSPHEA, discusses the evolving phosphate market in India, emphasizing import dependency, regulatory challenges, and rising costs for feed producers. ...
Karan Singh and Juan José Mallo (both from Norel) share how the company is supporting producers in one of the world’s fastest-growing poultry and dairy-egg markets. With 10 years of presence in India and a strong joint venture with NBPL, Norel is doubling down on mineral nutrition, gut health, and new solutions for the booming layer industry. ...
I. INTRODUCTION The laying hen has a considerable requirement for dietary calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) to support optimum egg production, egg quality and other physiological processes. In particular, a high intake of Ca ranging from 4 to 4.5% of the diet is considered important as the laying cycle progresses from early to late lay to achieve optimum egg number and egg shell quality. A capacity for birds to increase Ca intake from a separate Ca source as dietary Ca levels diminish...
I. INTRODUCTION It has been shown that FP occurs in all housing systems, from conventional cages, to barn and free range systems (Green et al., 2000). However, there is a lack of data available on the true prevalence of FP in commercial free-range layer farms in Australia. In a survey in the UK, 65% of flocks showed FP during lay as reported by free-range farmers but, when the same flocks were assessed by researchers, prevalence reached 89% and 69% at 25 weeks, and 73% and 86% at 40...
I. INTRODUCTION Mineralization of the chicken embryo requires calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P)’ macro minerals supplied to the embryo by eggshell + yolk and yolk, respectively. Towards the end of incubation and after hatch, phosphorus in the residual egg yolk is minimal (Li et al., 2014). Yolk calcium reserves at hatch, however, are similar (Yair and Uni 2011) or even higher (Richards and Packard 1996) compared to eggs at setting, as a result of eggshell calcium being...
Zinc (Zn) is a fundamental trace mineral for growth, development and health in broilers. The form of Zn has a direct impact on its biological function in broiler chickens (Bun et al., 2011). Hydroxy forms, Zn hydroxychloride (IBZ) can potentially offer advantages over other inorganic and organic sources. This study was designed to determine the optimum level of IBZ in broiler diets, by evaluating the effect of different levels on growth performance and zinc deposition in tissues. A total of...
It has been demonstrated that the phosphorus (P) requirements of modern broilers are significantly lower than historical industry practice (Li et al., 2017). However, it is also apparent from these studies that the P requirement is dependent on the dietary calcium (Ca) concentration and whether the diet is supplemented with phytase. Most of the contemporary research has been conducted in the starter phase, but this feeding trial has been conducted in the finisher phase (days 22- 49) to...
Adnan Alrubaye (University of Arkansas) explains this disease, also known as BCO Lameness. He comments on different mitigation methods and his research collaboration with companies, in this Engormix interview....
Beak trimming can have serious consequences on hen welfare, health and production. However, compared to hot blade trimming, the infra-red technique has resulted in more uniform beak length and symmetry (Dennis et al., 2009). Pecking stones (Analysed Values: 20.50% calcium, 4.30% phosphorus, 5.0% sodium and 2.50% magnesium) have been used in Europe and are reported to blunt hens’ beaks and alter pecking behaviour (Glatz and Runge, 2017). The objective of the current study was to...
In a 20,000-bird BV 300 flock (20 weeks of age), we recently observed ~60 birds/day sitting down after egg laying, showing classic signs of Cage Layer Fatigue (CLF)....
While the breeding programs of commercial meat chickens select birds with robust legs (Davis, 2015), poor leg strength and reduced locomotion are frequently observed in late stages of growth. We have previously reported that lower egg shell temperatures during early incubation, which delays chick hatch time, increases bone ash (BA) (Muir and Groves, 2017). Observations from our research and the literature (e.g. Ulmer-Franco et al., 2010) suggest that maternal breeder flock age may influence...
Growth promoting effects of zinc bacitracin, Bacillus-based probiotics and a blend of Yucca and Quillaja saponin in broilers have been well documented (Engberg et al. 2000; Cheeke, 2009; Jeong and Kim, 2014). These in-feed additives are commonly used in broiler diets but their effects at different dietary crude protein (CP) concentrations remain unclear. This study was conducted to study the effect of these additives when added to low and high-protein diets on performance and caecal...
1 Introduction The rising number of recently reported human illnesses with bacterial infections resistant to multiple antibacterial agents has become a fundamental concern in recent years [1, 2]. This phenomenon has become a serious concern with regard to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called “superbugs” [3, 4], especially when considering that humans only started using antibiotics in the past century with Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of...
It has been shown that an ileal digestible phosphorus (IDP) value of 2.0 g/kg can support optimum bird performance (Li et al., 2017). However, the relationship of this value to dietary Ca concentration and phytase supplementation is still unclear. The aim of this study was to further clarify these interrelationships. Four hundred, day old, Ross, male broiler chicks were fed experimental diets based on wheat, sorghum, canola meal, soybean meal and meat and bone meal. The diets contained...