Broiler & layer nutrition

Laying hens and broiler meat birds require diets with the correct proportions and ratios of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for optimal nutrition. A properly balanced diet will ensure the birds have enough feed to maintain their body functions in addition to meeting their production needs. Different feeds are used as conduits for various nutrients, and those feeds are formulated based on ingredients available in the area and how they can be combined to create the proper ratios of nutrients needed in the diet.

Laying Hen Diets

Understandably, laying hens need feed specifically formulated for egg production, and it should contain a minimum of 16% protein- experts say. (For birds going through a moult, however, an even higher percentage of protein is recommended.) Additionally, laying hens have very specific needs for vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The nutrients the chicken feed on will be the nutrients seen in the egg.

Calcium makes up the majority of the eggshell so a layer feed is designed to have a much higher calcium content. Calcium can be supplemented, but if a proper layer feed is available free-choice, it may not be necessary. If you like the hardness of the shells from your hens, don’t worry about a supplement. If your hens are having major laying problems, including soft shells, provide a calcium supplement, such as oyster shells.

Scraps and treats should make up a small part of a chicken’s diet. Hens enjoy grazing plants and bugs, but they should still have unlimited access to a balanced layer feed. Changes in yolk colour are not an indication of how healthy an egg is; they’re simply an indication of what the hen has been eating. If you would like your eggs to be higher in certain nutrients, such as omega-3s, feed your hens a diet with higher omega-3s. Chickens will not get omega-3s in their eggs just because you let them graze your weed patch. Again, the nutrients you feed your birds will be the nutrients found in their eggs.

Broiler Chicken Diets

Chicks that are being used for meat production will need transferring to a grower/finisher feed that clocks in around 18% protein at about 6 to 8 weeks of age, depending on the breed. They’ll need to remain on that diet until they are processed. Meat chickens grow quickly: Depending on the breed, some can be finished in as little as six weeks, meaning that you’ll need to maximize the nutrients they receive to make the most of that brief finishing time.

What you feed meat chickens will affect the way they taste. Giving meat birds space to graze is fine, provided they have unlimited access to a complete grower/finisher feed. Grazing can also slow down their growth; it may take longer to finish chickens raised on pasture.

Overall, the most important takeaway for feeding any type of chicken is to feed a balanced diet, which provides enough energy for body maintenance in addition to egg and/or meat production.

Enhancing gut health and performance of broilers with Ecobiol®, an innovative probiotic solution

In conclusion, Ecobiol® Soluble Plus may replace water soluble antibiotic programmes as prevention/prophylactic medication. Ecobiol® 500 and Ecobiol® Soluble Plus can improve broiler welfare and performance through enhancement of gut health, thus leading to prudent use of antibiotics and the preservation of the environment and consumer health.

Antibiotic Growth Promotors (AGPs) have been used in broiler nutrition for decades to improve gut health and performance. However, current evidence suggests that the massive and extended use of these compounds have been linked to increased occurrence of microbial resistance, and presence of antibiotic residues in feed and the environment, compromising human and animal health (Mehdi et al, 2018).

In many parts of the world, there has been ongoing pressure from non-governmental organizations to reduce or eradicate the use of AGPs in broiler drinking water and diets. Removal of AGPs in broiler nutrition can result in increased gastrointestinal (GIT) upsets/diseases (i.e. dysbacteriosis, necrotic enteritis, salmonellosis, etc.), causing wet litter, reduced welfare, poor

Control, sloughing of intestine with mucous exudate and excessive slime, water and gas

Ecobiol®, normal intestine with no lesions and mucous exudate

Results: Overview of Performance Improvement

1 | Confidential | 2020_15188 F&F Poultry 2350

2300

2250

2200

2150

2100

2050

2000

1.64

1.62

1.60

1.58

1.56

1.54

1.52

1.50

BWG (grams)

3.43%

2328

2261

Control CECT 5940

FCR

-4

1.64

1.60

Control CECT 5940

Figure 2: Meta-analysis of Broiler performance treated with Ecobiol® vs Control

feed conversion ratio (FCR), reduced live weight (LW), high mortality and loss of profits for the broiler enterprise.

Thus, there is a global imperative for valid alternative solutions to AGPs as a replacement in the event of a ban on AGPs usage. Among the available solutions, probiotics appear to be a promising alternative to AGPs because they have specific mechanisms of actions that could improve and maintain a stable gut microbiome. Furthermore, probiotics reduce the impact of GIT diseases and enhance bird welfare to consequently maintain and/or improve performance (Ducatelle et al., 2015).

Effect of Ecobiol® (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940) on intestinal health, LW and FCR of broilers

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 strain is a proprietary probiotic produced by Evonik (as Ecobiol® Soluble Plus, min. 1 x 1010 CFU/g and Ecobiol® 500, min. 2 x 109 CFU/g). A study was conducted to evaluate Ecobiol® Soluble Plus in drinking water on intestinal health and broiler performance under commercial conditions.

Results showed that intestinal lesions and the sloughing of mucous were visually higher in the control birds compared to the Ecobiol® treated birds (Figure 1). Furthermore, Ecobiol® Soluble Plus improved LW (2.84 kg vs 2.76 kg, p=0.005) and the performance index (353.8 vs 315.2, p=0.004, calculated as [Livability % X final LW (kg)]/[Slaughter age x FCR]) in comparison to the control. Previous reports (Gharib Naseri et al., 2018; De Oliviera et al., 2019) found that, regardless the challenge condition in broilers, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 probiotic enhanced the modulation of the microbiota towards butyric acid producers (i.e. Bacillus spp, Ruminococcus spp.) and decreased pathogenic ones (i.e. C. perfringens, Coliforms, Salmonella).

Such an enteric shift in microbiota in broilers improves gut function, nutrient digestion, FCR and LW while reducing wet droppings and foot pad lesions (Diaz, 2007). In a meta-analysis study, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 5940 probiotic was evaluated on weight gain and FCR of broilers under different challenges, conditions, diets, genetics and parts of the world. Results (Figure 2) showed significant improvements for both parameters, demonstrating the intrinsic potential of Ecobiol® under different challenges and conditions to maintain a better microbial balance and intestinal wall for efficient gut function and nutrient utilization.

Dosage

Ecobiol® Soluble Plus (min. 1 x 1010 CFU/g): Add min. 50g per 1000 liters of drinking water Ecobiol® 500 (min. 2 x 109 CFU/g): Add min. 500 g per metric ton of a complete feed

Design for flexibility

For ease of use, Ecobiol® is compatible with other feed additives such as coccidiostats, AGPs or organic acids and is available in different forms in order to support feed, premix and water applications.

Strain Properties

• Natural spore-forming bacteria • Resistant to temperatures up to 90˚C for 1 minute • Resistant to low pH and bile • Fast germination and growth rate • Proven mechanism of action to produce: - Macrolactins and other specific secondary metabolites - Lactic acid - Quorum Quenching

Proven benefits

• Survives feed manufacturing processes • Easy to handle by workers at feed mills and farms under different environmental conditions • Persists in the GIT for at least 3 days, ensuring an extended benefit to the host • Favours growth of resident beneficial microbiota, such as lactobacilli • Reduces the threat of having opportunistic bacteria colonizing the GIT

The Evonik team in Africa will be available to discuss more on this and other nutrition topics as well as offer you technical support in feed formulation, ingredient and finished products analysis, and the supply of Amino acids, GuanAMINO® and Gut health solutions such as Ecobiol® and Prophorce SR 130.

Feel free to contact the author, Dr Alain Useni on +27660813307 or email on alain.useni @evonik.com for clarification on this topic and any other nutrition related topics.