The pioneers in the field of poultry nutrition defined the nutrient requirements of chickens, ducks and turkeys by a painstaking process of feeding incremental quantities of nutrients and measuring performance parameters such as growth, feed conversion efficiency and egg production. This now is history, since nutrition has entered the era of computers and gene technology. By Simon Shane

It is the wish of every processing company to receive birds at the exact weight they need to meet customer demands. A daily update of the weight and weight gain of birds helps processing plants optimise their logistic planning.

Due to the increased chance of violations and shutdowns by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a company can prevent problems by controlling the dust caused by conveying material.

Making sure birds receive the right amount of feed is a must. Daily monitoring of feed intake makes it possible to respond at an early stage if feed intake is too low or high. Feed weighers can precisely weigh the amount of feed the birds need.

Feed costs account for about 70% of total poultry production costs. A good reason for efficient feeding. When choosing a feeding system, several technical and economic issues should be taken into consideration

Benefits linked to NSP-enzyme supplementation of layer feeds have been shown in several trials: from energy digestibility determinations to laying performance and egg quality measurements. Enzyme addition does not appear to affect egg quality in terms of yolk colour, egg composition or eggshell characteristics.

Phytase is commonly used in the poultry sector but there is more published information and experience with phytase use in broilers and layers than with turkeys. New trails have shown that use of a novel 6-phytase in turkeys diets throughout the growing period resulted in reduced feed costs with added environmental benefits.

Controlling mycotoxins is not an easy task. A number of approaches have been tried, but because of the large number of toxins that exists and their interactions, a single solution to the problem may not exist. Research shows that combining selected adsorbants with bio-transformation methods will ensure effective protection in mycotoxin-contaminated feeds.

With the continuous genetic improvement of broilers, layers and breeders, productivity has improved to a great extent in India in the last 15 years. Along with the genetic development, the nutritional requirements of the birds also have undergone tremendous changes.

Nutribiotics are proteins and fats, which play an important role in replacing antibiotics in animal feeds. These nutrients have a beneficial effect on the commensal microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers.