10 August 2022 – Advancements made in poultry breeding have led to faster and cheaper gains in meat and egg production. But with global demand for these proteins expected to continue rising rapidly amid calls for the poultry industry to reduce its environmental impact and address welfare concerns, the sector is facing some important challenges.
Looking to help breeders successfully navigate these issues, Novus International has introduced its new book Breeder Management and Nutrition: Moving the industry forward. The book – which debuted on 8 August at the World’s Poultry Congress in Paris – brings together some of the leading voices from inside and outside Novus to discuss the impact that breeder nutrition and management can have on addressing reproductive, welfare and sustainability concerns.
For today’s Industry Perspectives, Novus’s Poultry Strategic Marketing Manager for the EMEA region, Sandrine Durox, who was instrumental in compiling the book, talks us through what led to its creation and how she sees the industry employing it. We also chat with Novus’s Global Poultry Solutions Executive Manager, Hugo Romero-Sanchez about a key theme being explored in the book – feed restriction and reproductive performance – and his own contributions on the importance of dietary calcium, phosphorus and electrolytes in broiler breeder macromineral nutrition, and the management and nutritional factors that can impact rooster fertility.
[Feedinfo] Why focus on the relationship between breeder management and nutrition in this book? Is this an area where you see some gaps in industry knowledge?
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[Sandrine Durox] There are two ways you can impact breeder production, and that is through what the birds eat and the way they live. This book is less about filling gaps and more about highlighting the progress that the sector has made in these areas and providing that information in a succinct way for those in the industry. Meat protein production and consumption – particularly poultry meat – is increasing around the world. Many factors can impact our ability to meet this demand: nutrition, breeding and genetics, climate and housing, disease and prevention, and reproductive performance and incubation. This book brings together the knowledge from producers and academics about these challenges and opportunities in a way that also pays attention to how they impact economic growth, animal welfare, and sustainability. |
Sandrine Durox[Feedinfo] Tell us a bit about how this book came together. How long was it in the works?
[Sandrine Durox] In February 2019, Novus hosted a Key Opinion Leaders Breeder Workshop where experts were asked if the industry had reached the full potential of broiler breeder production and if there were ways – multi- and transgenerational changes – to make broilers more profitable. The workshop highlighted a keen interest in this topic and revealed that many questions about improving breeder production still remain unanswered.
Novus wanted to create a reference book that provides a comprehensive look at the history of breeder production, what the industry has learned, and the possibilities of what is to come. We enlisted 23 industry experts from around the world, some of which are well-known and others who are up-and-coming, to share their research and experiences as a way to provide guidance and best practices while also inspiring new thoughts and methods.
[Feedinfo] How do you envision it being employed by the industry? What purpose do you want it to serve?
[Sandrine Durox] The book aims to bridge theory and practice while leaving room for inspired action.
The chapters cover a range of topics – as many as can exist in this sector – allowing the reader to not only learn from what has been studied and accomplished but also to pique their curiosity and, perhaps, drive them to try new achievements in breeder management.
Chapter topics include how housing and feed practices can impact performance, the effects of quantitative and qualitative feeding strategies during rearing and laying periods, the vital importance of the somewhat neglected male breeder, precision feeding, the impact of macro-/micronutrients, and how epigenetics is changing progeny.
[Feedinfo] Mr. Romero-Sanchez, as Ms Durox just highlighted, a key theme being explored in the book is the effect that feed restriction can have on reproductive performance. The idea here being that restricting feed can result in optimal performance in breeders. What are some of the new insights the book shares on this topic?
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[Hugo Romero-Sanchez] For broiler breeders feed restriction plays a central role, so much so that we have dedicated three chapters to the topic. These chapters mention the basic principles of feed restriction and provide details about behavioural, physiological and endocrine responses under different restrictions. The impact of low-density diets and the inclusion of oat and soy hulls, and even appetite suppressants are discussed. Studies show some diluted diets reduced stress and can lead to an increase in feed consumption time. |
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Hugo Romero-SanchezIn his chapter, biologist Aitor Arrazola (Perdue University) discusses how the transition from a non-daily restriction (5-2/skip-a-day system) to a daily frequency should be done.
Genetically speaking, alternative strains or dwarf genes may allow less quantitative restriction and increase bodyweight uniformity during the rearing period, while showing better reproductive performance and fewer behavioural problems, like high aggression.
Rick Van Emous, a senior researcher at Wageningen Livestock Research in the Netherlands, mentions the welfare and commercial implications of water restriction during the rearing and production phases. He also describes some novel strategies, like increasing the frequency of feed allocation and the use of exotic ingredients like insects. With these novel actions, the improved welfare shown is responsible for performance improvements.
Finally, Henk Enting, Senior Poultry Technology Lead at Cargill, discusses how genetic improvements have changed breeder response and how feed restriction’s effect on corticosterone levels – an indicator of stress – is less pronounced in recent trials.
[Feedinfo] Now, in one of your own chapters you explore the relationship between dietary calcium, phosphorus and electrolytes and the role these elements play in broiler breeder macromineral nutrition. What should the driving principles for the effective supplementation of these minerals be?
[Hugo Romero-Sanchez] Macrominerals are required for bone and eggshell formation, as well as for metabolic functions like muscle contraction and acid-base balance. Effective supplementation means providing these minerals based on environmental conditions and the production phase. When done correctly this can result in optimised egg production and quality chicks.
This chapter in the book focuses on broiler breeder hens during the production phase. This is a time when the calcium requirement is high, and the amount of phosphorous required decreases. During eggshell formation, the body releases hydrogen that reduces the pH. This creates metabolic acidosis and electrolytes play an important role here. Recent data from Dinabandhu Joardar, a poultry nutritionist with Cargill, shows that dietary phosphorus and potassium help to control the faecal moisture that can impact egg quality.
[Feedinfo] Roosters are key to the reproductive success of broiler breeder flocks. In another chapter you explore this, focussing on the impact that nutrition can have on male fertility. What can you share with us on the nutritional needs of roosters?
[Hugo Romero-Sanchez] There is no doubt that males have different requirements than females, particularly during the production phase where females are producing fertile eggs and males should maintain steady growth without becoming obese. During this phase, males require less calcium and protein than females. However, due to feed mill logistics and on-farm practices, in many places males and females are fed the same diet. And studies show the female diet can be provided to males without affecting fertility. But, with new genetic lines, this single diet feeding programme can also partially explain fertility and hatchability issues observed during the production phase. As you can see, this is a very complex topic and one that is not often given the attention it deserves.
[Feedinfo] Factors like sustainability and animal welfare are now key drivers in the poultry and egg production industries. How have these concerns affected breeding strategies?
[Sandrine Durox] In the book, Eddy Decuypere, Professor Emeritus of the Physiology of Domestic Animals at KU Leuven University (Belgium), explains the industry’s sustainability efforts, including improvements to lifetime performance, reducing feed loss and waste, increasing efficient use of natural resources and by-products, reducing emissions, etc. These actions contribute to a relative decrease in impacts. But Decuypere warns that we should be aware of a broader, holistic perspective of sustainable development within our industry, as well as the limited availability of ecological resources.
There are also chapters on breeding/genetics and maternal feeding as a long-term exercise. We see how managing various genetic traits can result in more productive and robust animal populations, reducing the impact on the environment and optimizing animal welfare.
For Novus, sustainability has always been an important part of our company mission. In the book, we talk about our product line of bis-chelated organic trace minerals, MINTREX®, and how, through maternal feeding/epigenetics, these minerals show positive impacts on long-term progeny health and productivity. Preparing the next generation of broilers to better meet challenges they will encounter on the farm certainly improves animal welfare and leads to more sustainable production.
Published in association with Novus International, Inc.
