As an egg can only be hatched once, no broiler flock is exactly the same and will behave differently under different circumstances. Key is to make sure that whatever you do fits best your needs under your (market) circumstances. Agrimprove develops products and optimizes concepts which contribute to your profitability under different circumstances in your specific market.
The poultry meat market can be divided into 3 main segments (Figure 1). The wet market, the processed market and the further processed market. Each of these market segments has its specific characteristics and needs. In most cases, a combination of 2 or 3 segments can be found in each region. Rarely will it be only 1.
Not only the strategy and objectives of the different segments can be totally different, but also the quality and value of the broiler meat, both at the producer or consumer level, will be different. The latter even more emphasized by regional differences.
M-prove, a product based on MCFAs (Medium Chain Fatty Acids) and phytogenic components, has been specially developed to meet the needs of the wet and processed market: increased daily gain and reduced feed costs while respecting the animal’s wellbeing and the environment.
A trial executed at the National Poultry Research Centre in Czech Republic with Ross 308 as hatched broiler chickens (Table 1) indicated that M-prove significantly improved body weight and feed efficiency and had apositive effect on liveability. These data show that M-prove is capable of making a significant contribution to the profit of broiler growing even under non-challenged conditions. Earlier research has shown that this improved weight gain and improved efficiency are the result of an enhanced intestinal development and activity (better feed intake and improved digestibility and absorption).
In another trial, executed during a period of natural heat stress, at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in China with Arbor Acres male broilers (Table 2) it was confirmed that body weight and feed conversion were significantly improved. Mortality was not significantly affected despite the elevated body weights during a period of increased heat stress (t° > 28°c). These 2 trials prove that M-prove contributes to the 2 main relevant parameters in the wet and processed market: body weight/daily gain and feed cost per bird.
One of the main challenges of broiler growing, besides heat stress, is E. coli . Especially in the beginning of the growth cycle, broiler growers are regularly confronted with problems related to E. coli. In a trial also executed at the CAAS institute in China, broilers were orally inoculated with E. Coli on day 7 and body weight and FCR were determined on day 18 (Table 3). It is clear from this trial that E. Coli significantly reduces the performance of problems in the starter period. M-prove, due to its antibacterial activity and its positive effects on feed consumption and feed digestion, enables the flock to perform according to the negative control.
Table 3 – The effect of M-prove during an E. Coli challenge (day 18)
Conclusion
In broiler markets segments, such as in the wet market and in the processed market, where feed conversion and live weight of broiler are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), M-prove is able to contribute to the profitability of broiler meat production in different circumstances (non-challenged and in challenged conditions).
