Effect of feeding strategy

on breeder and offspring

performance
B roiler breeder hatching egg production
and chicken quality play an important
role in overall broiler meat production
profitability. For that reason, studying the
effects of different feeding strategies and
feed additives on broiler breeder production
and offspring performance is important for
understanding how to improve performance
and profitability.
by Ines Carvalhido,
Poultry Technical Lead and
Henk Enting, Senior Poultry
Technical Lead, Cargill.
www.cargill.com
As an example of feeding strategy work,
we studied the effect of different crude
protein (digestible amino acid level) to
metabolisable energy ratios during the
rearing period on body composition and
subsequent breeder laying performance.
The crude protein to energy (CP:ME) ratios
during the rearing period ranged from -2%
up to +5% compared to breed-
recommended levels.
Feed allowance was adjusted when needed
in order to keep the body weights of the
birds the same across treatments.
The CP:ME ratio had a clear effect on body
composition; broiler breeders fed with
higher levels of CP:ME during rearing linearly
increased relative breast weight and reduced
relative fat pad weights in week 22 as
illustrated in Fig. 1.
Continuing the study
After the rearing period, all breeders
received the same diet to study the effects
of rearing feeds on laying and offspring
performance. Feed intake was adjusted
when needed, in order to keep body weights
the same in all treatments.
It was observed that differences in body
composition while controlling body weight
impacted feed allowance to maintain
performance, with a difference in daily feed
allowance of 12g/day for the most extreme
groups. The higher feed allowance was for
the more-lean birds.
Fig. 2 provides the impact of rearing feeds
on laying performance from 22 to 63 weeks
of age. We observed that high crude protein
diets during the rearing period had a
negative effect on laying production.
Broiler breeders fed with -10% and -15%
CP:ME diets during the rearing period had a
higher laying production when compared
with +5% CP:ME and the control treatment.
Offspring performance followed a similar
pattern as the effect of rearing diets on
laying performance, with numerically the
best performance for the intermediate
CP:ME ratios that were tested in the trial, as
can be observed in Fig. 3. CP:ME rations not
only impacted body condition, body weight,
and breeder and offspring performance. We
observed that other nutritional components
such as vitamins, trace elements, and feed
additives can play a role.
Feed additives
As an example of work done with feed
additives, we studied the effect of natural
antioxidants on chicken quality and broiler
breeder performance. The initial approach
was to replace vitamin E with natural
antioxidants; however, we found there are
additional benefits in breeders beyond the
replacement of vitamin E.
The natural antioxidant product that was
used in the trials, Proviox 50, was developed
based on work in poultry and swine,
including in ovo work for the selection of
the most effective antioxidants. In the trials,
half of the vitamin E level was replaced by
the natural antioxidants at 40 or 80mg/kg
Continued on page 13

Fig. 1. Effect of different amino acid to energy ratios (CP:ME)

during the rearing period compared to standard levels on relative
breast meat and fat pad weights at 22 weeks of age; body weight
was the same for all treatments. CP:ME ratios were 6.6, 5.8 and
5.30 per 1,000 kcal in the standard group for starter, grower and
developer phases, respectively. Adapted from Soumeh et al. (2018).
Fig. 2. Effect of different amino acid to energy ratios during the
rearing period on feed allowance during the laying period. Body
weight was 2,675g on average at 22 weeks of age and 3,937g at 64
weeks of age with no differences between treatments. Adapted
from Soumeh et al. (2018).

n Relative breast weight n Relative fat pad weight

100 –– 5% CP:ME –– -5% CP:ME
35 3.0 –– -15% CP:ME –– Standard
90 –– -10% CP:ME –– +5% CP:ME
30 3.5 – – Ross 308
Relative fat pad to
carcase weight (%)
carcaseweight (%)
Relative breast to

25 80
Laying (%)

3.0
20 70
1.5
15
1.0 60
10
5 0.5 50

0 0 40
-20% -15% -10% -5% Standard +5% 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64
CP:ME ratio in rearing diets Age (weeks)

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 37 Number 7 11

 52.0 100

Evolution of the laying percentage

l 100% Vitamin E

throughouut the laying phase

51.5 90 l 50% Vitamin E + 50% Proviox 50
ADGc (0-34 days)

51.0
80
50.5
70
50.0
49.5 60

49.0 50
48.5 40
-20% -15% -10% -5% Shadow +5% 28 33 38 43 48 53 58 63
CP CP CP CP feed CP Age (weeks)

Fig. 3. The effect of CP:ME ratios during the rearing period on Fig. 4. The impact in laying production of five in-vivo trials
offspring performance (Average Daily Gain curve from day 0-34). replacing Vitamin E with natural antioxidant (Proviox 50) in
Cargill Innovation Center Velddriel, 2016; 2017. broiler breeders from week 28 to week 63 of production. Cargill
Innovation Center Velddriel, 2016; 2017.

Continued from page 11

vitamin E replacement. Trials demonstrated
that natural antioxidants can support
improved hatchability, especially under
suboptimal conditions such as a change in
temperature on the incubators. We also
observed an improvement in eggshell
quality, mainly after 38 weeks of age until
the end of production. Not only were
improved hatchability and eggshell
observed, but also the impact on
persistency.
In Fig. 4, the positive impact of natural
antioxidants replacing half of the amount of
added vitamin E on laying persistency is additionally, body composition during
shown. Besides the increase in the number rearing impacts the amount of feed that
of total hatched eggs, natural antioxidants needs to be provided during the laying
also supported improved average daily gain period to maintain body weight and
of offspring generation by an average of performance.
1g/day (average of seven trials). Furthermore, feed additives like natural
antioxidants can help to improve laying
persistency, eggshell strength, and offspring
Conclusion performance.
Finally, it is important to balance feed
Broiler breeder body development and composition and feed additives to maximise
composition during rearing can affect overall broiler meat production and
breeder and offspring performance; performance. n

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