RED DEER – Today’s chicken farmers shouldn’t rely on the same techniques their parents did.
“These birds come into production sooner than ever before and this has implications for management to get nutrition to the birds at the right time,” said Rob Renema of the Poultry Research Centre at the University of Alberta.
The average birds are heavier and faster growing than the chickens found on Canadian farms 50 years ago.
“The bird is not the same as 10 years ago so don’t manage it that way,” he said at a poultry research symposium in Red Deer Feb. 22.
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If chicks are fed within a few hours of hatching, they grow faster. This can increase breast muscle development by four to 10 percent.
“The sooner you can get them onto feed, there are definite effects in their development,” Renema said.
Proper poultry feed is part of a larger research program among grain and livestock producers.
Doug Korver of the poultry research centre calls this precision feeding to meet the nutritive needs of the birds in the correct amounts at a reasonable cost.
“We will see a change in the industry formulating on the basis of available feedstuffs rather than total feedstuffs,” he said.
Birds’ feed requirements differ throughout their lives from the starter feed for chicks to grower and finisher rations for broilers.
The feed may have the correct nutrients but the birds may not be able to use them, so analyzing energy and amino acid content can help.
An Alberta led multi-species study is examining the merits of a variety of grains including wheat, barley and peas. A later study is expected to include dried distillers grain and canola meal.
Livestock and poultry producers need a fast, reliable way to analyze digestible nutrient content.
Korver said near infrared reflectance spectroscopy may be used to rapidly evaluate feed value. Knowing what is in the feed can determine how it should be processed and at what stage in the animal’s life to feed it.
Bushel weight is often a common denominator in quality but can result in the wrong feed formulations.
“We measure it because we can. Should we trust it? Maybe not,” he said.
Also, producers may not have to add enzymes to grain for easier digestion because they will know whether they have received the proper quality.
Shawn Fairbairn of New Life Feeds talked about management on the farm to produce consistent 35-day-old birds that reach 1,740 grams compared to 1,385 grams in a production cycle.
A study looked at 10 farms that all used similar genetics and feeds. Finished weights differed by as much as 200 grams per bird between the farms. Producers at the lower performing farms could earn more by better managing the feed, barn conditions and bird health. This needs to be done in every cycle or production.
“It is the variations that are killing us,” said Fairbairn.
The first three hours to seven days of the chick’s life are most critical. The seven day body weight of a broiler is correlated with feed intake and the desired finished weight.
“Delayed chicks do not catch up.”
Growers need to look at conditions in the barns and decide if there are enough feeders and waterers.
Water flow rates and quality need to be monitored. If birds are not drinking enough, they will not eat as much as they should.
Fairbairn suggested using pro and prebiotics in feed because they can support the birds’ immune systems and improve digestion. They can also protect against problems like salmonella because they bind to the bacteria and help it pass through the bird’s system.
Chickens also need the correct level of trace minerals to strengthen the skin and reduce cellulitis, an infection in a scratch or cut. Alberta has the country’s highest condemnations due to cellulitis.
As well, he said low sodium can result in flighty birds, while too much sodium may cause other problems.
