Validation of NutriOpt dietary formulation strategies on broiler growth and economic performance

Abstract

With the continued development of highly accurate and rapid near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) analyses of nutrient profiles of poultry feed ingredients, it is possible to successfully implement NIRS into large-scale commercial formulation programs. In addition, these real-time feed ingredient analyses make use of modeling programs that factor nutrient cost and quality along with bird performance and revenue parameters more applicable. Trouw Nutrition has developed the NutriOpt System, a modular precision-feeding system, which uses NIRS-determined nutrient values of feed ingredients, advanced nutrient analysis, and dynamic modeling. The purpose of the current research was to validate the performance and economic impact of NutriOpt formulation technologies and NutriOpt Broiler Model solutions during a 49-day broiler production period. Relative to broilers fed a consultant-formulated control diet, based on wet chemistry analyzed standard nutrient values for the ingredients, broilers fed with diets formulated using NIRS analyzed nutrient profiles of the ingredients had at least equivalent growth rates and feed-to-gain ratios from 0 to 49 D of age. However, this equivalent or better performance was achieved at lower feed costs and improved profitability. Formulating diets based on the NIRS nutrient values of the ingredients and a model to optimize margin per bird on a live weight basis or to maximize breast meat yield resulted in numerically improved profit margins. Taken together, the results indicate that Trouw Nutrition formulation technologies under certain conditions can be used to reduce formulation costs and improve overall profitability relative to a representative feeding program.