A chicken, like all living creatures, is a complex organism.

 

It is extremely sensitive to a myriad of factors: weather, diseases, diet, human factors, you name it. Intrigued by how better the next generation of animals can overcome old and new challenges, mankind has pushed the boundaries of science to explore novel and groundbreaking solutions - one of them being gene-edited birds that are less vulnerable to bird flu.

 

As critical as the topic of diseases is, poultry health encompasses more facets of a chicken's life. Indeed, gene editing may not be needed for now to handle, for example, nutrition management. Understanding what to do in this area and others is sometimes what's required to direct poultry production successfully.

 

In this issue, Aviagen takes a deep dive into knowing how various nutritional elements affect and benefit a bird. "Nutrition management for the broiler breeder must be dynamic to meet varying requirements throughout their life by understanding and meeting their requirements for optimal health, high reproductive potential and healthy chicks," writes Karthik Kesavan (pages 8-9), poultry nutrition specialist at Aviagen Asia.

 

Aside from bird flu, necrotic enteritis is another anxiety of poultry producers, a common disease that has impacted nearly half of commercial broilers worldwide and can cause mortality rates of up to 50%. To mitigate this problem in broilers, Phytobiotics presents its herbal formulation, Active D as an answer, explaining why it can improve animal well-being and pathogen resistance (pages 10-11).

 

Combining the application of such solutions and knowledge and many others, poultry producers can stay ahead of challenges, offsetting a portion of complications step by step.

 

The full article is published on the December 2023 issue of LIVESTOCK & FEED Business. To read the full report, please email to inquiry@efeedlink.com to request for a complimentary copy of the magazine, indicating your name, mailing address and title of the report.