Keywords
mineral, organic, DCAB, calcium, phosphorus
Abstract
Mineral nutrition remains an essential consideration for broiler nutritionists. The complex interactions between different minerals sources, other ingredients, and the broiler itself, coupled with their relatively low costs, have led to the current status of elevated levels of minerals in broiler diets. New perspectives on sustainability have brought about a rethink of the way we formulate practical diets. There are considerable opportunities for reducing macro minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, particularly for older birds. Our understanding of attaining an ideal dietary cation-anion balance is confused by the lack of clarity in measuring the balance and the bird’s ability to perform over a wide range of relative values. The use of ‘organic’ mineral sources, with a higher mineral availability and uptake, will reduce the levels of trace minerals used in broiler diets. The reduction of mineral levels will lead to more cost-effective feeds, with a concomitant reduction in the size of the environmental footprint of broiler production.
Recommended Citation
Kleyn, Rick J. and Ciacciariello, Mariana
(2021)
"Mineral nutrition in broilers: Where are we at?,"
Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference: Vol. 2021, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/panc/vol2021/iss1/1