Assessment of the Last Decades Studies and Developments in Broilers Nutrition

Abstract

The poultry industry has advanced remarkably over the past 30 years. In particular, broiler production has been the most successful than any other sector in the animal industry. Production standards of broilers have continuously improved over this period, with modern broilers reaching a live average weight of 2.5 kg at 33 – 35 days. Today, under normal conditions, a broiler chicken can gain an average weight of 65 g per day and can attain 1.5 feed conversion ratio (FCR). Genetic selection brought about by breeding companies has played a big part in the improvements of broiler growth, and advances in nutritional management have provided about 10 to 15% of these changes. In conclusion, future broiler nutrition studies are going to be continued on the plane of economic criteria, determination of alternative feedstuffs and their cultivation, production of new feed additives, sustainability, and food or product quality. However, broiler nutrition studies are expected to contain not only pure and applied nutrition but also to answer and to enlighten some discussed issues such as to support animal welfare, consumer health, and ecological equilibrium. In this review, the latest improvements in feed formulation with much attention on metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP), feeding systems and feed presentation, use of feed additives to enhance feed use and broiler performance are discussed.