Effect of Perinatal Nutrition and Feed Formulation On Growth Performance and Health of Poultry

The food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations lists 4 primary challenges for the future: 1) increased demand for poultry products; 2) threat of disease epidemics; 3) environment and climate change; and 4) competition for feed sources (Besedes et al., 2007). North Carolina and the USA are major players in the global efforts to meet these challenges, particularly as the demand for poultry products will increase significantly as the world population approaches 9 billion within the next generation. These four future challenges will be addressed by some aspect of this project. As genetic selection for rapid growth in broilers and turkeys progress in attempt to meet the rapidly increasing world demand for poultry meat, the period of embryonic and neonatal development is becoming an increasing proportion of the productive life of poultry. Perinatal nutrition is especially becoming a constraint on the growth performance and welfare of meat-type poultry. This perinatal period is
also critical time for the establishment of a "healthy" gut microflora that resists the colonization of pathogens that may risk animal welfare and human food safety. As the demand for poultry raised without antibiotics increases, finding strategically sustainable alternatives is a high priority as the poultry industry strives to maintain the efficiency of nutrient utilization, productivity, and environmental and biological sustainability. Therefore, this project will focus on two primary areas: early nutrition, and feed formulation/manufacturing technologies.The general objectives of this project with turkeys and broilers is as follows:Enhance perinatal development of the enteric ecosystem of broilers and turkeys by in ovo feedingImprove the efficiency of nutrient utilization from feeds by the use of feed additives and feed manufacturing technologyEnhance enteric health without development of antimicrobial resistance of enteric pathogens by nutritional manipulation: study the
relationship between enteric microflora and nutrition in young turkeys and broilers.