By Dr Leonardo Linares, poultry nutritionist, technical services at Zinpro
Maintaining high performance in broiler breeder flocks is crucial for the profitability of breeder operations, especially in the face of challenges such as disease outbreaks, global pandemics, and rising costs. The primary goal remains the production of grade A quality chicks, a task that has become increasingly vital as producers strive to maintain normal flock numbers.
Achieving this high performance necessitates meticulous management of various production aspects, including flock health, hatchery management, and nutrition programs that align with the genetic potential of the birds. One often overlooked area in breeder nutrition is trace mineral supplementation. The quality and source of trace minerals can significantly enhance mineral status, reduce excretion, and improve overall animal performance.
Effective trace mineral nutrition, combined with reliable tools and partnerships, can help breeders tackle three primary challenges:
Egg production and eggshell quality
Chick production and quality
Immunity and vaccine efficiency
Investing in proven nutritional strategies is essential for overcoming the challenges mentioned. Specifically, focusing on egg production and eggshell quality can lead to substantial improvements in chick quality. Achieving optimal egg production while maintaining high eggshell quality throughout the production cycle presents significant challenges.
Essential trace minerals such as zinc, manganese, and copper play critical roles in eggshell formation: Zinc is vital for keratinase enzyme activity, which is necessary for forming the eggshell membrane. It also activates carbonic anhydrase, which is crucial for calcium carbonate formation in the shell. Manganese influences collagen metabolism, essential for creating a robust eggshell matrix. Copper is required for forming collagen fibres in the eggshell membrane through the enzyme lysyl oxidase.
Research indicates that diets supplemented with Zinpro Performance Minerals lead to a decrease in cracked eggs and an increase in hatching eggs for broiler breeders. Improvements have been observed in eggshell percentage, weight, thickness, and strength when hens were fed these minerals, resulting in better egg utilisation.
To monitor progress in eggshell quality improvement, tools like the Zinpro BlueBox can be employed. This tool evaluates eggshell quality through light translucency scores, identifying areas needing enhancement to ensure robust eggshells that minimise breakage losses while supporting optimal embryo development during incubation.
Producers seek uniformity, health, livability, size, and adequate maternal immunity in broiler chicks. The development level of embryos at hatch significantly impacts their survival rates and growth potential. Enhancing mineral status within the egg supports complete embryo development, reduces mortality rates during incubation, and boosts early chick vitality.
Studies have shown that supplementing broiler breeder diets with Zinpro Performance Minerals can improve hatchability by 1% to 7% compared to control groups using inorganic or other organic trace minerals. This enhancement results from improved fertility rates and reduced embryo mortality during incubation. Notably, flocks receiving these minerals exhibited 15% to 20% lower embryo mortality rates compared to controls.
The benefits of Zinpro Performance Minerals extend beyond hatch quality; they positively influence chick performance throughout their growth until reaching market weight. Broiler breeders face constant stress from disease challenges within poultry operations. Vaccinations are administered to bolster their immune systems and facilitate maternal antibody transfer to offspring.
Diets enriched with Zinpro Performance Minerals enhance immune responses and vaccine efficacy among breeders. This fortification positively affects flock uniformity, livability, and overall performance while safeguarding progeny through passive maternal antibody transfer.
The health of epithelial tissue is also paramount since it serves as the first line of defence against pathogens. Epithelial tissues lining the skin and digestive system are particularly vulnerable to infections that could compromise production efficiency.
The Zinpro First Line of Defence Program aims to enhance epithelial tissue health, thereby improving birds’ immunity against diseases. Advancements in poultry genetics have led to enhanced feed efficiency among broilers; however, this has raised concerns regarding animal welfare. Issues such as skin quality deterioration, footpad integrity problems, feathering deficiencies, bone quality concerns, and lameness are becoming more prevalent. Moreover, low-quality litter floor eggs often get incubated due to hatching egg shortages. This practice increases the risk of bacterial infections like Enterococcus and Staphylococcus in embryos and chicks, leading to elevated mortality rates within the first week post-hatch. Integrating Zinpro Performance Minerals into breeder diets addresses these welfare concerns by promoting better skin condition, footpad integrity, feathering status, bone quality, and overall chick viability.