In ovo nutrition and hypoxic exposure as new strategies in chicken production
More than 1,600 experts have come together for the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition organized by IRTA.
From 8 to 11 May, more than 1,600 scientists and poultry nutrition specialists from over 60 countries came together in Salou/Vila-seca (Tarragona). The European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN 2017), organized by IRTA, consisted of 4 days brimming with knowledge and discussions on the future of poultry nutrition and production. It is important to remember that chicken meat is consumed worldwide, and is not affected by religious prohibitions.
During the ESPN, the topics discussed were extremely diverse. However, one notable topic was thermoregulation and heat-related stress, where two Israeli investigators found that hypoxic exposition (low oxygen levels) during days 17-19 of incubation result in better heat tolerance in chicks.
Another important topic, presented by American researchers, (P.R. Ferket) involved the nutrition of embryos within the egg (perinatal nutrition) by feeding through the amniotic fluid (in ovo feeding) and feeding in early stages (prestarter) as a new nutritional strategy to be used within incubators to improve the productive results of chickens.
These are two examples of the interesting topics debated and presented at ESPN 2017 on poultry nutrition. Poultry nutrition will continue to move towards more precise diet formulation, and will need to provide consumers with all the necessary information on how the animals we eat are treated and fed.