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29 Jul 2024

Profit Maximization and Sustainability in Poultry Feed Formulation

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Embracing Profit Maximization and Sustainability in Poultry Feed Formulation

The poultry industry’s current feed formulation methods prioritize minimizing costs over maximizing profits. Although complex models considering bird growth and environmental factors have been developed, their widespread adoption has been slow. However, the shift towards profit-maximizing models is inevitable and necessary for the industry’s future.

Integrating Environmental Impact into Feed Formulation

Future feed formulations must balance profitability with environmental sustainability. Dietary supplements like probiotics, Yucca schidigera, and biochar have shown promise in reducing the environmental impact of poultry production (Ahmed et al., 2014; Kalus et al., 2020; Nahm, 2007; Saeed et al., 2018). The use of these supplements is expected to increase, contributing to more sustainable production practices.

Animal Welfare and Housing Considerations

Animal welfare management is becoming increasingly important in poultry production. Factors such as housing space, clean and dry environments, low ammonia levels, and public amenity considerations like dust and odor emissions are crucial. Future feed formulations must consider nutrients available to the animals and the undigested components that could impact the environment. This holistic approach ensures that both animal health and environmental outcomes are optimized.

Utilizing Litter and Droppings in a Sustainable Ecosystem

In the future, used litter and droppings will be integral to a sustainable ecosystem. Poultry producers will determine the nutrient content of their feed ingredients and how these nutrients benefit the soils they fertilize and the crops grown. For instance, the carbon in plants, derived from the atmosphere, should have a neutral carbon footprint. Similarly, nitrogen in legumes, also from the atmosphere, should have a neutral nitrogen footprint. Phosphorus, calcium, and trace minerals needed by crops can replace inorganic fertilizers, adding value to waste products.

Economic Impact of Nitrogen Excretion

The economic impact of waste nitrogen excretion depends on its perceived value. If nitrogen can be sold as a fertilizer, it adds value, encouraging producers to raise larger birds. Conversely, if litter nitrogen is seen as a waste product with disposal costs, profitability decreases, favoring smaller birds with better feed and nitrogen utilization efficiency. To enhance meat and egg production value, nitrogen trapping in litter through amendments and removal of ammonia from the air in poultry houses will become more economical.

Future Profit-Maximizing Production Models

Future profit-maximizing production models will be dynamic and continuously recalibrated based on field conditions and results. These models will help management teams make informed decisions on the best choices of inputs and outputs, using cost and return projections. While traditional feed formulation has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s, the transition to profit-maximizing strategies will involve addressing several biological and technical aspects.