Ecuador Trial #1 – Large Poultry Producer:
Helping A Large Poultry Producer Overcome High Feed Costs
Challenge:
Collaborating with Engrain’s Animal Nutrition technical director, a plan was devised to address the feed cost issue. The target was to achieve a $10-$16 reduction per metric ton of feed. With the producer generating approximately 25,000 metric tons of feed per month, the trial aimed to maintain profitability while employing the following strategies:
Context:
Collaborating with Engrain’s Animal Nutrition technical director, a plan was devised to address the feed cost issue. The target was to achieve a $10-$16 reduction per metric ton of feed. With the producer generating approximately 25,000 metric tons of feed per month, the trial aimed to maintain profitability while employing the following strategies:
- The producer had already adopted antibiotic alternatives like prebiotics and organic acids and wished to integrate these within the energy-saving initiative.
- Enzymes were a crucial component of their diet, and they were unwilling to remove them. Engrain developed a trial using eMAX as an “on top” solution alongside their existing enzymes, testing for additional energy reduction.
- Note: While eMAX isn’t typically recommended as an “on top” solution, this trial explored its potential in combination with other treatments.
Method:
The trial spanned 37 days of broiler growth. The goal was to achieve performance metrics equal to or superior to those of the positive control group while achieving cost savings through reduced energy consumption.
Treatments evaluated:
- Positive control group (current diet)
- eMAX added to existing enzyme complex (-90kcal from eMAX, -120kcal from other enzymes)
- Negative control (-90kcal), excluding eMAX and enzymes
- eMAX + phytase only, excluding all other enzymes (-90kcal)
Results:
| Growout parameter until day 37 | |||||
| Parameters | Positive Control | eMAX + enzyme complex | Negative control | eMAX
+phytase |
P-value |
| FCR | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.44 | 1.42 | 0.09 |
| Adjusted FCR | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.32 | 1.29 | 0. 17 |
| Total cost, $ | 2.00a | 1 .96bc | 1.93c | 1 .97ab | < 0.01 |
| Total cost x kg, $ | 0.685a | 0.664b | 0.664b | 0.678b | < 0.01 |
Conclusion:
- eMAX demonstrated the ability to maintain comparable performance to the control group.
- FCR was reduced by 1 point in the treatment using eMAX without the multi-enzyme complex but with phytase.
- eMAX proved effective in NAE diets without hindering growth performance.
- eMAX contributed to reduced cost per kg, with a $0.021 reduction in the eMAX + multi-enzyme additive group due to enhanced energy reduction.
- The eMAX + Phytase diet lowered cost per kg by $0.007 due to improved FCR.
- Engrain’s Animal Nutrition specialists concluded that eMAX could potentially yield higher cost savings if utilized without other enzymes. A follow-up trial is scheduled based on this insight.
