Page 12 - VOL.38-NO.5

POULTRY

THE BENEFITS OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS IN

POULTRY BREEDER NUTRITION

Growth in the global consumption of 1% Algi18DHA.
poultry meat has continued to accelerate “Dietary supplementation with Al-
exponentially in recent decades, driven gi18DHA had a significant effect on feed
largely by growing global populations and efficiency (gram of feed per gram of egg
incomes. It is projected that the increase produced), egg weight and incorporation
in demand will be 13.1% between now of DHA in the eggs, representing a 53%
and 2030, according to the Agricultural transfer efficiency from feed to egg,” ex-
Outlook 2021-2030. plains Dr Nigdikar.
Similarly, in the past decade, world egg “Of particular interest is the enrichment
production has increased by 24%, reflecting of the egg with Omega 3 DHA, which in
increasing consumption. This trend is ex- acid) have been shown to benefit fertility, breeders would be transferred to the em-
pected to continue into the coming decade, immunocompetence, skeletal, and gastro- bryo and benefit progeny’s immune sys-
particularly in developing countries, with intestinal (GIT) development in poultry,” tems in the early stages of growth,” says
changing dietary habits moving towards he adds. Dr Nigdikar.
more protein foods like poultry meat and These fatty acids cannot be endogenous- “Overall, there is increased profitability
eggs, driven by increasing disposable in- ly synthesised by poultry, and therefore to egg producers and poultry breeders
comes. must be supplied directly in the diet. Fish alike due to the premium price paid for
“To meet this growing demand for poul- oil and marine algae are the key sources of value-added eggs and improved survival
try products, modern poultry is undergo- Omega 3 FA, with the latter having more of the chicks,” he adds.
ing intensive genetic selection, targeted at sustainability credentials due to dwindling
increasing reproductive efficiency, rapid global fish stocks. Skeletal development
growth rates, superior feed conversion “At UFAC-UK, we have developed a Poor skeletal health and lameness in
and cost-effective production cycles,” sustainable, environmentally friendly, al- breeder hens is a major welfare and eco-
explains Dr Vijay Nigdikar, Export Director gal source of Omega 3 FA, with 18% DHA, nomic problem with negative perception of
with nutritional supplement manufacturer using algae rather than fish oils,” says Dr poultry production worldwide. Researchers
UFAC-UK. Nigdikar. at Bristol University in the UK reported a
“Our Algi18DHA is a traceable, sustaina- drop of more than 35% in bone breakage
ble, high-quality source of Omega 3 FA. The rates in free range laying hens at weeks 50
algae are produced from an environmen- and 62, when supplemented with Omega
tally sustainable process on a large scale, 3 FA.
using photo bioreactors and open ponds, Similarly, work in the US has demon-
then harvested and processed to produce strated that dietary supplementation of
a functional Omega 3 supplement.” breeder growers from day 1 to 17 weeks
This enables Omega 3 FA to be success- of age, with a microalgae source of Ome-
fully utilised in poultry breeder feeds to ga 3 FA, improves both tibia and humerus
improve semen quality and preservation, breaking strengths.
“On the other hand, intensive breeding gut health, immune responses, bone min- “An intake of moderate levels of Omega
selection for improved performance has eralisation and skeletal development. 3 FA, in combination with selenium and
significantly exacerbated the occurrence
of metabolic disorders due to high nutrient Alongside Algi18DHA, UFAC-UK also vitamin E, increases levels of antioxidant
intake, rapid growth, and high metabolic markets 50% fish oil dry premix for the enzymes, and enhances antioxidative
rate,” he adds. poultry industry in the Middle East and capacity in poultry. This therefore helps
Far East, therefore providing both plant minimise oxidative stress.”
Dr Nigdikar highlights concerns including source and fish oil sources of Omega 3 FA At moderate dietary levels these fatty
stress, lowered immunity and insufficient into broiler, duck and other table bird diets. acids reduce oxidative stress which would
skeletal development to support greater
body weight. This is further complicated Increased egg production otherwise lead to multiple metabolic dis-
by consumer pressure and mandated ter- Research studies conducted by UFAC- orders. To date, however, little attention
has been paid to the beneficial effects of
mination of production practices involving UK have demonstrated that supplemen- Omega 3 FA in poultry breeder nutrition.
indiscriminate use of antimicrobial growth tation of a layer diet with 1.0% microalgae
promoters. powder (DHA content 37.6% of total FA) “Algi18DHA provides a sustainable,
“An innovative and sustainable strategy increased egg production from 43 to 46 high-quality source of Omega 3 FA, with
a potential to improve poultry breeder per-
is required, for breeder nutrition and man- weeks. Egg shell thickness was also im- formance and chick quality,” concludes Dr
agement, that can improve reproductive proved. Nigdikar.
performance, immune status, skeletal de- In the trials, a total of 320 Isa Brown lay-
velopment, chick quality, robustness, and ing hens on a Brazilian farm were randomly
resilience to stressors in the production assigned to a control group and treatment
environment,” continues Dr Nigdikar. group. Each group consisted of 8 replicates
“Functional polyunsaturated Omega 3 of 20 birds. The control group was offered
fatty acids (FA) namely EPA (eicosapen- a basal layer diet. The treatment group
taenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic was fed the basal diet supplemented with

10 Vol. 38 No. 5 Circle 16 on enquiry card