Improving Energy Availability

Thirty-six hundred commercial broilers were fed diets with or without an enzyme preparation containing alpha-galactosidase during a period of hot environmental temperatures. Broilers fed the alpha-galactosidase containing diet had significantly reduced feed conversion and mortality during the 49-day trial. Male chicks grown in batteries showed no beneficial effects of the enzyme on growth performance. The authors concluded that formulating commercial corn-soybean meal broiler diets with supplemented alpha-galactosidase may improve broiler performance during periods of hot environmental temperatures. These results are consistent with the observation that alpha-galactosidease may improve the digestibility of the carbohydrates in the corn-soybean meal diet. The increased digestibility would increase energy availability and reduce the feed required per unit of gain. The increased energy availability of the diet would be beneficial since feed consumption is often reduced during periods of hot temperatures.

Kidd, M.T., and co-workers. 2001. Enzyme supplementation to corn and soybean meal diets for broilers. J. Applied Poultry Research, 10(1):65-70.