BLOGS > ELAN®CONTROL C12 STIMULATES BROILER PERFORMANCE

ELAN®CONTROL C12 STIMULATES BROILER PERFORMANCE
Colonization of the intestinal tract by (potential) pathogenic bacterial in young broilers can lead to increased mortality and reduced production performance, reduced efficiency of nutrient digestibility and utilization, bone disorders, wet litter problems and welfare problems. Different feed additives like organic acids and their monoglycerides, botanicals, pre- and probiotics can be used to prevent pathogen colonization of the intestinal tract. Elan®Control is formulated as such a product with a strong antibacterial efficacy against Gram+ and Gram- bacteria, based on monoglycerides of four different fatty acids (C3, C4, C8 and C10) and cinnamaldehyde.
Elan®Control C12 is further enriched with monolaurin to enhance the immunocompetence of broilers. The effect of this unique blend of active ingredients was tested in a broiler experiment under ‘commercial’ conditions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
- 400 female Ross 308 broilers (starter weight 38.5 g) were randomly distributed over 16 floor pens (25 birds/pen). These pens were located in the middle of a commercial broiler house to mimic normal health and climate challenges during a broiler growth cycle. Peat was used as bedding material.
- A 3-phase corn/wheat/soya diet was used: starter, 0-14 days; grower, 15-28 days and finisher, 29-35 days of age. Salinomycin was used as anticoccidial in the starter and grower diet, whereas in the finisher no anticoccidial was used. Soya oil was used as the source of added dietary fat source in the starter and a 50:50 soya/palm oil blend in the grower and finisher diet. The trial ended at 35 days of age.
- The basal diet was fed as such (control) or supplemented with 500 g/t Elan®Control C12 on top (treatment).
- The production performance (body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio) was measured per phase.
- Feed and water were ad libitum
RESULTS
Production performance of female broilers during the 35-day production period is given in the table.
*FCRc: FCR corrected for the average body weight (0.02/100 g BW)
It is shown that dietary supplementation with Elan®Control C12 stimulated body weight gain by 76 g over a 35-day production period, which equals 3.6%. Feed intake during this period was increased from 3’170 to 3’260 g/bird and FCRc was improved by 2.5 points. This indicates that Elan®Control C12 stimulated body weight gain more than feed intake, resulting in a higher efficiency of feed utilization. Based on current feed prices and broiler revenues, the return on investment in this trial was 8 (incl. the customer price of Elan®Control C12).
CONCLUSIONS
Dietary supplementation of Elan®Control C12 (inclusion level: 500 g /t feed) from 0 to 35 days of age stimulated body weight gain of female broilers by 3.6% (76 g) and improved feed conversion ratio by 2.5 points.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Slagman – Sales Manager Poultry
Nick Slagman has been part of the Olus team since 2014 and brings his expertise and passion for the poultry industry. With years of practical experience and in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of poultry farming, Nick is well versed in the daily challenges farmers face. At Olus, he is involved in developing new feed additives and investigating nutritional strategies for improved gut health and performance in a sustainable manner.