BLOGS > STIMULATING BROILER PERFORMANCE: NEW TRIAL RESULTS ON ELAN®CONTROL C12

Female Ross broilers

STIMULATING BROILER PERFORMANCE: NEW TRIAL RESULTS ON ELAN®CONTROL C12

07/04/2025 Poultry

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 essential oils. 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. In February, we shared results showing significant improvements in body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) over a 35-day period. Now, we present a follow-up study with some new insights.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
  • 400 female Ross 308 broilers (starter weight 40.5 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. All diets contained an endoxylanase. Soya oil was used as the source of added dietary fat 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.


Table with trial result in Elan Control C12 of Olus Plus


*FCRc: FCR corrected for the average body weight (0.02/100 g BW)


Dietary supplementation with Elan®Control C12 stimulated production performance over a 35-day production period. The effect on final BW was smaller than in the previous trial (43 vs 76 g), whereas the effect on FCRc was more pronounced (3.1 vs 2.5 points). Especially during the finisher phase, where no coccidiostat was used, the effect of Elan®Control C12 on FCR was large (-8.7 points, P=0.034). Therefore, Elan®Control C12 could control microbial overgrowth in the intestinal tract when the ionophore was removed from the diet.




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 43 g and improved feed conversion ratio by 3.1 points.


 


 


Nick Slagman, male sales manager poultry at Olus Plus. Smiling in front of ecologic green wall. Wares a black casual formal blouse with the logo of Olus. 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.

                    

                            

            
            

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