| Improvements to broiler production can be made through the means of nutrition and preventative health care. Formulating diets based on a digestible amino acid (AA) basis decreases feed cost and improves bird performance by providing a more accurate diet based on the bird's specific production or age nutrient requirements. The apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAAD) assay utilized in Experiment 1 demonstrated inconsistent results for age effects on AIAAD of an animal by-product blends for specific AA or age. Increasing pathogenic resistance and consumer's push on the market, has caused integrators to incorporate alternative medications or inclusion strategies to coccidiosis management. Experiment 2 demonstrated diets containing virginiamycin, with an inclusion of salinomycin during d 14-28 only, decreased lesion scores and improved performance of birds receiving an increased dose of live coccidiosis vaccine. In Experiment 3, birds fed diets utilizing an ionophore regimen and additional algal beta-glucan demonstrated improved live performance. |
