Poultry

Laser environmental enrichment and Spirulina algae moderately improve Ross 708 broiler performance without reducing welfare

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Abstract

Modern commercial broilersare genetically selected for increased growth rate, improved feed efficiency,and a significant proportion of breast muscle tissue. Reducing feed conversionrate and days to market weight are of key interest to the industry from asustainability perspective. Dietary and environmental interventions that canattain these improvements without negatively impacting animal welfare are beingincreasingly studied and implemented. In the current study, a previously testedlaser enrichment device and a Spirulina algae feed additive were introduced to 600Ross 708 broilers grown for 7 weeks. Laser enrichment and dietary algae inclusioneach increased weight gain during the grower period (P<0.05 and P<0.10,respectively). Laser enrichment alone increased body weight at d28 by 77g and ond42 by 114g compared to CON (no laser enrichment; P<0.05). Neitherenrichment nor algae inclusion impacted litter moisture or increased contactdermatitis incidence, indicating a performance benefit without reducinganimal-based welfare outcomes.

Keywords: broiler, performance, production, environmental enrichment, algae

How to Cite:

Meyer, M., Johnson, A. K. & Bobeck, E., (2023) “Laser environmental enrichment and Spirulina algae moderately improve Ross 708 broiler performance without reducing welfare”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 20(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/air.15485