Abstract:

Trace minerals, such as zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), and iron (Fe) as well as copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) play important roles in growth, immunity, gut health, antioxidant status, as well as numerous other roles within the animal. However due to pressure on feed costs, trace minerals are sometimes fed at lower than optimal levels compared to those suggested by the primary breeding companies. New challenges in the form of white striping and woody breast have recently surfaced in today’s broiler industry and are reportedly tied to genetic selection for fast growth rate and higher meat yield. With these increased pressures come potentially higher metabolic stressors where the use of additional trace minerals, as well as superdosing of phytase may aid to support the antioxidant capacity of the broiler. Recent results indicated that supplementing broiler diets with additional Zn, Fe, Se, tryptophan and/or ethoxyquin in combination with superdosing levels of phytase reduced the severity of woody breast by 50% while improving average daily gain and feed efficiency. These results may suggest that superdoses of phytase with the provision of minerals to support the antioxidant system of the bird may allow for continued improvements in growth performance without increasing the severity of woody breast.