Exploring the Dietary Habits of Pasture-Raised Broilers

The demand for pasture-raised poultry is rising globally, yet producers face challenges due to high costs. Recent research offers insights into enhancing the efficiency of pastured poultry production through dietary management.

Research Highlights

University of Kentucky researchers investigated ways to improve the dietary composition of broilers raised on pasture. Over three growing seasons, they introduced cover crop pastures and evaluated various factors such as stocking density, sex, short-term feed restriction, and breed on diet diversity.

Methodology

The researchers employed DNA metabarcoding to analyze broiler faeces, allowing for a detailed assessment of their diets. This innovative technique provided a comprehensive view of pasture use and dietary richness.

Key Findings

The study revealed several important findings:

• Pastured broilers consumed a variety of cover crop and weed families.
• Diet richness from insects was surprisingly low.
• Lower stocking densities correlated with increased diet richness across all three years.
• Short-term feed restrictions resulted in greater diet diversity compared to unrestricted feeding.
• For fast-growing broilers, those with higher weight gains consumed a more diverse diet, while the opposite was noted in slow-growing birds.

Insights on Growth Rates

Interestingly, slow-growing broilers exhibited higher diet richness compared to their fast-growing counterparts. Despite the increased dietary diversity, neither stocking density nor short-term feed restrictions improved feed-use efficiency in fast-growing birds.

Implications for Future Research

This study represents a pivotal step in utilizing DNA metabarcoding to understand the dietary frameworks of pasture-raised broilers. Looking ahead, the researchers advocate for further exploration into optimal pasture access, supplemental feeding practices, and breed selection to enhance the cost-effectiveness of pastured poultry production.

Further Reading

The full study, titled Increasing pasture diet diversity in broiler chickens: insights from DNA metabarcoding, can be accessed in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems.