Total Replacement of Inorganic Minerals with Organic Ones Improves the Productive Performance of Broilers

Verônica Santos, Juliana da Silva, Franciane de Figueiredo, Carlos Ronchi and Jeffersson Lecznieski

Background and Objective: The effectiveness of mineral use is an essential topic in modern poultry feeding. The trend of using organic minerals over inorganic sources in poultry is increasing rapidly as they are supposed to be more bioavailable and efficient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the total replacement of zinc, copper, manganese, iron and selenium mineral supplementation in inorganic form by organic minerals, in the form of chelates - amino acids, on productive performance and pododermatitis score in broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: A total of 480 Cobb broiler chicks were distributed in a completely randomized design with two treatments and eight replications, as follows: T1 (control, with the inclusion of inorganic minerals) and T2 (total replacement of inorganic mineral sources by the blend of organic minerals, in the inclusion of 1.0 kg t^–46443D1, meeting the nutritional requirements of the strain). During 42 experimental days, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, viability, productive efficiency index and pododermatitis score were measured. Results: The birds fed with 1 kg t^–46443D1 of the organic blend showed lower feed intake (p = 0.0091), better feed conversion rates (p = 0.043), productive efficiency (p = 0.0065) and viability (p = 0.0465) in relation to the control group. The other variables did not differ statistically, although the group fed with organic minerals had a smaller number of animals with pododermatitis in the most severe scores of the disease. Conclusion: It is concluded that the blend of organic minerals met the nutritional requirements of the strain, by providing better rates of productive performance and can be an efficient substitute for inorganic sources of minerals.

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