Development and validation of a feed spillage protocol to evaluate commercial broiler feeding systems and approaches to enhance feed management in broiler production

Abstract

Feed spillage (FS) can significantly impact production costs in commercial broiler operations, yet methods to accurately quantify FS have been lacking. This research aimed to develop and validate a protocol to determine FS from commercial broiler feeders, and to subsequently evaluate FS across broiler production stages. The first study focused on developing and validating a method to quantify FS from commercial broiler feeders. A 69 × 69 cm FS capture unit consisted of a perforated top platform, internal secondary screen, and a bottom pan lined with plastic sheeting. Two experiments were conducted to simulate feed spillage rates (1%, 5% and 10%) of broilers at 14 and 42-d of age. Feed spillage rates were applied to capture units using two internal screen approaches [no screen (NS) and secondary screen (SS)] and two corrections using an indigestible feed marker [non-corrected vs TiO2-corrected] in a factorial arrangement. Analysis showed that the use of the (SS) was crucial in preventing wood shavings and simulated excreta from reaching the bottom collection pan. Additionally, the use of TiO2 combined with the use of SS aided in segregating feed from wood shavings and simulated excreta, resulting in the best approach to determine FS. The protocol and method can reliably quantify FS across different broiler ages and feed forms, enabling accurate comparisons of FS between commercial feeder types and settings. The second and third studies then applied this FS measurement protocol to compare two commercial feeders - C2 Plus and Konavi - during the starter, grower, and finisher phases. While bird performance metrics, body weight (BW) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), were similar across feeder treatments, the C2 Plus feeders consistently demonstrated lower FS compared to Konavi feeders, regardless of feeder setting. Feeder design differences appeared to better contain feed and reduce FS. The substantial FS differences translated to meaningful economic impacts, with annual FS costs ranging from $100,000 to $650,000 for a 400-house complex, depending on feeder type and production system. These findings underscore the importance of integrating FS monitoring into overall feed management strategies to enhance efficiency and profitability in commercial broiler production.