Betaine feed study shows better poultry gain and immunity

A group of scientists from St. Petersburg State University of Medicine and Microbiology, Russia, has discovered that betaine-based feed additives can improve the growth rates of poultry even when feed availability is limited.

“The researchers found that adding betaine to poultry rations helps increase live weight by 5.6%, increase average daily weight gain by 5.7%, and reduce feed conversion by 5.7% even with a reduction in daily feed consumption rates,” St. Petersburg University said.

Controlled trial with grandparent chicks

For the 38-day experiment, the scientists formed 2 groups of grandparent chicks, each with 20 heads:

The control group – a standard diet,
The experimental group – in addition to betaine inclusion, feed availability was also slightly cut.

Betaine is a functional nutrient commonly used as a feed additive in animal nutrition, mainly as a methyl donor. It is long known as one of the promising tools for lowering feed costs in broilers and laying hens.

Less feed, better gain

One of the study’s objectives was to investigate the impact of restricting feed intake on poultry growth. The results were quite intriguing.

“Restricting feed consumption has had a positive effect on the metabolism of poultry, preventing excessive accumulation of fat in the body, and it also ensures uniform growth of the skeleton and muscle tissue relative to the internal organs,” Alexander Lunegov, a senior researcher, said.

Immune response unexpectedly improved

The scientists also indicate that the improvement of the immune response in the experimental group discovered during the study was an unexpected result.

The researchers revealed a reliable increase of 15.3% in the bactericidal activity of blood granulocytes.

“These proteins have a bactericidal effect, disrupting the structure and functions of the membrane of microbial cells. An increase in their activity indicates an improvement in the protective mechanisms of the bird’s body,” said Georgy Ilyin, one of the study authors.

Potential benefits for offspring

Scientists are also optimistic that the improved productivity and physiological indicators of the parent and grandparent flock could potentially enhance the performance parameters of the offspring, a hypothesis that is yet to be proven.

New feeding strategies in development

The researchers plan to develop new strategies for improving the feed conversion ratio based on the obtained results.

“The study is of great practical importance for the poultry industry, especially in the context of the need to increase production profitability and reduce feed costs,” the researchers claimed.