Reduced N and P waste production for broilers through diet manipulation

An experiment was conducted to reduce NH₃ emissions and N and P content of broiler litter by reducing dietary protein (CP) and P levels and supplementing with amino acids and phytase, respectively, without adversely affecting bird performance. The results suggest that reducing CP to 18.8% in diets fed to chicks over the first 3 weeks of age may reduce performance by less than 5% and therefore may not be advisable. However, during the period 22- to 42-days there were no adverse affects on bird performance between diets with lower CP and P contents. However, there were significant reductions in the N and P content of the litter and indications that NH₃ concentrations were reduced. Considering that about 75 percent of total food consumed during the six week growing period occurs within the last three weeks, considerable savings in N and P wastage can be accomplished by reducing CP and P contents of the diet.