A Feed Trial Case Study

A European company wished to market a feed enzyme with glucanase and xylanase activities for inclusion in diets for broiler chickens, baby pigs and laying hens. Feed additives designed to enhance the performance of farm animals are required by law to be submitted to the EU for approval ("Registration"). At present, for successful registration, each category of animal requires:

• Three trials, carried out on at least two different and independent sites.
• Demonstration that the dietary inclusion of the additive produces positive effects.
• Invariably a tolerance test where the additive is included in a diet at between 10 and 15 times the recommended commercial dose.

We tested the efficacy of this product in broilers by:

• Including it in typical, commercial-type, pelleted diets at 0 (control), 100 and 150 mg/kg.
• These diets were fed (in three phases) to 20 pens/diet of 40 birds from 0 to 42 days of age.
• Weight gains, feed intakes and feed conversion ratios, as well as weight uniformity, were determined after 21, 35 and 42 days.
• Visual assessments of the incidences of hock burn and breast blisters, vent pasting and the occurrence of wet/sticky droppings in the litter were made at appropriate intervals.
• The viscosities of the contents of the gastro-intestinal tract (jejunum) were also measured.

Similar trials were carried with piglets from 0 to 42 days (after weaning) and with laying hens from 18-42 weeks of age and appropriate performance responses recorded.

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