Impacts of Increasing Additions of Choline Chloride on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens Reared to 66 Days of Age.

The most recent research cited by the NRC Nutrition Requirements of Poultry to establish choline recommendations was published in 1987, so choline guidelines for modern broilers are outdated and may be insufficient to optimize growth. The objective was to determine the effect of additional dietary choline chloride supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of modern broilers reared for 66 days. As-hatched Ross 708 × Yield Plus broiler chicks (n = 2160; 30 birds per pen) were randomly allotted to one of six experimental corn and soybean meal-based diets formulated to contain an additional 0, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, or 2000 mg of choline chloride above the choline content of the basal diet ingredients.

Dietary Protein Source and Litter Condition Alter Broiler Chicken Intestinal Macrophage and Mitotically Active Cell Populations.

As antibiotic-free (ABF) broiler production continues to increase, understanding the development and local immune response in the intestines of ABF broilers is essential. Mitotically active cells, the majority of which will become enterocytes, help maintain the intestinal epithelial barrier. Macrophages prevent pathogen invasion by their phagocytic activity, functioning as immune response amplifying cells to aid in the recruitment of additional immune cells, and stimulating cytokine production in other adjacent cells.