But, the amount of phosphorus available for digestion by the chicken increases. UD researchers conducted three experiments, involving 8,280 male broilers. The birds were fed one of six different diets, in four separate feed phases, from birth to market-age. Overall, poultry performance on the reduced, nonphytate phosphorus diets was comparable or better than the control diet in the winter and spring flocks. In addition to making phosphorus more available in feeds, researchers also want to know the minimum amount of phosphorus needed for animal performance.
Hot weather seems to have some effect on the birds fed the more restricted phosphorus diets.
He recommends caution when reducing levels of dietary inorganic phosphorus by 0.2 percent in phytase diets with either corn type during hot weather. Reducing dietary phosphorus by just 0.1 percent had no influence on performance. A comprehensive litter analysis and greenhouse and soil-transport study is the focus of a second phase of the project, directed by principal investigator Tom Sims, a UD professor of soil and environmental chemistry. Tremendous efforts are under way to achieve this goal. This study will provide one of many strategies for addressing nutrient management issues in the future.