Advances in poultry nutrition

Poultry nutrition faces many challenges, including the need to meet the changing requirements of growing birds whilst also avoiding over-nutrition and nutrient losses which can be both environmentally and economically damaging. With the sector also facing increasing pressure to reduce its reliance on antibiotics, a greater understanding of the poultry gut, its function and its role in optimising overall bird health is required. Advances in poultry nutrition provides a detailed overview of the physiology of feed intake in broiler production, focussing on recent advances in nutrient requirements, poultry digestive physiology and the genetic factors which can affect feed conversion efficiency in broilers. The collection also reviews the nutritional value of poultry feed and the range of in vivo and in vitro techniques used to measure factors which can influence its value, such as feed digestibility and metabolizable energy. In its extensive exploration of the recent advances in poultry nutrition, the book showcases how an informed understanding of poultry digestive physiology and the role of individual nutrients and additives in poultry nutrition can influence flock health and management. Edited by an award-winning expert in poultry nutrition, the book will be a standard reference for university and other researchers in poultry and veterinary science, animal nutritionists, feed manufacturers, advisors consulting poultry farmers on aspects of health and nutrition, as well as government and private sector agencies supporting sustainable poultry production. Dr Todd J. Applegate is Head of Department and R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Professor of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia, USA. He is a Fellow and former President of the Poultry Science Association (PSA). Amongst other honours, he is a recipient of the PSA’s Evonik Degussa Award for Achievement in Poultry Science. Professor Applegate has edited two previous books for Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing: Achieving sustainable production of poultry meat Volume 2: Breeding and nutrition and Achieving sustainable production of poultry meat Volume 3: Health and welfare, both published in 2017.