Enhancing Mineral Nutrition in Poultry for a Better Bottomline

Effective mineral nutrition is a critical aspect of optimizing animal health and productivity, particularly in poultry. Understanding the significance of minerals in animal feed is key to achieving maximum performance and maximum revenue.

Minerals play a vital role in various aspects of animal physiology, including enzymatic functions, musculoskeletal development, and egg production in layers that have unique mineral requirements due to the demands of consistent egg-laying.

Calcium stands out as a crucial mineral for hens, serving two primary purposes. Firstly, it ensures the structural integrity of the skeletal system, supporting the overall health and well-being of the birds. Secondly, calcium provides the essential building blocks for producing strong eggshells. Inadequate calcium levels not only result in weaker eggshells but also lead to the leaching of calcium from the hen’s bones to compensate for the eggshell formation, ultimately weakening the bird’s skeletal structure. However, simply increasing the calcium content isn’t the answer.

In addition to calcium, phosphorus plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal animal health. It is essential for cellular function, playing a significant role in energy metabolism, nutrient utilization, and various physiological processes. Adequate phosphorus intake is particularly important for eggshell formation in laying hens, ensuring the production of structurally sound and healthy eggs.

Another mineral of utmost importance is zinc. Apart from its involvement in general animal health, zinc plays a pivotal role in converting raw calcium into a usable form within the animal’s body. It is also a key component of the eggshell membrane, contributing to its strength and integrity. Ensuring adequate zinc levels in the feed promotes proper eggshell development and overall reproductive performance in laying hens.

Insufficient mineral intake in layers, including phosphorus and zinc, can lead to various symptoms, such as thin eggshells, misshapen eggs, and missing or cracked eggshells, all of which contribute to reduced production and potential revenue loss.

While increasing mineral content in the feed seems like a straightforward solution, it is important to recognize that raw minerals may not be easily absorbed and utilized by the animal’s body. Merely supplementing the feed with minerals might not effectively address the deficiency. This can result in mineral wastage, persisting mineral deficiency symptoms, and potential imbalances. From a financial perspective, the low bioavailability of certain mineral additives may require higher doses, leading to increased costs and the risk of mineral toxicity. Unabsorbed minerals can also pass through the animal’s system, posing environmental pollution concerns.

When managing mineral deficiencies in animals, particularly mineral-sensitive layers, it is essential to go beyond simply tracking the mineral quantities in the feed. Consideration must be given to the bioavailability of minerals, ensuring their effective utilization by the animals for optimal health and performance.

Notice to the Public

This is to inform the public that Doctor Erwin A. Awitan, whose picture appears above, is no longer connected with the Ultra Bio Corporation, and has no authority to conduct business on behalf of UBC. Please report any unauthorized activity to the Ultra Bio Corporation offices at (02)8-351-1040, info@ultrabio.com.ph, or the UBC Facebook page. Thank you very much!

Nucleoforce Receives Halal Certification

Nucleoforce, the best source of concentrated and balanced free nucleotides, has been certified to meet Halal requirements. This opens the doors for those farms that have a need for both industry-leading nucleotides for their livestock, and the stringent requirements Halal certification ensures.

Farmers now have access to all the benefits of Nucleoforce while maintaining a Halal diet for their animals, which is a game-changer for farms that cater to markets that require this guarantee.

The use of animal-based feed or supplements can cast doubt on the integrity of the final product, and so Bioiberica, the Spanish producer of Nucleoforce Livestockm and Nucleoforce Aqua, has gone the extra mile to ensure that this product checks all the necessary boxes for a Halal farm’s needs.

The addition of Nucleoforce in feed optimizes the development of the immune and digestive systems, contributing to fast, healthy growth and development, as well as reducing the dependence on antibiotics. It provides the necessary building blocks for growing animals, and is derived from yeast, not animal byproducts.

For more information on Nucleoforce, contact the nearest Ultra Bio Territory Sales Manager, or reach us at our website www.ultrabio.com.ph

Chinese Soymeal Prices Hit All-Time High

Chinese Soymeal prices soar to record highs

An already struggling Chinese hog market has been dealt another blow with soymeal prices hitting an all-time high in the market. Soymeal, which is usually the highest contributor to protein content in feed, has seen its highest prices ever due to shortages in the supply coming from South America, and impending shortages in Chinese markets. This tightens the noose further on the already struggling hog producers in China, and could, before long, lead to many exiting the hog raising business for more lucrative options.

Read the rest of the report on Business World online here: https://www.bworldonline.com/china-soymeal-prices-hit-record-highs-deal-fresh-blow-to-hog-sector/

High Feed Costs? We can fix that.

Given the current shortages in corn and their subsequent high prices, it’s understandable that farms have been looking at ways to reduce cost. While this is extremely important,recognizing where best to cut back on spending is key to keeping maximum profits for the situation. One of the first thoughts that many farms have is to reduce feed costs by purchasing sub-standard ingredients for feed. While this is the quickest way to reduce farm spending, what isn’t immediately apparent is the effect on the animals.

Ingredients such as wheat, cassava, or using large amounts of filler such as rice bran, while cheaper, can be hard to digest. To further complicate things, when supplies run low, available stocks of corn may have been kept in sub—standard conditions, with higher than acceptable levels of mycotoxins. With sub-standard ingredients, animals may get fed, but with severely negative effects on their growth and development. This means a longer time to market, and ironically, higher feed costs because of a longer stay in the farm getting to market weight.

While market conditions can sometimes leave no choice but to use ingredients that may otherwise not have been considered in the past, steps can be taken to lessen the negative impact on the animals. Additives that deal with mycotoxins, improve gut health and development, and increase the digestibility of feed do all add cost to the finished feed product, but if the formulations are correct, they pay for themselves, and help ensure better livestock performance.

Basically, it’s thinking about the bigger picture. It’s worth looking at what you’re saving on AND its effects on the animals. If your efforts at saving causes losses down the road, then it’s actually costing you money. This is surprisingly difficult to do, and many farms, faced with immediate needs and increasing costs, lose sight of the long game. Thriving in trying times requires smart investing in technology and practices.

If feed shortages, poor animal performance, and decreased income are a concern, let our team help you make the right technical decisions and investments to help ensure maximum performance for your animals and your farm. At UBC, we can help you deal with the unique challenges farms in the Philippines face. Years of experience, industry-leading products, and a highly competent technical team can bring your business to its maximum level of performance. Contact your local Territory Sales Manager for more info on how we can help.

Turkish Study Examines Pine Needle Powder Effect in Poultry

Powdered Turkish Red Pine needles are being tested for their antioxidative effects in broilers in a study being conducted in Turkey. This reflects the industry’s continued shift to natural products and steering away from antibiotic growth enhancers (AGPs) that help the propagation of antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases, harming the well-being of the industry and threatening the effectiveness of antibiotics in human use.


The study proved promising, in that the 42-day period increased carcass yield in direct correlation with the addition of pine needle powder. Such sources of natural antioxidants could prove extremely useful in countries like the Philippines, where livestock constantly face oxidative stress due to environmental conditions. Check the whole report at allaboutfeed in the link below.

https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal-feed/raw-materials/pine-needle-powder-as-a-natural-antioxidant-for-broilers/

https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal-feed/raw-materials/pine-needle-powder-as-a-natural-antioxidant-for-broilers/