ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2022 51 About Hadden Graham Dr Hadden Graham is Chief Commercial Officer at Ocean Harvest Technology, having previously worked for 3 decades in the feed additives industry, primarily with feed enzymes. He served as President of the EU Association of Specialty Feed Ingredients and their Mixtures (FEFANA) from 2007-09. with the addition of OceanFeedTM Poultry (Figure 2). Mortality was reduced from 4% to zero, while the European Productivity Index (EPI), calculated from liveweight, FCR and liveability, also improved (P<0.01) with the addition of OceanFeedTM Poultry. Overall, OceanFeedTM Poultry reduced total feeding costs (including seaweed) per kg liveweight gain. The effect of OceanFeedTM Poultry seaweed blend on layer performance was subsequently tested in a 12-week trial with 50-62 week old hens. OceanFeedTM improved (P<0.05) hen day production by 2.5% and feed conversion ratio by 4 points (Figure 3). Egg quality was also improved (P<0.05), with an increase in Shell Breaking Strength of 0.3 kg.F and in Haugh Units of 2.8. CONCLUSIONS The GI microbiota, which has been associated with nutrient availability and maintenance of the normal physiological status of the GI tract, can be influenced by feeding effective prebiotic fibres. The prebiotic effects of unique seaweed blends have been demonstrated in trials, confirming positive impacts on the beneficial, butyrate-producing GI microbiota. Butyrate serves a key role in energy provision to the intestinal epithelium, modulating immune response, and affects several key metabolic pathways in the body. Two trials reported here confirm the ability of seaweed supplementation to improve performance and reduce production costs in broilers and layers.
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