Dried distillery yeast can be used as a source of energy and protein in broiler diets, but producers should pay attention to inclusion rates to avoid affecting feed conversion and potentially disrupting the birds’ gut microbiome.
Scientists in Poland tested the inclusion of the deactivated yeast at three different levels — 3, 6 and 9% — in the starter, grower and finisher diets of 112 birds.
According to a report in Farming Future Food, they found no adverse effects of the test diets on bird survivability. However, those receiving the 3% yeast had significantly better feed conversion than those fed the diet with 9%. This led investigators to conclude that yeast inclusion in growing birds’ feed should not exceed 3%.
“Based on the average values, a trend can be observed that birds receiving 3% distillery yeast in their feed had higher body weight (27 and 35 days), body weight gain (1–35 days), better feed conversion (1–35 days)…compared to birds receiving 6% and 9% yeast additives and the control group,” they wrote in the journal Agriculture.
