NATESSE improves the performance of healthy broilers

Sodium butyrate is a well known growth promoter and regulator of the intestinal microflora, its combination with essential oils improve those effects, due to the synergy between those active principles. However, for both compounds to work appropriately, it is necessary to ensure that a part of them can reach the distal parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and this can be done with vegetable fat; the part of the active substances that is protected with the fat is released only after it is digested. The benefits of the combination of sodium butyrate and essential oils protected with vegetable fats (NATESSE) on animal health (immune response, resistance to necrotic enteritis, etc.) has been described in the literature. Recently, a field trial was set up to evaluate the effects that NATESSE (at 1 kg/ton in the starter feed and at 0.5 kg/ton in the finisher feed) has on the production of healthy broiler chickens. One farm with two buildings of 1.800 m2 each was used for the trial. Despite a 3.65% higher density for the broilers receiving NATESSE in their feed, those birds had a higher body weight (2,371 g vs. 2,336 g) in a shorter time (40.76 days vs. 41.08 days). The FCR (1.838 vs. 1.852, a reduction of 0.76%) and mortality (5.85% compared to 6.27%, a difference of 6.69%) were also lower for the NATESSE group, resulting in 5.85% more weight of broilers sent to the slaughterhouse (this means 4,285 kg more produced) as well as a 3.54% higher EPEF. It is concluded that the use of NATESSE in broiler feed improves growth, reduces FCR, decreases mortality of the animals and produces a better EPEF in broiler flocks