Effects of chelated trace minerals on growth performance, breast meat yield, and footpad health in commercial meat broilers

Dietary supplementation of trace minerals with a large safety margin is common practice in the poultry industry to prevent trace mineral deficiency. However, oversupplementation of inorganic trace minerals often results in poor bioavailability and low body retention, and can result in more than 90% of the dietary trace minerals being excreted into the environment. In this trial, litter mineral concentrations at the conclusion of the study had very high concentrations of Ca (2.3%), P (1.7%), Cu (150 ppm), Fe (350 ppm), Mn (420 ppm), and Zn (350 ppm). It has been demonstrated that chelated trace minerals are more bioavailable, perhaps because of reduced loss to antagonisms in the intestinal lumen compared with inorganic sources. In 2 commercial broiler trials, performance, meat yield, and footpad health associated with reducing Zn and Mn supplementation while feeding a 50:50 blend of inorganic (sulfates) and chelated forms of Zn, Cu, and Mn were tested. Birds fed the blended treatment exhibited similar or improved growth performance and similar tissue mineral storage compared with those fed the inorganic trace mineral control. In addition, chelated trace minerals improved breast meat yield and footpad health in one trial. In summary, chelated trace minerals are effective alternative trace mineral sources for satisfying the trace mineral needs of rapidly growing broilers and allowing for a reduction in dietary mineral supplementation, thereby potentially reducing the excretion of minerals into the environment.