Program update

Program 3: New research explores Australian-grown canola products as soybean meal replacement in chicken diets

A recent study has explored the potential of using Australian-grown canola products to replace soybean meal in the diets of broiler chickens, seeking potential of supporting Australian crops and reducing reliance on imported soybean meal for the poultry industry.

The research aimed to test the feasibility of this replacement from the time the chicks hatch until they are 42 days old.

The study found that including canola products in the diets decreased feed intake and weight gain. This was due to poor pellet quality, high fibre content and increased sulfur concentration in the canola-based diets. However, there was no negative impact on feed conversion ratio, carcass traits, or nutrient digestibility.

Despite these challenges, the study found that diets with high levels of canola products could reduce feed costs per kilogram of live body weight. However, it also increased the age required for the chickens to reach 2.5kg.

The researchers suggest that successful development of high canola product diets may be achieved through dietary strategies, such as appropriate enzyme applications, increasing nutrient density, and pelleting techniques to improve pellet quality. Future experiments will explore more of these possible strategies.

This research has significant implications for the poultry industry, offering potential cost savings and new dietary strategies for broiler chickens.

The researchers were Milan Kandel, Shemil Macelline, Mehdi Toghyani and Sonia Liu from The University of Sydney in Program 3A. The study has been published in the journal of Poultry Science.