Researchers tested whether adding special enzymes to chicken feed could help birds grow well even when the feed had fewer nutrients. They studied 800 young chickens divided into different groups—some got normal feed, others got lower-quality feed, and some got lower-quality feed plus added enzymes. The chickens that received enzyme supplements grew just as well as those on normal feed, and they digested their food better. This suggests that enzymes might help farmers save money by using cheaper feed without hurting chicken growth.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Can special enzymes added to chicken feed help birds grow normally even when the feed has fewer nutrients than usual?
  • Who participated: 800 one-day-old male yellow-feathered broiler chickens (a type of chicken raised for meat) divided into 5 groups with 20 birds per pen, studied over 56 days
  • Key finding: Chickens that received enzyme supplements grew just as well as chickens on normal feed, even though their feed had fewer nutrients. The enzyme-fed chickens also digested their food better, absorbing more nutrients from what they ate.
  • What it means for you: If you raise chickens, adding enzymes to lower-cost feed might help your birds grow normally while saving money. However, this research is specific to one type of chicken, so results may vary with other breeds.

The Research Details

Scientists divided 800 young chickens into 5 equal groups. One group ate normal, high-quality feed (the control group). Two groups ate lower-quality feed without enzymes to see how that affected growth. Two other groups ate lower-quality feed but with special enzymes added—one group got just one enzyme (phytase), and another got a combination of four enzymes (phytase, xylanase, amylase, and protease). The researchers measured how fast the chickens grew, how much they weighed, and how well they digested their food over 56 days.

The special enzymes work like tiny helpers that break down parts of the feed that chickens normally can’t digest well. Phytase helps release nutrients locked in plant material, while the other enzymes break down different types of carbohydrates and proteins. By adding these enzymes, the researchers hoped to make lower-quality feed work almost as well as expensive, high-quality feed.

This type of study is important because it tests real-world solutions that farmers might actually use. Instead of just studying enzymes in a lab, the researchers watched how they performed in actual chicken farming conditions.

This research matters because chicken farming is expensive, and feed costs are the biggest expense. If enzymes can make cheaper feed work as well as expensive feed, farmers could save significant money while still raising healthy chickens. This could make chicken meat more affordable for consumers and more profitable for farmers. The study also helps us understand how different enzymes work together to help animals digest food better.

The study was reasonably well-designed with a large number of chickens (800) and multiple groups for comparison, which makes the results more reliable. The researchers used a specific breed of chicken and controlled many variables, which strengthens the findings. However, the study only looked at one type of chicken breed, so results might be different for other chicken types. The study was published in a respected poultry science journal, which suggests it went through expert review. The results were clear and consistent, which adds confidence to the findings.

What the Results Show

Chickens that ate lower-quality feed without enzymes grew slower and weighed less than chickens on normal feed. However, when researchers added enzymes to the lower-quality feed, the chickens grew just as well as those on normal feed. This was true whether they used just one enzyme (phytase) or a combination of four enzymes.

The most important finding was about digestion. Chickens that received enzyme supplements digested their food much better than those on lower-quality feed without enzymes. They absorbed more energy from their food and better absorbed important nutrients like protein, calcium, phosphorus, and amino acids (the building blocks of protein). This better digestion is why the enzyme-fed chickens could grow normally despite eating lower-quality feed.

Interestingly, the enzymes didn’t change how the chickens’ meat looked or tasted, or the quality of the meat itself. The meat from enzyme-fed chickens was just as good as meat from chickens on normal feed. This is important because it means farmers could save money without affecting the final product.

The study found that phytase alone (one enzyme) worked almost as well as the combination of four enzymes. This suggests that phytase might be the most important enzyme for helping chickens digest lower-quality feed. The combination of four enzymes worked slightly better in some cases, but the difference wasn’t huge. The researchers also found that the amount of energy in the feed mattered—chickens needed a certain minimum amount of energy to grow well, even with enzymes.

Previous research in other types of chickens and farm animals had shown that enzymes could improve digestion and growth. This study confirms those findings in yellow-feathered broilers, which hadn’t been studied as much before. The results are consistent with what scientists expected based on how these enzymes work. The study adds to growing evidence that enzyme supplements are a practical tool for improving feed efficiency in poultry farming.

This study only tested one breed of chicken (yellow-feathered broilers), so the results might not apply to other chicken breeds. The study lasted 56 days, which is the normal lifespan for meat chickens, but we don’t know if enzymes would work the same way over longer periods. The researchers didn’t test different doses of enzymes, so we don’t know if more or less enzyme would work better. The study also didn’t look at the cost-benefit analysis—while enzymes helped, the researchers didn’t calculate whether the money saved on cheaper feed would be more than the cost of adding enzymes. Finally, this was a controlled farm study, so results in real-world farming conditions might be slightly different.

The Bottom Line

For chicken farmers: Adding phytase enzyme to lower-quality feed appears to be an effective way to maintain chicken growth and health while potentially reducing feed costs. The evidence is fairly strong (based on a large, well-designed study), though results may vary depending on your specific chicken breed and feed sources. Consider consulting with a poultry nutritionist to determine if enzyme supplementation makes financial sense for your operation. For consumers: This research doesn’t directly affect you, but it may eventually lead to more affordable chicken meat if farmers adopt these practices.

Chicken farmers and poultry producers should pay attention to this research, as it could directly impact their profitability. Feed companies and nutritionists who work with poultry operations should consider these findings when developing products and recommendations. Consumers interested in affordable, sustainably-raised chicken might benefit indirectly. This research is less relevant to people who raise other types of animals or who don’t work in agriculture.

In a chicken farming context, results would be visible within 56 days (the normal growth period for meat chickens). If a farmer switched to enzyme-supplemented lower-quality feed, they would know within about 8 weeks whether their chickens were growing normally. The financial benefits would also become clear within this timeframe by comparing feed costs and chicken weights.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • If you raise chickens, track weekly weight gain per bird and compare it between flocks fed with and without enzyme supplements. Record the cost per pound of feed and calculate total feed cost per pound of chicken produced. Monitor these metrics over multiple flocks to see if enzyme supplementation consistently improves your feed efficiency ratio.
  • If you’re a poultry farmer, consider running a small test with enzyme-supplemented feed on one section of your flock while keeping another section on regular feed. Use the app to log daily feed consumption, weekly weights, and final harvest weights. This lets you compare results directly and make an informed decision about whether to switch your entire operation.
  • Set up a long-term tracking system that monitors feed conversion ratio (how much feed is needed to produce one pound of chicken), average daily weight gain, and total feed costs per flock. Compare these metrics across multiple production cycles with and without enzyme supplementation. Track any changes in meat quality or customer feedback. Use this data to calculate your actual return on investment from enzyme supplementation.

This research is specific to yellow-feathered broiler chickens and may not apply to other chicken breeds, other poultry species, or other farm animals. The study was conducted in controlled research conditions and results may vary in real-world farming environments. Before making changes to your poultry feeding program, consult with a veterinarian or poultry nutritionist who understands your specific situation. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional agricultural or veterinary advice. Individual results may vary based on many factors including climate, housing, water quality, and overall farm management practices.