Low crude protein amino acids diets for laying hens: Optimizing isoleucine levels for egg size, reduced nitrogen excretion and gut health

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Profitability and sustainability are very important considerations for our poultry customers. The poultry sector in Canada is intransition because of pressure to adopt alternative housing for layers (litter floors, cage-free) and to reduce the use of subtherapeutic antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP). Because of these regulatory and social pressures our poultry customers arelooking for solutions to minimize use of AGP and to decrease environmental impact particularly ammonia gas emissions in poultryhouses which have detrimental effects on birds and humans. Dietary crude protein concentration has a significant impact on theintestinal microbiota, both qualitatively and quantitatively. For example, several studies indicate that high protein diets with excessand unbalanced amino acid profiles increase the concentrations of pathogenic bacteria and toxic metabolites in the gut. Therefore,adjusting protein supply and amino acid profiles can be considered as essential to achieve optimal performance and to control theintestinal pathogens with implication to bird and human health through contaminated poultry products. Moreover, reducing dietarycrude protein leads to reduced nitrogen in the excreta with less potential for microbial conversion to ammonia. . We are specificallyinterested in determining optimal isoleucine requirements in low crude protein diets as this amino acid has been associated withpoor performance (egg size) in these diets. Therefore, isoleucine, is a technical challenge where research data is lacking tosupport formulation decisions..Ontario