Chickens on a Diet

Reported February 2008

NEWARK, Del. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Millions of chickens, like many Americans, are starting a new diet regimen, but instead of helping to lose weight, the diet helps the environment.

Millions of chickens eat a lot, and excrete a lot of waste -- which can get into soil and can get carried off in storm water waterways. Now, poultry nutritionists are watching what chickens eat to help keep chemicals out of the environment.

"What we're doing is to make changes that will enable the bird to grow well, to be healthy and still have a reduction on the environmental imprint," William Saylor, Ph.D., Nutritionist at the University of Delaware, told Ivanhoe.

Chicken feed contains an essential nutrient called phosphorus -- but chickens bodies can't absorb it, so any excess passes thru the bird -- polluting the environment. Adding an enzyme called phytase to chicken feed helps birds digest more phosphorus.

Inside the birds digestive track, the phytase enzyme breaks down phosphorus molecules, so that the bird can absorb and utilize more of it … and less goes to waste.

"We've found reductions in phosphorus excretions from 25 to as much as 50 or 60 percent," Dr. Saylor said.h

A big impact worth crowing about.

The American Geophysical Union and the American Waterworks Association contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Dr. William Saylor
Newark, DE
(302) 831-2524
bsaylor@udel.edu

American Geophysical Union
Washington, DC 20009-1277
1-800-966-2481
http://www.agu.org

American Water Works Association
Denver, CO
(303) 794-7711 or 1-800-926-7337
http://www.awwa.org

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