Challenges in Today’s Poultry Nutrition

This course is designed for professionals interested in poultry nutrition and especially suitable for junior to medior professionals (0-8 years of working experience) in roles including but not limited to:

• Feed formulators, nutritionists and technical managers in feed companies or integrators who need to choose between ingredients, additives and nutritional concepts based on scientific evidence rather than just product specifications and claims.
• Veterinarians and poultry health advisors who want to use nutrition more effectively in preventive health strategies, while reducing reliance on antibiotics and other antimicrobials.
• Professionals in pharmaceutical and feed additive companies involved in R&D, product development or technical sales who want to develop and place their products within a solid nutritional, physiological scientific context.
• Technical advisors and consultants supporting poultry farmers in balancing performance, health, welfare, costs and sustainability in practice.

• Describe the role of poultry nutrition in the broader context of modern poultry production, including health challenges, reduced antimicrobial use, sustainability demands and animal welfare considerations.
• Understand the physiological and nutritional mechanisms underlying digestion, gut health and nutrient utilization in poultry.
• Evaluate feed ingredients and nutritional interventions, including feed additives such as amino acids, enzymes, organic acids and pre- and probiotics, based on scientific evidence.
• Assess the effects and trade-offs of nutritional choices on animal health, resilience, welfare, performance and nutrient efficiency.
• Critically evaluate nutritional concepts, products and claims, distinguishing scientifically supported effects from assumptions or myths.

The programme is structured around key nutritional challenges in modern poultry systems, combining scientific insights with practical implications:

• Feed formulation, feed management and customised nutrition, including optimisation of feed composition, precision feeding and system-level interactions.
• Feeding strategies for layers, parent stock and broiler breeders, with attention to different life stages and resilience.
• Nutrition and (gut) health in broilers, covering digestion, microbiota and immunity.
• Nutritional interventions and additives, examined by linking observed effects to biological mechanisms and scientific evidence.
• Nutrition in hot climates and nutrition–climate interactions, focusing on thermoregulation, mineral nutrition and feeding strategies under heat stress.