Integration of Commercial Broiler Data into a Broiler Growth Model

This study explores the alignment of theoretical broiler growth models with practical farm conditions, emphasizing the value of integrating commercial data into simulation models. The EFG Broiler Growth Model, developed by Emmens, Fisher and Gous, is highlighted for its mechanistic approach, predicting growth based on feed intake. While empirical models are useful, they are limited by changes in genetics. Both mechanistic and empirical models struggle to predict how broilers will respond to feed under the challenging conditions typically experienced in commercial operations. The study also discusses the development of empirical models to determine broiler responses to balanced protein and energy, and the integration of commercial data into simulation models for accurate predictions in real-world scenarios. Key factors such as balanced protein, energy, and the interaction between previous phase feeding and its effects on average daily gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) across different growth phases are analysed, with a focus on the impact of dietary protein and energy (Graph 1).