Iron, a mineral often overlooked in complexity but highly impactful when too much of dissociated iron becomes available for pathogenic bacteria in the gut of the animal. At Zinpro®, we continuously analyze feed ingredients from around the world for iron and other trace minerals to better guide and adjust supplementation.
Iron’s Role in Poultry Diets
The trace mineral iron is required by animals for numerous functions, including:
- Oxygen transport
- Immunity
- Energy metabolism
- Muscle development
In addition, when an animal has the proper balance of trace minerals it is better able to cope with the challenging effects of stress. In broilers, iron contributes to growth and feed efficiency; in layers, next to growth, it supports eggshell quality indirectly through its effects on systemic health.
Prevent Overfeeding of Iron
Excess iron can disturb gut homeostasis, increase oxidative stress and promote dysbiosis by favoring pathogenic bacterial populations such as E. coli and Salmonella. When pathogenic bacteria proliferate, the bird will become less feed efficient, but also food safety risks become higher.
Common Sources of Iron in Poultry Nutrition
How much iron is already available in the diet and how much we should supplement on top of that is not as easy as it seems. This is because iron enters poultry diets through several routes:
- Inorganic feed phosphates and limestone: These are common ingredients used in poultry diets to meet the calcium and phosphorus needs of birds, and contain high iron levels. This iron source is poorly retained by the bird (<10%), but does acts as a nutrient source for pathogenic bacteria.
- Animal-based ingredients (meat and bone meal, feather meal, blood meal, etc.):The iron present in these ingredients are in such a form that they can be absorbed well by the animal. When animal meals are used in poultry diets, iron supplementation might be lowered or not needed at all. This iron source is well retained by the bird.
- Plant-based ingredients (grains): The big three in poultry diets (soy, corn, wheat) contain iron, but often this is complexed with phytate, rendering it poorly bioavailable unless exogenous phytase is used. This iron source is poorly retained by the bird.
- Drinking water: High levels of iron in poultry drinking water can occur due to high iron concentration in the water well or through equipment damage. This iron source is poorly retained by the bird (<10%) but does acts as a nutrient source for pathogenic bacteria.
Iron Supplementation: Source Matters
When supplementing iron, assumptions are often made about the mineral content of raw materials, and additional iron is added based on those estimates. Inorganic sources are still the most used iron supplement for poultry. But like rock-based ingredients, the commonly used inorganic iron salts also dissociate easily in the gut, making iron readily accessible not only to the bird but also to enteric bacteria. While these forms of iron seem cost-effective, they can also contribute to unintended issues.
In contrast, organic iron complexes offer improved stability and targeted absorption. An example is Zinpro® Availa® Fe, built on a unique, patented molecule that consists of one metal ion bound to one amino acid ion. Research showed that Zinpro Availa Fe fed to broiler breeders improves fertility and hatchability and supports better performance metrics of the offspring (trials showed up to +66g body weight in broilers at day 34) when compared to inorganic iron. Due to the better retention of organic iron, lower inclusion rates can be applied.
More Data with Zinpro Mineral Mapping
In addition to the continuous research on our performance minerals, Zinpro also builds a large and growing mineral database, based on mapping many raw material samples (including limestone and phosphates) from around the world. This database allows nutritionists for all species to better predict dietary mineral contributions including iron from the raw materials they use and optimize supplementation strategies accordingly.
It is like an extra piece of information and an alert system before you start formulating the final diet. This way we can reduce safety margins (and overfeeding of iron) and better protect gut health and food safety.
To learn more about Zinpro Availa Fe or our mineral mapping database, contact a Zinpro representative today.
