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Producing feed for broilers is the primary cost of chicken-meat production. Thus, formulation of a cost-effective diet that will meet broiler nutritional requirements is critical for an efficient and profitable industry. To ensure this can be acheived, the nutrient specifications of feed ingredients must be accurately determined. However, Australian broiler nutritionists have expressed concern as many nutrient specification databases contain dated information, a small sample size, or lack Australian specific data. Additionally, crosschecks, compiling and maintaining current and reliable data is a time consuming and costly task for each nutritionist to undertake themselves.

This project will compile a database of Australian and global feed ingredient nutrient specifications for common Australian feedstuffs used in poultry diets. These specifications will be attained from commercial companies, and where data is lacking, from publications or other online sources. The database will then be assessed for the amount of variation present, and whether the number of samples is sufficient to obtain a good estimate of the nutrient value of the feedstuff, or if more data is needed. The database itself will also be made available to poultry nutritionists, industry and researchers.