Efficacy of new bacterial phytase in poultry diets

Phytase produced by Escherichia coli was fed to broiler chicks fed graded levels of available phosphorus (0.25–45%). A positive control involved Natuphos® a fungal phytase commonly used in poultry nutrition. Feeding diets with only 0.25% available phosphorus from 1 to 13 d of age resulted in reduced feed intake and weight gain, with associated loss in tibia weight, tibia ash and tibia phosphorus content (P < 0.01). Adding 600 IU phytase kg−1 diet corrected these problems, and both sources were equally efficacious for most parameters studied.