Investigating Mushroom Stump Waste as a Broiler Feed Supplement

Source of poultryworld.net

Just over 90,000 metric tonnes (mt) of mushroom stump waste is generated annually from the production of button mushrooms. Stump waste comprises nearly 30% of the total mushroom weight. Could this agricultural by-product reduce waste and lower feed costs for broiler producers?

Pennsylvania is a leader in the production of broiler chickens and button mushrooms, making it fitting that a team of Penn State researchers conducted a study to understand better how supplementing broiler feed with mushroom stump waste affects the health and growth of the chickens.

During harvest, the head of the button mushroom is separated and used for human consumption, while the stump is composted as an agricultural by-product. “Roughly 93,264 metric tonnes of button mushroom stumps are composted yearly,” says research team leader John Boney, Vernon E. Norris Faculty Fellow of Poultry Nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Boney adds: “The stump is fibrous and contains therapeutic bioactive compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Because of its nutritional and medicinal properties, mushroom stump waste may be a viable feedstuff.”

Feeding Mushroom Stumps to Broilers

480 broiler chickens were divided into groups and fed six dietary treatments. The control group received no fungi supplementation, while the other groups had diets with 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% mushroom stump waste. Mushroom stumps were dried in a small grain dryer and ground to be included in the poultry feed.

The research team tested birds in the study for their ability to digest 17 amino acids, and tracked the growth and health of the birds. #AminoAcidDigestion #PoultryHealth #AnimalHusbandry

What Did the Researchers Discover?

Following a 21-day trial, the Penn State researchers reported that broiler chickens fed up to 3% mushroom stump waste grew at the same rate as birds in the study that didn’t receive fungi supplementation, and their digestion was unaffected. They noted that higher levels of supplementation – at 4% and 5% – resulted in slowed growth and interfered with the birds’ digestion of amino acids, the organic compounds used to make proteins. #BroilerChickenGrowth #FeedCostReduction #AgriculturalSciences