Impacts of Increasing Additions of Choline Chloride on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens Reared to 66 Days of Age

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Recommendations for choline intake in broiler chickens are potentially outdated and do not include work investigating the entire grow-out period. Broilers were fed increasing concentrations of additional choline chloride above what was provided by a basal corn- and soybean meal-based diet ingredients, reared for 66 days, and then processed. Supplemental choline had no impact on broiler growth performance or breast myopathy incidence, but it altered carcass part yields. These results suggest that feeding additional choline may not be beneficial for broilers grown to heavier market weights in the absence of environmental and dietary stress. ABSTRACT: The most recent research cited by the NRC Nutrition Requirements of Poultry to establish choline recommendations was published in 1987, so choline guidelines for modern broilers are outdated and may be insufficient to optimize growth. The objective was to determine the effect of additional dietary choline chloride supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of modern broilers reared for 66 days. As-hatched Ross 708 × Yield Plus broiler chicks (n = 2160; 30 birds per pen) were randomly allotted to one of six experimental corn and soybean meal-based diets formulated to contain an additional 0, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, or 2000 mg of choline chloride above the choline content of the basal diet ingredients. Diets were fed in four phases, and birds were processed at day 66 of age. Growth performance and breast myopathy incidence was not impacted by added choline. While there were differences in breast, wing, thigh, and drum yields, the effects of added choline were not linear. Supplemental choline chloride was not beneficial for growth performance but did impact the carcass characteristics of modern, large frame broilers reared for 66 days.