For reasons of aspired naturalness and cost reduction, vitamin additions should be kept low in organic livestock systems. To define safe lower threshold levels of riboflavin supplementation in organic poultry feeding, 135 hybrid layers were allocated to three dietary treatments supplemented with either 4.5 (R4.5), 3.0 (R3.0) or 1.5 mg (R1.5) GMO-free riboflavin added per kg feed. This resulted in total measured concentration averages of 5.0, 4.5, and 3.1 mg kg−1 feed for R4.5, R3.0 and R1.5, respectively.

Published in “Sustainability”. Organic monogastric agriculture is challenged because of a limited availability of regional and organic protein-rich ingredients to fulfill the amino acid requirements. The development of novel feed ingredients is therefore essential.

Organic broilers grow slower than conventional birds and so producers face the challenge of feeding quality feed components at lower concentrations. Feed needs to fulfil the amino acid and energy requirements of broilers for efficient growth and development, but growth is slower. Choice of feeding, access to range and forages can increase the utilisation of protein and energy, which will increase feed efficiency. The requirements for birds to use the range area is part of the solution.