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Challenges in Today’s Poultry Nutrition

Key details

About this course
  • On-site
  • Wednesday 16 September 2026 - Friday 18 September 2026
  • 3 days
  • € 1,950.00

Learn about this course

Introduction
Poultry nutrition is no longer about maximizing performance. Professionals must navigate health challenges, antimicrobial reduction, fluctuating feed costs and increasing demands for sustainability and animal welfare, often with conflicting outcomes. Nutritional choices that improve animal health may affect welfare, costs, resilience and vice versa. This course helps you to understand these trade-offs and to develop evidence-based feeding strategies to tackle challenges in today's poultry nutrition.

For who is this course fitting?

Target audience

This course is designed for professionals interested in poultry nutrition and especially suitable for junior to medior professionals (0-8 years of working experience) in roles including but not limited to:

  • Feed formulators, nutritionists and technical managers in feed companies or integrators who need to choose between ingredients, additives and nutritional concepts based on scientific evidence rather than just product specifications and claims.
  • Veterinarians and poultry health advisors who want to use nutrition more effectively in preventive health strategies, while reducing reliance on antibiotics and other antimicrobials.
  • Professionals in pharmaceutical and feed additive companies involved in R&D, product development or technical sales who want to develop and place their products within a solid nutritional, physiological scientific context.
  • Technical advisors and consultants supporting poultry farmers in balancing performance, health, welfare, costs and sustainability in practice.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes
  • Describe the role of poultry nutrition in the broader context of modern poultry production, including health challenges, reduced antimicrobial use, sustainability demands and animal welfare considerations.
  • Understand the physiological and nutritional mechanisms underlying digestion, gut health and nutrient utilization in poultry.
  • Evaluate feed ingredients and nutritional interventions, including feed additives such as amino acids, enzymes, organic acids and pre- and probiotics, based on scientific evidence.
  • Assess the effects and trade-offs of nutritional choices on animal health, resilience, welfare, performance and nutrient efficiency.
  • Critically evaluate nutritional concepts, products and claims, distinguishing scientifically supported effects from assumptions or myths.

Programme details

Programme

The programme is structured around key nutritional challenges in modern poultry systems, combining scientific insights with practical implications:

  • Feed formulation, feed management and customised nutrition, including optimisation of feed composition, precision feeding and system-level interactions.
  • Feeding strategies for layers, parent stock and broiler breeders, with attention to different life stages and resilience.
  • Nutrition and (gut) health in broilers, covering digestion, microbiota and immunity.
  • Nutritional interventions and additives, examined by linking observed effects to biological mechanisms and scientific evidence.
  • Nutrition in hot climates and nutrition--climate interactions, focusing on thermoregulation, mineral nutrition and feeding strategies under heat stress.

Health and safety
We closely monitor the situation around bird flu to take additional precautions if necessary. We ask participants to observe hygiene measures before coming to this course.

Certification

Certification

Based on your attendance, you will receive a certificate at the end of the programme.

Coordinated by

Coordinators

Ahead of this course, we are closely monitoring the situation around bird flu and taking additional precautions if necessary. We ask participants to observe hygiene measures before coming to this course.

Interested in Challenges in Today’s Poultry Nutrition?

Organisational unit

Wageningen Academy

Educational type

Course

Interest area

Agriculture, Horticulture and Animals

Date

Wed 16 September 2026 -
Fri 18 September 2026

Price

€1950 - This includes course materials, lunches, refreshments, and dinner on day 2. The course fee does not cover travel, accommodation or other personal expenses.

Format

On-site

Course starts immediately

Fixed start date

Language of instruction

English

Minimum number of learners

15

Maximum number of learners

35