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Abstract
As the human population grows, poultry production must improve to accommodate it and the increasing interest in animal welfare. A design of skip-a-day vs spin-feeding and 15wk vs 21wk photostimulation determined if early photostimulation or everyday spin feeding lowered hunger stress in broiler breeders (BB). SPIN21 had significantly (P<0.05) higher corticosterone than SAD15 during rearing. At 15wk, SAD21 had significantly (P<0.05) higher corticosterone than SAD15. These results indicate rearing BB on an advanced growth curve (early photostimulation) causes a reduction in stress. Additionally, the use of antibiotic growth promoters is slowing in broilers, creating a need for alternatives. Broilers were raised on four diets, three containing mixtures of essential oils. EO’s did not significantly impact breast meat characteristics, but differences in live weight were seen between EO treatments. These differences were most likely seen due to immune-stimulating effects of BioStrong.