A broiler feeding strategy that cuts crude protein while holding moderate net energy and digestible lysine improved gut health and nutrient transport, according to a study published in December 2026 in Poultry Science, Volume 105, Issue 12.

Authors Minhao Zhang, Li Chen, Tahir Mahmood, Yves Mercier and Jianmin Yuan reported the work in the journal's twelfth issue of the year. The team tested whether reducing crude protein — an approach producers use to lower feed costs and nitrogen excretion — could still support intestinal function when nutritionists balance the ration around net energy and digestible lysine.

What did the researchers test?

The study examined broiler diets formulated with low crude protein combined with moderate net energy and digestible lysine levels. The authors measured markers of gut health and nutrient transport in the birds. Their findings pointed to improvements in both outcomes under the reduced-protein regimen, as stated in the published title and abstract of the paper.

The work matters because crude protein is among the largest cost drivers in poultry rations. Formulators who can lower it without compromising intestinal integrity gain a lever for feed economics and litter management alike.

Why does this matter at the feed mill?

For poultry veterinarians and nutritionists, the study addresses a practical tension. Reducing dietary protein can lessen water intake, wet litter and nitrogen output — but it risks shortchanging birds on amino acids needed for intestinal repair and transport function. This paper suggests the balance holds when nutritionists supply moderate net energy and digestible lysine alongside the protein reduction.

The findings apply to food-animal production directly. Healthier gut morphology and better nutrient transport can translate to more uniform flocks and fewer intestinal-health interventions, though the study's authors present the results as nutritional physiology rather than a clinical disease trial.

What changes in formulation?

The paper does not announce a regulatory action; it is peer-reviewed nutrition research, not a policy change from FDA CVM, USDA or another agency. Its value for practitioners lies in the formulation space it maps: low crude protein, moderate net energy, and digestible lysine set as the balancing variables.

Readers who want the full dataset — diets, bird numbers, duration and statistical results — will find it in Poultry Science, Volume 105, Issue 12, published December 2026. The journal is the cited source for every figure and methodological detail in the study.

Subsequent work will likely test how the same low-protein, moderate-energy approach performs across commercial flock scales and varying amino acid profiles.