Animal Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 29-38 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/amb 29 Review and Progress Open Access Review of Nutritional Requirements in Chickens: Optimizing Feed Formulation for Growth and Health Jing He, Jun Li Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: jun.li@cuixi.org Animal Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/amb.2025.15.0004 Received: 20 Dec., 2024 Accepted: 26 Jan., 2025 Published: 21 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 He and Li, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: He J., and Li J., 2025, Review of nutritional requirements in chickens: optimizing feed formulation for growth and health, Animal Molecular Breeding, 15(1): 29-38 (doi: 10.5376/amb.2025.15.0004) Abstract Nutritional requirements of chickens have crucial roles in growth, health, and production performance. With the industry of poultry growing at a record-breaking pace, the goal of maximizing feed formulae for maximum feed efficiency, healthy development, reduced environmental pollution, and cost-saving has been among the research topics of concern. This study scientifically reviews the nutritional needs of chickens for essential nutrients, i.e., energy, protein and amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and water as well as differences in nutrition at various stages of growth. It also reviews how feed formulation can be improved, e.g., alternative sources of protein supplementation, precise balancing of amino acids, use of feed additives, and green feeding management. Nutrition not only affects growth rate but also plays a central role in immune response, gut integrity, and meat and egg quality. With ongoing developments in advanced farming technologies, precision feeding and data-driven feed optimization will play an increasingly central role in future research agendas. Studies on the genetics-nutrition interaction and the development of new feed ingredients will make poultry farming more sustainable. This study releases the latest data on poultry nutrition control, attempting to guide scientific feeding practices, enhance production efficiency, and achieve a maximum of animal health. Keywords Chicken nutritional requirements; Feed formulation optimization; Poultry growth; Health management; Sustainable farming 1 Introduction Poultry farming is a backbone of international agriculture, producing enormous amounts of the globe's meat and egg proteins. It is simultaneously a driver both of food security and development and of industrial and smallholder farmers. Genetic enhancement, nutrition, and management on farm have over the decades revolutionized productivity at minimal cost and environmental effect. However, in spite of that, risks of fluctuating feed costs, disease epizootics, and increasing consumer demands for sustainable and ethical production still influence the industry (Kishawy et al., 2024). Backyard poultry keeping in developing nations is critical to poverty alleviation and improvement in family diets, showcasing its social and economic significance in broader terms. As there is a growing international need for poultry products, there are more and more new means by which scientists and industry actors try to determine how they can maximize their formulation of feed in order to gain highest efficiency and sustainability (He et al., 2021). Equilibrium in nutrition is the basis to attain maximum poultry growth, health, and performance. Adequate diet not only promotes feed conversion but also improves immune function and egg and meat quality (Beski et al., 2015). Major macronutrients such as energy and protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, maintain a chicken's metabolic and physiological functions. When the above nutrients are lacking or imbalanced, chickens can grow slower, have low feed efficiency, and be more vulnerable to disease (Barekatain et al., 2021). This has, consequently, fueled interest in precision nutrition and gut health management to maximize nutrient utilization and performance. Additionally, with the industry focus now leaning towards the production of antibiotic-free products, nutrition methods that enhance immunity naturally have become a priority. Understanding the nutrient needs of chickens at different life stages allows more precise formulation of feeds and, in the long run, optimizes efficiency and profitability in production (Moss et al., 2021). The review herein is on
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