Precision Poultry Takes Centre Stage at PSA 2026 as Feed Costs, Bird Health and Farm Efficiency Come Under Pressure

Toronto, July 12, 2026: The global poultry industry is turning towards more precise feeding and flock management as producers face a difficult challenge: how to produce more chicken and eggs while controlling feed costs and keeping birds healthy without much usage of drugs and supplements.

This question is at the centre of a four-hour Precision Poultry Symposium being held on July 12 at the 2026 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada.

The symposium, hosted by Biofractal – a Precision animal nutrition & health powered by gene expression and AI company – brings together specialists in poultry genetics, nutrition, animal health, diagnostics and production. The official programme runs from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Poultry industry asks a simple question: can every bird be fed more precisely?

Traditional poultry feeding is largely based on providing a formulated diet to an entire flock. But birds are not identical. Genetics, age, health, gut condition and the farm environment can affect how efficiently an individual bird uses nutrients.

The emerging idea behind precision poultry nutrition is simple: use better information about birds, feed and farm conditions to make more accurate feeding decisions.

The Toronto symposium is examining nutritional and technology-based strategies that could make this approach more practical and affordable for commercial poultry farms.

Feed efficiency remains a major poultry industry concern

Poultry farming is pure economics. Feed is one of the largest costs in chicken and egg production. Even small improvements in the amount of feed required to produce body weight can therefore have a financial impact when multiplied across millions of birds.

This is one reason poultry nutrition research is increasingly moving beyond the basic question of whether a feed provides enough protein and energy.

Researchers are studying how birds digest feed, how nutrients interact with the gut and why some flocks use the same diet more efficiently than others.

The PSA 2026 meeting, running from July 10 to July 13, is bringing poultry scientists together to discuss new research across nutrition, health and poultry production.

Genetics, nutrition and bird health are increasingly connected

One of the main messages emerging from precision poultry research is that feeding decisions cannot always be separated from genetics and health.

Modern broilers have been selected for rapid growth and efficient feed use. However, poultry producers also need birds that can remain healthy when exposed to heat, disease pressure and changing farm conditions.

The Precision Poultry Symposium has therefore been built around the theme of “Balancing Efficiency & Resilience.”

According to the event programme, speakers are examining the links between genetics, nutrition, health, diagnostics and farm economics.

In simple terms, the industry is asking whether poultry diets can be designed not only to support faster production, but also to help birds cope better with everyday health and environmental pressures.

Poultry gut health becomes a major research area

At the same time, new feed research is placing greater attention on the digestive system of poultry. The July 2026 feed research discussion includes renewed interest in xylanase enzymes and their possible effect on beneficial gut microorganisms.

A July 7 review published by Feed & Additive Magazine explains that xylanase enzymes have been used in animal feed for more than 35 years. Traditionally, they were mainly valued for helping birds use certain parts of feed more efficiently. Researchers are now studying another possible role.

When xylanase breaks down plant fibre, it can help produce small compounds known as xylo-oligosaccharides. These compounds may provide food for selected microorganisms living in the gut.

This has opened a wider question: could some feed enzymes support gut health as well as feed digestion?

Feed additives are being asked to prove more

The change is important for the global feed additive industry. For years, many feed products were promoted mainly around better growth or improved feed use.

Poultry companies are now asking wider questions. Does the product help birds during stress? Does it support the gut? Can it reduce dependence on antibiotics? Are the benefits consistent under commercial farm conditions?

The Precision Poultry Symposium specifically identifies reduced antibiotic reliance, bird welfare and sustainability among the pressures shaping new poultry production strategies.

This means feed additive companies may increasingly need stronger research showing how and why their products work.

Data could change poultry feeding decisions

Better farm information is another major part of precision poultry production. Modern poultry farms can collect information on feed intake, body weight, water consumption, temperature and flock performance.

The challenge is turning these numbers into useful daily decisions. Instead of discovering a production problem at the end of a flock cycle, better monitoring could help farmers identify changes earlier.

For example, an unexpected change in water intake or feed consumption may provide an early warning that birds are under stress or developing a health problem.

The goal is not simply to collect more data. The real value comes from helping farmers act earlier and make better decisions.

Precision poultry must also be affordable

The Toronto symposium highlights an important reality: advanced poultry technology will have limited value if commercial farmers cannot afford to use it.

The full title of the four-hour meeting is “Precision Poultry: Balancing Efficiency & Resilience – The technologies and nutritional strategies that are making precision nutrition an affordable reality.”

That focus on affordability may be especially important for poultry-producing countries where farm sizes and access to technology vary widely.

The next stage of precision poultry may therefore depend on simpler monitoring systems, practical nutrition tools and feed strategies that can show a clear financial return.

Poultry nutrition is moving beyond a standard feed formula

The discussions around PSA 2026 and current feed research point to a wider change in the poultry industry. The future of poultry feeding may no longer be about finding one ideal diet for every bird and every farm.

Genetics, gut health, climate, disease pressure and farm conditions can all affect how birds respond to feed. Precision poultry aims to understand these differences and use that information to improve feeding and flock management.

For poultry producers, the goal remains very practical: healthier birds, better use of feed and more predictable production costs.

For the animal nutrition industry, however, the message from Toronto is bigger.

The next generation of poultry feed products may increasingly be judged not only by what is added to the feed—but by whether the product delivers a measurable benefit in the bird and on the farm.