Hemicell and ß-mannans case study - the story at Cranswick

• State of the art poultry processing facility in mid Suffolk: £75m investment since 2016
• Vertically integrated operation: breeder farms, hatchery and broiler farms, all fed by two mills
• Used Hemicell for nearly a decade

The story at Cranswick

The primary passions at Cranswick are driving efficiency and ensuring top quality, so they can justifiably be the first choice for their customers. The desire to improve these two metrics is seen at all levels, from reinvesting in facilities, to the nutrients that they make available to their birds. Bird nutrition is also at the heart of Elanco’s Intestinal Integrity (I²) programme, which is why Cranswick recognise the benefits of using Hemicell.

How do you use Hemicell?

We have been using Hemicell for nearly 10 years now, alongside NSP and phytase. We put an energy value on the feed enzyme and incorporate as part of the matrix formulation.

What benefits have you seen from using Hemicell?

Hemicell completely stops the negative impacts of β-mannans found in feed, and so improves the utilisation of nutrients in the bird. There is a definite feed cost saving, whilst performance is maintained. We also see improved litter quality and grading at the factory, and litter usage appears to be lower. We switched away from Hemicell at one point but reverted back within 18 months, as litter quality dropped.

Will you continue to use Hemicell?

We’ve already experienced what happens when we stop using it, so whilst performance and litter quality are good - absolutely!