Summary
This study investigates the effect of dietary flaxseed oil supplementation on the productive performance and fatty acid profile of village (kampung) chickens, a locally significant poultry type in Southeast Asia. Published in the Tropical Animal Science Journal in 2025, it likely demonstrates that flaxseed oil, as a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), can enrich the omega-3 fatty acid content of chicken meat and potentially improve the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, with variable effects on growth performance depending on inclusion level. The findings contribute to the evidence base for using plant-derived lipid supplements to improve the nutritional quality of poultry products in smallholder and semi-intensive farming contexts.
UK applicability
The study focuses on village chickens in a tropical Southeast Asian context, which differs substantially from UK commercial or free-range poultry systems; however, the underlying principle — that flaxseed oil supplementation can enrich poultry meat with omega-3 fatty acids — is directly relevant to UK efforts to produce omega-3-enriched eggs and poultry meat, and aligns with existing UK industry practice of feeding flaxseed to laying hens.
Key measures
Body weight gain (g); feed conversion ratio; feed intake (g/bird/day); lipid content (%); omega-3 fatty acid concentration (mg/g or %); omega-6 fatty acid concentration (mg/g or %); omega-6:omega-3 ratio
Outcomes reported
The study measured growth performance parameters (e.g. body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio) and the lipid and omega fatty acid composition (including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) of village chicken meat in response to dietary flaxseed oil supplementation.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.