Computational modeling was presented as a tool to make decisions for solving the daily complex problems in poultry production and research. Theoretical aspects related to construction and implementation of the different types of models used in poultry production and research were elementarily described. We tried to make this paper accessible to people that do not necessarily have a strong background in experimental statistic. Special emphasis was given to discuss the advantages of modeling to solve the complex problem of nutrient requirement estimation for poultry under different conditions. A chronological review of publications related to software which was developed to help the establishment of poultry nutritional strategies showed that they are based on growth modeling associated with models of nutritional requirement and minimum cost diets. The evolution and sophistication of those programs are coming with the advance of information technology. However, the efficiency of a simulation depends on the real situation knowledge that is provided by the traditional research. In many cases, it is fundamentally important to connect information of different disciplines that are direct or indirectly related with poultry production.
Mathematical modeling; poultry production; simulation; computers
