Types of feeds and

feeding guide
Types of Feeds

 Pre-starter or Chick Booster. Feeds given

to broiler from 1 day to 2 weeks old.
 Starter. Feeds given from 2 to 4 weeks old.
 Finisher.
Feeds given to broilers from 4
weeks old until market age.
Forms of Feeds

 Mash– composed of a mixture of ground

and powdered form of feedstuffs.
 Pellets– compressed mash feeds. Feeds are
compressed through pelleting machine.
Pellet varies in size.
 Crumble – composed of coarsely ground
pellets
 Mash feeds is recommended for use only
during the first 2 weeks as an alternative to
crumbles, however, under local condition,
this form of feed is commonly use for the
entire growing period.

 Mashfeeds is easier to prepare and much

cheaper than crumbles or pellets.
 Broilersmay be fed with crumbles during
the entire growing period. When chicks are
2 – 3 weeks of age, they will eat starter
pellets in preference to mash or crumbles.
 Atabout 4 weeks of age, broiler finisher
pellets which are larger should be fed. Of
the total feed consumption, approximately,
prestarter feed is 15%, 35% starter feed,
and 50% finisher feed.
Advantages of
Pelleting
Advantages of Pelleting

 Feed loss due to wind is less.

 Feed dustiness is reduced.
 No separation of ingredients in pelleted feeds
during handling.
 Increasesfeed density and chicken can consume
more low energy (high-fiber) feeds
 Certainfeed ingredients are unacceptable
to chickens, but when feeds are pelleted,
consumption markedly increases.
 The heat, moisture, and pressure from the
pelleting process may increase the ration
efficiency.
 Less feed wastage from feeders.
Disadvantages of Pelleting
Disadvantages of Pelleting

 Added cost of pelleting than mash feed.

 Fine
particles are wasted when pellets
break into crumbles.
 Increases water consumption.
 Droppings are wetter when pellets are fed.
 Pellets
increase incidence and severity of
cannibalism
Feeding Systems

 Feeds must be made available to the birds

at all times. They must be provided with
artificial light to enable them to eat at
night.
 When open trough feeders are used, refill
them as frequent as possible. Fresh feeds
must be mixed with the remaining feed in
the trough during feeding time.
 Inmost commercial broiler farms, tube
feeders are commonly used to ensure
sustained supply of feeds to the chickens
and make feeding convenient to the
caretaker.
 Check from time to time the tube feeders
to ensure the flow of feed from the tube to
the pan. Hang the tube feeder to a height
that will level the brim of the pan with the
back of the chickens.
Wet mash Versus Dry mash
 A procedure of past years was to moisten
the mash and feed it as a wet mash,
supposedly to induce greater feed
consumption. This may be true for the first
day or two than wet mash is fed, but birds
soon learn to adjust for the increased
palatability, and feed consumption reverts
to its normal level.
Wet-mash feeding will not:

Increase egg production

Increase egg weight
Increase growth
Increase feed conversion
Calorie/Protein Ratio (CP/Ratio)
 There is a close association between the
number of calories of ME in the ration and the
percentage of protein necessary to balance the
energy. The ratio varies with the age of the birds
and the use to which they are put. The ratio is
expressed as a figure calculated by dividing the
number of kcal of ME per pound of feedstuff by
the percentage of protein.
Example:
 Theration contain 1,200 kcal of ME per lb,
and 20% protein, thus, the CP ratio is 60
(1,200/20=60)
Some recommended ratios on a pound basis
according to the type of bird given below:
  Type of birds C/P Ratio (ME)

Broilers 0-2 weeks 58

Broilers 3-7 weeks 75

Chicks 0-5 weeks 67

Growing 6-22 weeks 90

Laying & breeding 50% production 91

Laying & breeding 60% production 86

Laying & breeding 70% production 81

Laying & breeding 80% production 76

Laying & breeding 90% production 70

Basic Components of a ration

 Carbohydrates.
 Fats
 Mill by-products.
 Green, leafy material
 Fish protein.
 Animal protein.
 Vegetable protein
 Amino Acid supplements.
 Macro minerals.
 Trace Minerals.
 Antibiotic supplement
 Vitamins.
 Antioxidants.
 Medicaments and drugs.
 Other.These include supplementary
sources of xanthophyll’s, hormones,
enzymes, pellet binders, flavors and
several other items. They are used only
under certain conditions.
List of four rations and their
calculated analyses.
 Chickstarter. Includes 20 and 18% starter to be
used for egg-type and meat-type strains from 1
day of age through the fifth week (35 days)

 Chickgrower. These are 14 and 12% protein egg-

and meat-type cockerel and pullet-growing
rations to be used from the beginning of the sixth
week (36 days) until they reach sexual maturity.
Broiler Rations

 Broilerstarter. This ration is to be used

until male and female broiler chicks are 14
days of age.
 Broilergrower. This ration is to be used
beginning with the 15th day until the
cockerel chicks are 37days of age and the
pullet chicks are 41 days of age.
 BroilerFinisher. This ration is to be fed to
cockerels beginning with the 38th day until
they are marketed and to pullets beginning
with the 42nd day until they are marketed.
It may also be used as a drug-withdrawal
feeds by removing all medicinal drugs from
the formula
Factors affecting pullet
development
 There are several factors of importance in
pullet development. But the major rule
that applies in is two parts, and each part
is extremely important. Each group of egg-
type pullets must reach sexual maturity
 Atthe correct weight for that particular
strain
 At
an age that is optimum to produce eggs
economically during her laying year
From a feeding standpoint, the following
have a bearing on the above rules:
 Genetics. The size (weight) of a strain of
layers at sexual maturity is a derivation of
genetics.
 Season of hatch. Two problems that
confront the poultry man when chicks are
started at different months of the year,
with only normal daylight and full feeding,
are as follows,
 Thosepullets raised during decreasing light
days reach sexual maturity at an older age
 Theyounger the bird at sexual maturity,
the smaller the size of the first eggs.
 Light
Stimulation. It is very imminent to
have a lighting control program during the
growing period
 Stress.Chicken are subjected to stresses
during the growing stage, many of these
are manmade.
 Management Practices. Many management
practices call for a change in the feed
formula and feeding method. Whether birds
are to be raised on a litter floor or in cages
with wire floors is a typical example. As
birds exercises less in cages than on the
floor their daily energy requirement is
lower
Feed Additives in Feed
Ration
 Antifungal agents. They are used to prevent
fungal (mold) growth in stored ingredients and
mixed feeds.
 The use of a mold inhibitor is strongly
recommended when: moisture content of grains
exceeds 13%-14%; relative humidity is above 80%;
temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit and above;
or the grain is damaged, broken, or insect
infested.
 Antioxidants. They are preservatives that
prevent the autoxidation (rancidity) of fats.
Unsaturated fatty acids may react with
oxygen to produce undesirable products
with offensive odors and toxic properties
and destruction of nutrients such as fat-
soluble vitamins.
 Anticoccidialagents. They are being used
to prevent the incidence of coccidiosis.
 Feeds accounts for the largest single
expense in poultry production. Almost 80%
of the total expense especially in broiler
and egg production is on feeds.
 However, in some poultry types and breeds
such as ducks and free-range chickens,
there are some plants and animal-by-
products which can be utilized as
alternative feed sources.
Some alternative feed sources:

 Tree leaves and shrubs

 Banana stalks
 Peanut hay
 Gumamela
 Ipil-ipil
 Rice bran
 Corn bran
 Snails
 Grasses
 Green vegetables
 Thesealternative feed sources are first
processed by chopping, grinding, cooking,
and drying, and most of these feed sources
could be mixed together before it is given
as feed to poultry animals.
Feeding Practice for
Broilers
 Ad libitum feeding is the normal practice in
growing broilers. Feed should be made
available to birds at any given time. The
indications of ad libitum feeding are the
following:
 Availability of feed at all times
 No pre-set amount of feed to be given
 Feeders at ½ full at all times
 Crops should not be empty except prior to
harvest
 Adequate feeding space per bird
Simple Feeding Guide for Layers
Depending on the age of the Flock

Age of Flock Kind of Feed

Day-old to 6 weeks Chick starter mash with 20-21% protein

7 to 14 weeks Grower ration with 16% protein

15 to 20 weeks Pullet developer with 14% protein

When pullets starts laying Laying mash with 16to 18% protein