Feed and Animal Nutrition

PSCT 310
Name: Josias Kawele Kaseba
Instructor: Dr. AYSEN BULANCAK
Student number: 22013335
2023-24 Fall Term
Feeding Rations depend on the growth and
production period of Poultry
Introduction.
The most convenient manner of feeding chickens is with a balanced pelleted
ration, whether or not the birds are restrained interior or allowed to range
outdoors. maximum diets contain corn to provide them energy, soybean meal
for protein, and nutrition and mineral supplements. commercial rations often
contain antibiotics and arsenicals to promote fitness and improve their
growth, coccidiostats for preventing coccidiosis, and every now and then
mold inhibitors. however, it's far possible to achieve unmedicated feed.
The feed is pelleted so the bird can devour more at one time. Chickens are
nibblers and make common trips to the feed trough for small meals, which
requires power. Pelleting reduces the quantity of energy required for a
chicken to feed.
Poultry growth stages
while raising chickens, expertise in their life tiers may be
empowering. it could resource in providing the top-quality food,
refuge, and care they need at every particular stage.
Three phases comprise the whole poultry production chain from
when baby chicks arrive at the farm until they arrive at the
slaughterhouse, the 3 stages are: the chick stage, grower stage, and
layer stage.
Nutritional Needs for Chicks
Chicks, from the day they hatch, until they're 6 weeks, require a diet rich in
protein. A starter feed with 18-24% protein is ideal, depending on the breed
of chick. Meat chicken breeds prefer 20-24% protein because of their fast
growth, even slower-growing layer birds do nicely with 18-20% protein. For
layer breed chicks, recall using a mix starter/grower so no diet plan transition
is needed until the method laying age. Starter feed not only fuels a chick’s
rapid growth but also gives critical nutrients and minerals for sturdy bone
and muscle improvement.
Nutritional Needs for Growers
As they transition from 6 to 20 weeks, their growth slows down. it's
where the grower feed comes in, with a protein content material
reduced to approximately 18%. It ensures they receive a balanced mix
of vitamins for constant development.
The feed should also contain amino acids such as lysine and vitamins
and minerals to support proper bone development. Additionally, make
sure your chicks have constant access to water.
Nutritional Needs for Layers
once your hens are on the point of laying eggs (normally through 20 weeks)
their nutritional desires shift. They want a “layer” feed that’s rich in calcium to
strengthen their eggshells. an average layer feed consists of around 16%
protein, combined with increased calcium. we can generally advocate
transitioning from the starter/grower feed to a layer feed (around 18 weeks) to
ensure enough calcium inside the diet plan. This diet alternate can also help
cause your hens’ laying instinct due to the extended availability of essential
nutrients. You need to also remember that light performs an important
function in egg manufacturing, with chickens requiring 14-16 hours of mild
every day for high egg production
Diving Deeper into Layer Feed
Layer feed is more than just food; it is a balanced diet program designed particularly
for egg production. It’s available in specific forms - mash, collapse, and pellets. Mash
is ordinarily used for the youngest chicks. collapse can be right at any age, and
seems to be a favorite for maximum chickens. however, it may be messy specifically
if they use a feeder that can be tipped over or that they can scratch out of. Pellets
are nice for decreasing mess and waste but may be too big for some bantam breeds.

Each chicken may additionally have its desire, so a touch of trial and error might be
which will locate your flock’s favor. Layer feed is formulated to meet the precise
needs of laying hens. beyond being meals, it guarantees that hens acquire a
balanced consumption of important amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals, and water, all crucial for most advantageous egg production and
ordinary fitness.
Feed ingredients
• Cereal grains
Cereal grains are used in particular to fulfill the energy requirement of the
hen. The dominant feed grain is corn, even though different grains are used in
diverse international locations and areas in the world. for instance, within the
US, Brazil, and most Asian countries corn is by a long way the maximum
essential energy supply for all chicken feed, whereas wheat is the essential
provider of dietary energy for chicken diets in Europe, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, and the Russian Federation.

The quality of cereal grains will also rely on seasonal and storage situations.
bad growing and storage situations can cause grains with a lower-than-
expected energy content material or contamination with mycotoxins or toxin-
producing organisms which include fungi and ergots. Genetic and
environmental factors additionally affect not only the content material of
vitamins in grains but additionally, the nutritive price, which takes into
consideration the digestibility of nutrients contained in an element within the
target animal.
ME (metabolizable energy) value and
key nutrient composition of cereal grains

Protein ME Calcium
Ingredient (%) (kcal/kg) (%)
Wheat 13.0 3153 0.05
Corn 8.5 3300 0.05
sorghum 9.0 3263 0.02
Barley 11.5 2795 0.10
Rye 12.5 2734 0.05
Triticale 15.4 3110 0.05
Oats 12.0 2756 0.10
• Protein Meals
Protein is provided from both vegetable and animal sources, such as oilseed meals,
legumes, and abattoir and fish processing by-products.
1. Vegetable Protein Sources
Vegetable protein resources generally come as meal or oilseed crops. the main oilseed
crops consist of soybean, rapeseed/canola, sunflower, palm kernel, copra, linseed
peanut and sesame seed. After the oil is extracted, the final residue is used as a feed
ingredient.
Oilseed food make up 20-30% of a poultry food diet. Inclusion levels do vary amongst
formulations for exclusive species and for the same species in one-of-a-kind regions.
the primary vegetable protein sources used are soybean and canola. different sources
like cottonseed, sunflower, peas, and lupins may be covered in poultry feed
formulations if these are to be had at a good price.
ME values and Nutrient composition
of vegetable protein sources
Ingredient Protein ME (kcal/kg) Calcium Lysine Main Anti-
(%) (%) (%) nutritional factor
Soybean meal 48.0 2557 0.20 3.2 Trypsin inhibitor

Canola meal 37.5 2000 0.66 2.2 Glucosinolates

Cottonseed 41.0 2350 0.15 1.7 Gossypol

meal
Sunflower 46.8 2205 0.30 1.6 High fiber
meal
Peas 23.5 2550 0.10 1.6 Trypsin inhibitor

Lupins 34.5 3000 0.20 1.7 Toxic alkaloid

2. Animal Protein Sources

The main animal protein sources used in poultry diets are meat meal, meat and
bone meal, fish meal, poultry by-product meal, blood meal, and feather meal.
Although the production of animal protein for human consumption has been under
continual pressure and marred by much controversy, the worldwide and domestic
consumption of animal protein continues to grow and much of the future supply of
meat protein will come from poultry. With increased animal protein production
there will be increased demand for feed and, in particular, a demand for ingredients
high in protein and energy.
ME values Nutrient levels in selected animal protein meals

Nutrient Meat & Bone Blood Feather Poultry

ME (MJ/kg) 11.2 15.2 13.7 13.1
Protein (%) 50.4 88.9 81.0 60.0
Fat (%) 10.0 1.0 7.0 13.0
Calcium (%) 10.3 0.4 0.3 3.0
Phosphorus 5.1 0.3 0.5 1.7
(%)
Lysine (%) 2.6 7.1 2.3 3.1
Methionine (%) 0.7 0.6 0.6 1.0
Cystine (%) 0.7 0.5 4.3 1.0
• Fats And Oils
fats and oils, collectively termed lipids, are frequently utilized in hen feed to
meet the energy needs of the animal as lipids have twice the amount of ME
in comparison with carbohydrates or proteins per kg weight. Lipids are also
an essential service for fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and k) as well as for the
supply of an important fatty acid, linoleic acid, within the diet. a ramification
of fat and oils are used in feed, which includes lipids of animal origins
(normally fat, i.e., tallow, lard, besides fish oil) and lipids of vegetable
foundation (typically oils, i.e., soy oil, canola/rapeseed oil, sunflower oil,
linseed oil, palm oil, cottonseed oil). In practical feed formulation, the level
of lipids rarely exceeds 4% in compound feed.
• Minerals And Vitamins
Minerals are important for normal growth and development in poultry, which includes bone formation
and body approaches consisting of enzyme activation. A few minerals such as calcium and phosphorus
are required in big portions. For instance, laying hens require 3.5-4% calcium, 0.3-0.4% available
phosphorus, and 0.2% sodium in their diets for egg production. Different minerals, consisting of
copper, iron, manganese, zinc, selenium, cobalt, iodine, and molybdenum, are required in milligram
portions however deficiency of these minerals will cause severe health troubles in slight instances and
death in excessive cases.

Furthermore, vitamins are critical for the body structures of roosters. each fat-soluble (A, D, E, okay)
and water-soluble (biotin, choline, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid,
and B12) is needed inside the eating diet to hold right health and wellness of chicken.

some vitamins and minerals are furnished by using maximum ingredients but the necessities for
nutrients and minerals are generally met through premixes added to the diet plan. Diets may also
contain additives for specific purposes.
Feed management and structure
Feed management begins at the time that the chicks or pullets arrive at their
poultry house.
The feed structure is very important, in case you only take a look at the label
of the feed, you will forget the feed shape (structure). whilst feed structure
could have a massive impact on feed consumption as well as on nutrient
usage.
The risk of selective eating is even higher with non-beak-trimmed birds. In
short, most of the feed should be between 1.0 and 3.2mm with preferably an
even smaller range of particle size distribution. You can find some
recommendations in the table below.
Feed structure recommendation
Particle Starter Developer, pre-lay and layer
size and grower
< Max Max
0,5mm 10% 10%
0,5– 1mm Max Max
15% 15%
1,0 – 3,2mm Min Min
75% 70%
> Max Max
3,2mm 0% 5%
conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that feeding rations play a pivotal role in
the growth and production efficiency of poultry. By tailoring rations
to the specific growth stages and production periods, we can
optimize nutrient intake, enhance growth rates, and improve the
overall health and productivity of the flock. Understanding and
implementing precise feeding strategies not only benefits the
poultry but also contributes to the economic success of poultry
farming operations. Therefore, continuous research and adaptation
of feeding practices are essential to meet the evolving demands of
poultry production and ensure sustainable and profitable
outcomes.
References
• CJ Hawkins Homestead, University of New England,
https://www.poultryhub.org/all-about-poultry/nutrition/feed-ingredients
• Diogo Ito, 26 October 2022, Feed management and feeding techniques
• https://westfeeds.com/best-chicken-feed-for-each-growth-stage/#:~:text=A%20complete%20chic
k%20starter%20feed,to%20support%20proper%20bone%20development
.
• Robert Spencer, Nutrient Requirements of poultry