Poultry farmers should invest a substantial amount of time concentrated on chicken feed components which offer high quality nourishment to their flocks. Modern methods of farming have introduced the capability to boost the nutritional elements of poultry ingredients together with additives and supplements. This is fantastic for both the farmer and the feed maker or manufacturer. High-quality feed additives improve the general economics of feed for both producers and manufacturers.
A number of the most common additives comprise of pellet binders, moisture optimisers, and grain and feed conditioners. For farmers, the advantages of poultry feed additives are two-fold: (1) more shelf-life and preservation of feed, and (2) improved nutrition that boosts the value of poultry.
Chicken Feed Ingredients
The seven basic chicken feed ingredients
- Cereal grains
- Cereal byproducts
- Fats and oils
- Protein meals
- Miscellaneous raw ingredients, such as tubers and roots
- Minerals and vitamins
- Feed additives
Key nutrients which have to be provided to flocks through poultry feed components include amino acids that are included in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Fats, oils, and protein foods include the remainder of a chicken’s nutritional energy requirements.
Cereal grains make up the most of chicken feed components. It is a cost-effective ingredient which can help fulfil energy requirements for chickens. Unfortunately, cereal grains are highly prone to mould, bacteria, and rot that can harbor mycotoxins which can affect development and the health of the chickens. Thanks to the preservation properties of feed additives, cereal grains can be utilised as components in chicken feed without even going bad during prolonged periods of storage.
Key components that require to be given to your birds’ chicken feed ingredients consist of amino acids that are included in minerals, vitamins and proteins. Fats, oils, as well as healthy protein meals make up the rest of a poultry’s nutritional energy needs.
How Supplements Improve Health and Performance
Supplements assist in increasing the efficiency and health of chicken by elevating the dietary output supplied by the feed itself. Supplements can conserve poultry farmers and feed producers significant expenses by extending and increasing yields shelf-life. These enable a simpler transport procedure and lead to less wear and tear on production equipment.
Common additives and supplements:
- Toxin binders
- Mold inhibitors
- Antioxidants
- Antimicrobials
- Direct fed microbials
- Flavors
- Organic minerals
- Feed conditioners
- Pellet binders
- Digestive enzymes
- Feeding effectors
- Anti-stress agents
- Acidifiers
Improving Chicken Feed Ingredient Value
Effective supplements will make feed processing more profitable for livestock feed manufacturers by boosting the overall value and nutritional qualities of the feed they produce and sell to farmers and bulk buyers. These nutrient-rich supplements can assist stressed-out and ill birds go back to optimum health. Another advantage of supplements is that they are simple to use and can restrict metal contamination through chicken’s fecal waste.
When Good Chicken Feed Goes Bad
Mold, bacteria, and rot all ruin chicken feed nutrition, rendering whole supplies useless. Mold is especially expensive to eradicate. As it develops, it absorbs the nutrients inside feed. Chickens that consume moldy feed will likely be exposed to mycotoxins that can cause significant health problems, based upon the portions consumed. When”best practices” are utilized, mold may still grow on the feed.
Using additives or supplements as a mold inhibitor is highly recommended. This may minimize the risk of mycotoxin production in feeds and grains and protect against degradation of the nutrient content of the feed. There’s no set formula for which ingredients have to be utilised in poultry feed, the general guideline is that nutritional necessities need to be met. To provide optimum levels of nutrition, supplements should be considered. Additives and supplements play an important role in the value of poultry feed components. They have the ability to not only inhibit the growth of harmful organisms in chicken feed, but to improve the nutrients consumed by chickens .
Important Factors to Keep in Mind When Making Your Own Poultry Feeds
As we have stated severally in numerous other articles, poultry feeding is the single largest cost in poultry production. It accounts for between 65% to 70% of the total cost of production. That is where many small scale farmers and larger commercial enterprises are now opting to formulate their own poultry feeds.
If you have all the ingredients and equipment ready for poultry feed formulation, there are certain important factors that you need to keep in mind before you begin formulating your poultry feeds on a massive scale. These include the following:-
- If you will be making homemade poultry feed rations, it is important to start with experimental trials of the poultry feed formulation. You can do this by isolating some of the chickens and feeding them formulated rations and then observing them to see any changes in performance. If the feed rations are ok, the broilers will still grow fast and you will not see a drop in layer performance. Make sure you do the trials before introducing the poultry feed rations to the entire poultry flock.
- When formulating poultry feeds, you need to be extra careful with the quality of raw materials or poultry feed ingredients used in the poultry feed formulation. Chickens are generally highly sensitive to feed that is contaminated with mycotoxins that are generally found in numerous raw materials, particularly the grains. Avoid using rotten maize to make poultry feed at all costs!
- Purchase high quality fishmeal from very reputable sources. Avoid buying fishmeal from the open market as these might be contaminated.
- Ensure that you have mixed up all the micronutrients such as amino acids and probiotics before you mix them up with the rest of the poultry feeds.
- There are milling machines with mixers and pelletizers that are used for processing and mixing the ingredients of the poultry feed. If you are doing a homemade poultry feed formulation without the right sets of machinery, you can use a drum mixer to mix the ingredients of the poultry feeds. Avoid using shovels as they are unlikely to give you an optimal poultry feed ingredients mixture.
- Avoid using spoilt or rotten maize or corn at all costs. Such raw materials can be dangerous as they might carry mycotoxins that may be passed over into the human system when you consume poultry eggs or poultry meat.
- Pool together with other small scale poultry farmers in order to buy and divide some of the ingredients used in poultry feed formulation such as pre-mixes and amino acids among others.
- To improve on the poultry feed quality, make sure that the feed that you have prepared has been tested to determine if it has optimal amounts of ingredients. There could be lab facilities in your locality that can offer poultry feed testing services.
How to Make Your Own Chicken Feeds
Poultry feeding is the single biggest cost in poultry production. It is estimated that poultry feeds account for between 65% to 70% of the total production cost. That is a significant cost. This article will tell you on how to make your own chicken feeds and increasing your profits as a result.
To cut down on the cost of production or to be simply self-sufficient in their poultry farming enterprises, many farmers are now moving towards growing their own poultry feeds or at least formulating their own poultry feeds. There are lots of advantages associated with formulating poultry feeds on your own and you can generally take this to any level that you wish. Some farmers have grown their poultry farming enterprises to the level where they have now become poultry feeds suppliers for other poultry producers.
If you know how to make your own chicken feeds or can grow and mill your own poultry feed, you won’t have to spend money on buying poultry feeds on a regular basis and that can lead to significant cost reductions in the poultry farming enterprise.
Besides, formulating your own poultry feeds gives you greater control on the kind of nutrition that you are feeding your chickens. As a poultry feed miller, you will have an idea of the bulk ingredients used in formulating the poultry feeds as well as the composition of the poultry feeds. You won’t have to worry about the quality and composition of the poultry feeds that you are giving your chickens.
Poultry feed formulation is also great for farmers who would wish to avoid using certain ingredients such as the genetically modified corn and soya.
The main challenge when it comes to making your own poultry feed is knowing the right kinds of ingredients to use in the poultry feeds and adding these in the right proportions. There is a concept called least cost feed formulation and this gives you plenty of options when it comes to formulating your own poultry feeds. There are numerous options for ingredients that you can use to create custom mixes for poultry feeds at the lowest prices possible.
Here is a look at some of the grains that you can use in poultry feed formulation and the proportions in which these grains should be mixed to give you optimal rations for your poultry feeds.
Ingredients to Put in Your Poultry Feeds
So what are some of the ingredients that you should use in formulating your poultry feeds? And in what proportions should these be mixed? Various poultry nutrition experts have their ideas on what the ideal poultry feed recipe should be like. There is no universal formula for making chicken feeds and in many cases, you will have to customize the poultry feed formula to suit your local geographical conditions. There are some ingredients that you can grow easily in your backyard while some you’d rather purchase. Some are cheap while others are fairly costly to acquire.
It is important to carefully study the ingredients that have been used in the commercial poultry feeds for you to get a clear idea of the main percentages that you should aim for. Birds will only grow at an optimal rate if you have the right amount of the ingredients, be they the proteins or the carbohydrates. If you are a little lower in the nutritional requirements, your feeds will still be safe for the chickens to consume but they may not grow as fast as desired.
When making your own poultry feeds, you must make sure that you strike the right balance for all the macronutrients that are required in the poultry feeds including the carbohydrates, proteins and fats and the micronutrients required in the poultry feeds such as the enzymes and vitamins. A little trial and error might be necessary before you can strike the right balance for your poultry feeds.
Below is a list of some of the ingredients that you should factor in when preparing your chicken feeds. The information that we have provided below is just a general guidelines but at the end of the day, your custom poultry feed mixes must include what is best for your needs.
Ingredients for the Main Poultry Feeds
These can include the following:-
- Alfalfa meal: This is high in protein
- Corn: This is the mainstay for poultry diet
- Field peas: This is a protein source and can be a substitute for those who don’t want to use soybean.
- Wheat
- Barley or oats: should make up less than 15% of the overall poultry diet.
Things that you should add in the poultry feed
- Feeding limestone to provide calcium
- Oyster shells
- Salt
- Grit
- Fish meal to help boost protein or omega 3s
- Cultured yeast to provide B vitamins, digestive enzymes and minerals
- Crab meal: Can provide minerals and proteins
- Probiotics
- Broad-spectrum mineral supplements
- Flaxseed: Can be a source of omega 3s
Equipment Need to Make Poultry Feeds
Check out our reviews of the various poultry feed mills that you can use in formulating your own poultry feeds. These machines include grinders, mixers and pelletizers that will help you process your poultry feed in the right format.
You should also consider constructing a storage bin where you can store your processed poultry feeds in excellent shape for a longer duration of time. We have done an article on poultry storage solutions that might help you understand the best kind of storage that you will need for your processed feeds.