Last week, I discussed the first step in formulating your own feeds at home which involved sourcing for raw materials and testing their quality.
Today, I’ll discuss the second step which is testing to see if the mash mixture (chick, grower’s or layer’s) meets the minimum standards for optimum growth and reproduction.
But before I do, I got some interesting feedback from one reader in response to the article which I feel I should share.
“I am an avid reader of your articles on poultry husbandry,” Anthony Aura wrote. “Have you ever considered formulating chicken feeds on a commercial basis to sell to other farmers?”
I’ll be addressing Aura’s question in detail in subsequent articles but, first things first.
I learnt earlier on that it’s not enough to only test the quality of the raw materials. I always advise farmers during our interactions on this matter. “Whether you make your own feeds at home or rely on commercial preparations, make a point of regularly testing their quality in a certified laboratory.”
Another thing I tell them is this: “When you start to formulate your own feeds, test on a few birds for some weeks – or even months – and compare with a commercial preparation to gauge the performance.”
Last week, I discussed how to use crude protein (CP) – the basic nutritional requirement for any feed preparation for all animals and birds – to know if the raw materials are of good quality.
FIBROUS MATERIALS
The next step after mixing the materials, is to determine total CP for all the ingredients in the mash mixture.
In fact, for optimum growth and reproduction, chick, grower’s and layer’s mash should contain a total CP of at least 18, 16, and 18 per cent respectively.
“If the quality of the raw materials used to make the feeds is poor, you get a low total CP,” I told the farmers.
To bring this point home, I shared a table (right) which basically shows test results of my home made and commercially-prepared rations.
You see, the first chick mash I ever made (sample one) had a total CP of about 12 per cent which was several points below the minimum requirement for optimum growth of chicks (18-20 per cent).
When I later tested the soya I had used to make the chick mash, I found that it had a CP of about 10 per cent.
I knew immediately where the problem lay because, as a source of proteins, soya should have a CP of at least 45 per cent.
When I changed to another supplier and also bought better quality maize germ and fishmeal, the total CP for the next chick mash ration I made shot up by four points (sample two). I could even see better results in terms of weight gained.
I’ve said before that when it comes to feeds, trust but verify. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying from a reputable miller in the market or not.
I also tested a sample of chick mash from a company I considered top notch in the market (sample no. three). The CP value of 15 per cent for the chick mash was way too low especially if you are rearing the fast growing broilers (they require a CP above 22 per cent especially in the first four weeks).
In my case, I don’t rear those fast-growing broilers but I always advise farmers to increase the percentages of protein in their sample mixes and to use less fibrous materials.
But then protein requirement measured by CP is not the only consideration for assessing the quality of finished mash.
As a matter of fact, I’ve spoken to several animal feed experts and what they told me is that sometimes lack of energy rather than other nutrients is the limiting factor for growth and reproduction in birds.
As a matter of fact, I’ve spoken to several animal feed experts and what they told me is that sometimes lack of energy rather than other nutrients is the limiting factor for growth and reproduction in birds.
RECOMMENDED CONTENT RATIONS
Energy sources include cereal grains such as maize, millet, sorghum and wheat, and cereal by-products such as maize germ, wheat pollard and wheat bran.
Protein sources include soya, fishmeal, sunflower and cottonseed meal and these are necessary for growth and tissue synthesis.
Some background here. Energy is the ability or power to do work and in feed rations, it’s stored as a chemical. When animals eat plants, this stored energy is released.
“A deficiency of energy results in slow growth, poor feathering and reduced feed conversion efficiency in chicks,” one expert intimated. “In addition, low energy rations lead to weight loss and lower egg production in layers.”
I also learnt that the amount of energy contained in feeds is normally expressed as metabolisable energy (ME) per unit weight (column five).
Simply stated, ME is the feed energy that’s available to the bird for maintenance of vital functions and production of meat and eggs.
The recommended energy level in poultry diets for layers or kienyeji and broiler chickens is 2,800kcal and 3,000kcal per kilo of feed respectively.
Please underline this: Although fats and proteins can function as carbs (provide energy and heat), if you’re looking to increase the energy content of your ration use carbs as the principle source.
Next week, I’ll discuss other parameters that determine the quality of a feed mixture besides the protein content and energy. Till then, keep your fingers away from that remote control!
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