There are so many questions in the mind of people especially the young farmers that are about to venture into the poultry farming business. Some of these questions are:
- Why is it that all chickens cannot be fed with a particular kind of feed?
- Why is it that we have kinds of feed for the chickens (starter, grower, finisher and layers)?
- Why is it that you cannot feed day old chicks with finisher or grower feed?
Well in this article we shall be answering all this question as and as well discuss the different kinds of feed we have, their compositions and their nutritional value.
Feed happens to be one of the important things needed in poultry production, say about 75% of the poultry production cost is taken by feed only. These feeds comes in different forms and sizes and they include thee mash that are like dust because of how it was grinded, the crumble which is bigger than the mash in size and pellets that seems like its molded and it is the biggest among other feed types.
Their different stages in the growth of chickens and at different stages, their different feed to be given to the chicken which has been formulated to perform distinct function for their development and growth both physically, metabolically and to improve their immune system, these different stages we will also publish on our website.
There are different types of feeds that is used in rearing a birds and they include:
- Starter
- Grower
- Finisher
- Layer
Starter: After hatching, a starter feed is given to the poultry birds. It comes in mash or in crumble which are of very small particles and that makes it easier for the birds to feed and also proper for their system to digest. Starter feeds are more nutritious and contains lots of nutrient including protein for optimum growth of the chicks.
Grower: The grower feed is usually given to the birds at 4 – 5 weeks of age but the nutrient in grower feed is usually small and for this reason, farmers don’t feed broilers with grower feed. The energy content in the grower feed in high because the chickens are already grown and tend to do more activities.
Finisher: The finisher feed contains high protein but lower than that of starter feed, high energy level and nutrients basically needed for the birds. Finisher feed is the last feed given to broilers as from 5 – 6 weeks or in the case were grower feed was not used, it given between 4 – 6 weeks before and during sale of the birds.
Layers: Layer feed is a special kind of feed with high calcium to help in shell formation. It is given to laying birds to help in egg production. This feed is given once the birds starts laying egg or at the age of 22 weeks, the feed is given to them to aid in egg production. If given before when it is required, it will reduce the nutrients needed for the birds to grow into maturity due to the nutrient content in layer is usually smaller than that of other feed.
In conclusion, feeding the birds appropriately with quality feed makes the poultry business more productive.
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