The main ingredients in the poultry diet are:
Grain grains and their derivatives
Grains usually make up the largest amount of poultry feed. Cereal grains are economical and meet most of the nutrient needs of chickens. But the use of toxin binder additives with grains is very important because grains are very sensitive to mold, bacteria and rot, and if they are exposed to moisture or stored improperly, they can be infected by fungi and toxic bacteria. and endanger the health of poultry.
Fats and oils
Fats play an important role in providing the energy needed by poultry. High-quality poultry oil has high protein and vitamin properties that affect the proper growth of poultry and the quality of their meat. Dietary energy deficits must be provided by quality fat and oil sources. There are different sources of fat in the poultry feed industry and management.
Proteins and amino acids
Plant proteins (meals) and animal proteins (insects and their larvae) play an important role in poultry diet. Meals have high protein and vitamin properties and contribute significantly to the proper growth of poultry and their higher quality. Cottonseed, soybean, peanut, and sunflower meal, in addition to protein, also provide poultry fat.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are one of the most important sources of energy for poultry. Corn, wheat, barley and other grains contain starch digestible for poultry. But some types of carbohydrates are not easily digestible, and for this reason, it is necessary to use additional enzymes to increase their digestibility.
Minerals
In addition to proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins, poultry also need minerals. The following minerals should be included in the poultry diet:
Calcium: helping to increase the thickness of the egg shell, strong hatchlings and the strength of bones;
Phosphorus: helping to strengthen the bones, increasing the quality of the egg shell, strong hatchlings
Magnesium: preventing sudden death syndrome;
Manganese: increase the hatching of the chicken, prevent the deformation of the leg bone;
Iron: preventing anemia in poultry;
Copper: preventing anemia in poultry;
Iodine: prevention of goiter in poultry;
Zinc: strong meat production, strong growth of bones (the importance of zinc in poultry nutrition is undeniable);
Cobalt: increasing growth, reducing mortality in the herd, increasing chicken production.
Vitamins
Vitamin is very important in poultry diet. Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E and K) and water-soluble (vitamin C and group B vitamins). Laying is placed. Vitamin C is also usually included in the diet of poultry that are under a lot of stress.
Features of the best poultry feed
Feed quality is one of the most important concerns of poultry farmers. When the nutritionists in the poultry feed factory produce the best poultry feed, they consider the following points:
Use appropriate preservatives
As we mentioned, cereal grains are subject to rotting and mold very soon, and the possibility of their spoiling in a long time in the warehouse is high. Molds and bacteria destroy poultry feed and destroy its nutritional value.
Feeding with moldy feed causes the poultry to be exposed to mycotoxins and suffer from serious diseases, which may sometimes affect the entire flock. The use of preservatives in poultry feed can solve this problem and maintain the quality of the feed in the long term.
Having supplements and nutrients required
In the previous section, we mentioned the ingredients needed for poultry health. A high-quality feed should meet all the needs of poultry. Having the right nutrients and supplements is one of the most important features of good poultry feed..
High nutritional value and reduced pollution
Quality feed and appropriate supplements for poultry with high nutritional value help to improve the quality of the flock. Good supplements can remove food contamination through poultry feces. If the feed is of high quality, the amount of pollution excreted will be less and thus the poultry manure will also have less pollution. Therefore, quality feed for poultry, in addition to the health of this living creature, increases the quality of fertilizer and its price.
Poultry
One of the other important features in evaluating the quality of poultry feed is its degree of crispness and softness. The crunchier and softer the seeds and pellets are, the better their digestion is in the digestive tract of the poultry, and as a result, the nutrients received by the chickens should also increase. Increasing nutrients helps to improve the quality of meat and eggs.
Grain size in poultry feed
One of the most important features that increase the quality of poultry feed is the size of the seeds or so-called pellets. Poultry consumes seeds that have the same size completely, and in this way, the amount of wastage is minimized.
But the seeds that have different sizes and their fineness and coarseness are high, the poultry may not consume a large amount of them and are collected as garbage. For this reason, the amount of nutrients received by poultry decreases, and to compensate for it, the amount of feed must be increased, which increases the costs of poultry farming.
