Feeding of Broilers for Optimum growth and Feed efficiency

1. Feeding of Broilers for
Optimum growth and
Feed efficiency
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2. INTRODUCTION
O Feed accounts for up to 70% of total production
costs.
O That's why efficiency of use is one of the most
crucial factors as broiler growers look to maintain
margins.
O A slight improvement in performance here can
result in an increase to your bottom line.
O Feed efficiency is generally defined in two ways:
1. Feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and
2. Feed conversion ratio (FCR).
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3. O The most common method for broilers is FCR,
calculated by the amount of feed needed per
kilogram of bodyweight gain, and should be as
low as possible.
O Throughout the life of the broiler, the best FCR is
seen in the first five to seven days, due to low or
almost no heat production in chicks during this
period. This results in a lower calorific expense
and an overall lower maintenance cost. FCR can
be even lower than 1:1 at this point.
O Another contributing factor to the lower FCR is
the fat and protein from the yolk sac. However if
early feed consumption is limited, chicks will use
the protein from the yolk sac for energy instead
of growth.
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4. FACTORS EFFECTING THE FEED INTAKE IN BROILERS
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5. OBJECTIVES
OFor normal metabolism (Body temp.)
OFor maintenance
OFor growth
OFor production
OProvide optimum levels of Macro nutrients
(Energy, protein, calcium) and
O Micronutrients like Vitamins, minerals,
amino acids, fatty acids etc.,.
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6. PRINCIPLES
ODigestion is mostly by enzymes but not microbes.
OTeeth are absent. So no chewing of feed therefore,
provide concentrate feed but not with coarse feed.
OThe feed should be in the form of pellets, crumbles
or mash.
OOnly 6% CF is allowed
OBirds require high body temperature and thus they
are more affected by environmental temp. – so
manipulate the feed and management according to
season.
OGroup feeding is followed rather than individual.
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7. FEEDING STANDARDS
OICAR nutrient requirements (2013)
OBIS Standards (1992)
OCLFMA (1995) standards
ONRC (1994)
ODegussa standards (2001)
OBut nowadays different breeders recommend
different feeding strategies for their birds,
including the number of different diets fed
during different stages of production.
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8. FEEDING BEHAVIOUR
O Broiler feeding behaviour consists of a
large number of short meals throughout
the day.
O Age also influences this.
Age
(weeks)
Meal
Intervals
(minutes)
2 21
4 30
6 37
8 40
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9. FEEDING STRATEGY
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10. KEY POINTS
O Use recommended digestible amino acid levels
for optimum broiler performance.
O Ensure high-quality protein sources are used.
O Provide the correct levels of the major minerals in
the appropriate balance.
O Vitamin and mineral supplementation depends on
feed ingredients used, feed manufacturing
practices and local circumstances
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11. PRE-STARTER
O It is generally recognized that the neonate chick
does not produce an adult complex of digestive
enzymes, and so digestibility is impaired.
O This situation is further complicated by the change
in nutrient substrate of lipid and protein in the
embryo to quite complex carbohydrates, proteins
and lipids in conventional starter diets.
O So even though chicks grow quite rapidly in the
first few days of life, there is the idea that this
could be further enhanced by use of a pre-starter
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12. O The idea in formulating prestarter diets is to
correct any deficiency, and so increase early
growth rate and/or improve uniformity of such
early growth.
O Two types of prestarter diets are used for broiler
chickens.
1. First option is to use greater than normal levels
of nutrients
2. Alternate approach is to use more highly
digestible ingredients.
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13. Potential ingredients for highly digestible prestarter diets
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14. Effect of using a highly digestible prestarter to 4 d of age, on
growth of male broilers
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15. O To get the best results during this short period,
it is critical to ensure adequate access to feed.
O The most important part of preparation for
brooding, therefore, is to provide sufficient
feeding space for the birds by having
supplemental chick trays and/or chick paper.
O If chick trays are used, there should be one
tray per 50 chicks, evenly distributed
throughout the brooding area.
O Refresh the trays two to three times a day with
new feed, as doing this once a day doesn’t
stimulate feed intake enough.
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16. O The golden rule is never allow trays to run out of
feed.
O At the fourth day, the trays can be moved closer
to the feed system, before removing them
around day seven.
O It takes hard work and dedication to achieve the
optimum early feed intake using this method.
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17. 7TH DAY BODY WEIGHT
O Providing sufficient feeding space in the first days
helps to increase the seven-day bodyweight and
support the efficient use of the yolk sac for growth.
O The importance of feed intake during the first seven
days cannot be over-emphasized. It is the only
opportunity to gain such growth and provide the basis
for good overall performance.
O Attaining higher 7th -day bodyweights generally results
in higher bodyweights at the end of the flock, better
uniformity and lower mortality through less culling.
O It has also been shown that higher seven-day
bodyweights have a great influence on the overall FCR
of a broiler
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18. STARTER
O The objective of the pre-starter is to establish
good appetite and maximum early growth in order
to meet the seven-day body-weight objective.
O It is recommended that a Broiler Starter feed be
fed for ten days.
O The Starter represents a small proportion of the
total feed cost and decisions on Starter
formulation should be based primarily on
performance and profitability rather than purely
on diet cost.
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19. O The benefit of maximising nutrient intake
on early broiler growth and subsequent
performance is well established.
O Feeding broilers the recommended
nutrient density will ensure optimal growth
is established during this critical period of
life.
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20. GROWER
O Broiler Grower feed is generally fed for
14- 16 days following the Starter.
O Starter to Grower transition will involve a
change of texture from crumbs/mini-
pellets to pellets.
O Depending on the pellet size produced, it
may be necessary to feed the first delivery
of Grower as crumbs or mini-pellets.
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21. O During this time broiler growth continues to be
dynamic. It therefore needs to be supported by
adequate nutrient intake.
O For optimum feed intake, growth and FCR,
provision of the correct diet nutrient density,
especially energy and amino acids, is critical.
O Broiler responses of economic interest, such as
BW gain, FCR, and breast meat yield (BMY), can
be optimized by increasing amino acid (AA)
concentrations, improving the AA balance, or
both.
O The AA requirements to maximize a response
are lowest for BW gain, increased for FCR, and
highest for BMY.
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22. FINISHER
O Broiler Finisher feeds account for the major
volume and cost of feeding a broiler.
O It is therefore important that feeds are designed to
maximise financial return for the type of products
being produced.
O Finisher feeds should be given from 25 days until
processing.
O Birds slaughtered later than 42-43 days may need
a second Finisher feed specification from 42 days
onwards.
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23. Bodyweight and cumulative feed
consumption for male and female
broilers
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24. ENERGY
O The primary source of energy in a broiler
ration are carbohydrates and fats.
O However, when protein is fed in excess it
also becomes a source of energy but it is
not economical.
O Thus the balance between the three
should be carefully be calculated.
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25. O The daily energy requirement per bird
increases with the birds age/
O The daily energy requirement per kg of
body weight decreases as the bird grow
older.
O When compared on the age basis, there is
little to no difference between males and
females in the calorie requirement.
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26. MALE
Kcal of ME
Consumed
FEMALE
Kcal of ME
Consumed
STRAIGHT RUN
Kcal of ME
Consumed
WEEKS Bird
per
day
Lb
B.wt
per
day
Bird
per
day
Lb B.wt
per day
Bird per
day
Lb B.wt
per day
2 112 158 104 160 108 159
4 273 138 230 135 252 137
6 401 110 328 109 365 110
8 452 83 369 85 412 84
ENERGY CONSUMED BY GROWING BROILERS PER DAY
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27. ENERGY VALUE AFFECTS
GROWTH AND CONVERSION
O Rule of thumb : for each increase of 50 kcal per lb
of ration growth will be increased by 0.1 lb and
feed conversion will be decreased by 0.1 point.
ME in ration
(kcal/kg)
7 week
weight (kg)
Feed
Conversion
Kcal ME / kg
gain
2970 1.74 2.20 6534
3080 1.79 2.10 6468
3190 1.83 2.01 6699
3300 1.88 1.92 6336
3410 1.92 1.88 6411
3520 1.97 1.85 6512
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28. RESTRICTED FEEDING
O Broilers are nibbles and do not eat
continuously, but resort to eating small
amount of feed at a time.
O This fact led to controlled intermittent
feeding.
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29. FEEDING SCHEDULE-
RESTRICTED FEEDING
1. Feed removal for 2 hours twice daily
after the birds are 3 weeks of age.
2. When broilers are 3 weeks of age they
are fed four times a day. Birds are fed for
4 hours and then they have no feed for 2
hours, after which the procedure is
repeated for 24 hours.
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30. O Restricted feeding causes an increased in
mature body weight.
O Broilers limited to feeding times of 15-30
minutes per hour improved feed
conversion.
O High energy diets are needed to improve
growth and feed conversion when feed is
restricted and hence ration should not
contain less that 3200kcal energy.
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31. WATER
O Water is an essential nutrient for life.
O Water consumption can be limited if the water is
too hot or is contaminated with excess minerals.
O Water and food consumption rates are
interdependent, so reduced water intake can
also lead to reduced food intake.
O There are other factors that affect water intake,
with temperature being the most obvious one.
O Water intake is also affected by the type of
drinkers used.
O The rule of thumb for water intake is that water
intake is usually 1.5 to 2 times feed intake.
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32. AGE
(weeks)
WATER INTAKE
(litres)
1 65
2 120
3 180
4 245
5 290
6 330
7 355
8 370
Typical daily water consumption for broilers at 20oC
(litres per 1000 mixed sex birds)
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33. Nutrient requirements
Broiler management Guide, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt. Ltd
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34. Trace mineral requirement per tonne of feed
Source : Broiler management Guide, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt. Ltd.
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35. The vitamin requirements per Tonne of feed
Broiler management Guide, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt. Ltd.
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40. REFERENCES
O COMMERCIAL CHICKEN PRODUCTION MANUAL
– Mack O. North
O COMMERCIAL POULTRY NUTRITION - THIRD
EDITION by STEVEN LEESON,JOHN D.
SUMMERS.
O Chapter 6 - FACTORS AFFECTING BROILER
PERFORMANCE – UK Agri
O COBB Broiler Management Guide
O FACTORS THAT EFFECT FEED INTAKE IN
BROILERS - Peter Ferket, Abel G Gernat.
O NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS – Ross 308
O ICAR – 2013
O http://www.growelagrovet.com/layers-broilers/
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41. GURRAM SRINIVAS