Monogastric Nutrition: Poultry

 

The science of poultry nutrition involves providing a balance of nutrients that best meet the bird's needs for growth and development, maintenance, and pr​oduction. The supply of nutrients should be refined to preclude over and under supply of nutrients while considering economic and environmental implications. It is elusive an​​d expensive to simultaneously supply all nutrients to meet the exact nutrient requirement of the birds. Therefore, an ideal protein concept is generally exercised. The ideal protein can be defined as one that provides the exact balance of amino acids needed for optimum performance and maximum growth of chickens.  It is essential amino acids in dietary protein that a bird requires and not the protein per se. In poultry diets, first and second limiting amino acids include methionine and lysine, respectively.  In formulating diets the following nutrients are considered:

• Energy; Protein; Animo Acids; Fat; Vitamins; Minerals and Water

• Grain; Animal Proteins; Plant Proteins; Fats; Micro and Macro Minerals; Vitamin Premixes and Amino acids premixes

​Each of these separate types of ingredient provides a specific quantity and quality of nutrients to the diet. Balancing these ingredients to produce the diet formulation relies on the skill of the nutritionist.

In order to produce a diet, the nutritionist must know the birds' needs and the composition of the ingredients.

Formulation = Balance needs vs ingredients vs costs.

Why Poultry?

• Poultry meat and eggs are primary sources of quality animal protein.

• Poultry is affordable meat with a large customer demand.

• Broiler chickens are marketable in a short space of time (5 to 6 weeks).

• Today layers will provide an egg almost every day and after a year they can be marketed as spent hens to pay for replacement hens plus a small profit.

• Broiler and layer accommodation requires less space than ruminant animal prod​uction systems.

• Poultry production provides a constant source of income for entrepreneurs and related processing industries.

• Poultry production has the potential to expand from a small ​​to medium scale enterprise as and when money becomes available.

The main service providers involved in the poultry industry are:

• Suppliers of day-old chicks and pullets

• Suppliers of equipment

• Feed suppliers

• Veterinary suppliers

• Institutions providing training and technology transfer

Broiler chick 


Layer chickens


​Poultry Feed

Environmentally controlled broiler house 

Feeding trial conducted at ARC-AP
Poultry Nutrition Facility