All About Poultry Feeds Ingredients: A Complete Guide to Formulation for Chicks, Growers, and Layers

Formulating high-quality poultry feeds is essential for healthy chicks, fast-growing growers, and highly productive layers. Whether you’re a small-scale farmer or running a large poultry enterprise, understanding the right feed ingredients and their roles is key to maximizing growth, health, and egg production.

In this post, we break down how to prepare poultry feeds, when to grind or mix ingredients, and the functions of key nutrients and additives in your feed formulation.

🧮 Feed Formulation Tips for Chicks, Growers, and Layers

Formulating poultry feeds involves combining energy sources (like maize), protein sources (like omena or sunflower cake), vitamins, minerals, and additives in the right proportions to meet the birds’ nutritional needs at different stages:

• Chick Mash (0–8 weeks) – Rich in protein (18–20%) for growth and development.

• Growers Mash (8–18 weeks) – Moderate protein (15–17%) and higher energy content.

• Layers Mash (18 weeks and above) – Balanced with calcium and minerals for eggshell formation and sustained laying.

⚙️ Should Feed Ingredients Be Ground Separately or Together?

A common question among poultry feed formulators is:

“Should maize, sunflower, and omena be ground separately and later mixed, or should they all be crushed together?”

✅ Best Practice:
It’s better to grind ingredients separately and then mix them afterward.

Why?

• It allows accurate measurement and estimation of each ingredient.

• Makes it easier to adjust proportions depending on the specific nutritional requirements of your birds.

• Prevents over-grinding of soft ingredients and under-grinding of hard ones.

After grinding, all ingredients can be thoroughly mixed in a drum or mechanical mixer to ensure a uniform feed blend.

🧪 Understanding Key Feed Ingredients and Their Functions

1. Tryptophan

• Use: An essential amino acid crucial for growth, immune function, and appetite regulation.

• Sources: Animal-based protein sources (fish meal, meat meal) and amino acid premixes.

2. Lysine

• Use: Supports muscle development and improves feed efficiency.

• Sources: Fish meal, soybean meal, and synthetic lysine supplements.

3. Methionine

• Use: Important for feather formation, liver health, and antioxidant function.

• Sources: Animal protein products and synthetic methionine premixes.

4. Threonine

• Use: Enhances protein synthesis, gut health, and immune response.

• Sources: Fish meal and commercial amino acid supplements.

🧠 Note: These four, tryptophan, lysine, methionine, and threonine, are essential (limiting) amino acids that poultry cannot produce on their own, hence they must be provided through feed.

5. Coccidiostats

• Function: Prevent and control coccidiosis, a parasitic disease that causes enteritis and bloody diarrhea.

• Source: Available in agrovet stores; typically added to chick and grower feeds but withdrawn before marketing eggs.

6. Toxin Binders / Mycotoxin Binders

• Function: Bind and neutralize toxins (especially fungal toxins) present in contaminated feed ingredients.

• Sources: Mineral and organic acid blends used as feed additives to prevent mold and aflatoxin effects.

7. Zinc Bacitracin

• Function: A feed additive that helps prevent bacterial infections and supports growth.

• Note: Use according to veterinary guidance to avoid antibiotic residues.

8. Amino Acid Premix

• Function: Provides a balanced combination of essential amino acids to enhance feed efficiency and bird performance.

9. Lime (Bone Meal)

• Function: Primary source of calcium for strong bones and eggshell formation.

• Sources: Crushed limestone, oyster shells, or sterilized bone meal.

🌾 Can You Make Sunflower Cake, Cotton Cake, and Wheat Pollard Locally?

Yes. You can produce these by-products locally:

• Sunflower Cake: Made from sunflower seeds after oil extraction.

• Cotton Cake: Made from cotton seeds after oil extraction.

• Wheat Pollard (or Bran): Obtained during the milling of wheat grain.

These ingredients are excellent local sources of protein and energy, making them great for reducing feed costs.

🌽 Ground Maize Cobs vs. Maize Germ: What’s the Difference?

• Ground Maize Cobs: The central core of the maize ear left after removing grains and husks. It’s low in nutrition and mainly used as a filler or roughage.

• Maize Germ: A by-product of maize grain processing for oil extraction, richer in fat and protein compared to cobs.

👉 Always prefer maize germ over cobs for better feed quality and bird performance.

🐔 Final Thoughts

Successful poultry farming starts with balanced feed formulation. Knowing your ingredients and their roles not only helps reduce feed costs but also ensures healthy, productive birds. Always aim to use quality ingredients, store feeds properly to prevent mold, and consult an animal nutritionist for precise formulations.