FEEDING NORMS FOR POULTRY
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NUTRIENTS
Nutrients are essential substances present in different types of foods
which perform various life-sustaining functions in the body
Nutrients- required for growth, maintenance and thereby productive
process and a deficiency of nutrients in the feed below the required
level results in the development of diseases referred to as deficiency
diseases
Poultry require more than 40 such nutrients, which are classified into
six major groups based on their chemical nature, their functions or role,
and the method in which they are determined
The groups of nutrients are:
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
These groups of nutrients are present both in the poultry feed and in the
bodies of the fowls. However, they are not directly transferred from the
feed to the tissues, but are split in the birds body during digestion,
absorption and the metabolism process.
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NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS - POULTRY
Nutrient requirements - Poultry
Under intensive system of rearing poultry in
confinement, they need a complete feed, having all
the essential and non-essential nutrients, for optimal
performance
The nutrient requirements are not common for all
poultry. They vary with species, breed, variety, age,
purpose of rearing (such as for meat, table eggs,
hatching egg production, Hatching Chicks etc.),
season, environment and rearing system (cages, deep
litter etc)
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Feed quality
A good quality feed must have all the essential
nutrients in the right proportion and specified
quantities.
For the guidance of the feed manufacturers and
poultry farmers, several organisations, standards have
stipulated the nutrient requirements for different types
of poultry feeds
In India, the Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S.); which
was formerly known as Indian Standards Institutes
(I.S.I.) has specified the nutrient requirements of
chicken. But it has not stipulated any such standards,
for other species of poultry. Hence for these, we have
to follow some other standards like National Research
Council (NRC) of U.S.A. and Agricultural Research
Council (A.R.C.) of U.K.
These standards are used in feed formulations; so that
the feed prepared will supply all the nutrients in the
right proportion.
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Feed additives
A feed additive or a supplement is a
substance or mixture of substances other
than the bulk and basic feed stuffs. It is
used in small quantities, usually at less
than one percent level in the
compounded feeds in order to
supplement certain nutrients and non-
nutrients to improve the quality of the
feed and the performance of the birds
fed.
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Functions of Feed Additives
Different feed additives perform different functions. They are
added to poultry feed in order to:
Prevent various deficiency diseases, other diseases of nutritional
origin, and certain bacterial and parasitic diseases;
Improve the nutritive value of the feed and feed efficiency;
Improve the growth rate and egg production;
Protect the birds from stress and improve their immune status;
Prevent spoilage of feed because of microbes, rancidity and other
physical conditions;
Enhance colour, flavour, palatability and general appearance of
the feed and make it more attractive to both the farmer and the
bird.
Help to prevent caking, dustiness and loss of feed during storage,
handling and feeding.
Improve the quality of the egg yolk colour, shell thickness and
meat quality.
Have sparing action on certain nutrients and prevent nutritional
imbalance.
Certain non-nutrient feed additives cause thinning of the gut wall
and thereby facilitate better absorption of nutrients.
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Based on their functions, the feed
additives are broadly classified into two
categories, namely:
Nutrient feed additives
Non-nutrient feed additives
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Nutrient feed additives
The nutrient feed additives contain certain essential
nutrients necessary for the normal growth and
production of the birds. Deficiency of these nutrients in
poultry will lead to various anatomical and
physiological abnormalities, deficiency diseases, poor
growth rate, low egg production and low resistance to
disease. They need to be added if the formulated feed
is not expected to contain such nutrients at required
levels.
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Nutrient feed additives can be further classified into the following
categories:
Vitamin supplements
a) Fat-soluble vitamins, supplying such vitamins as vitamin A, D3, E
and K.
b) Water-soluble vitamins, such as B-Complex group of vitamins and
vitamin C.
Mineral supplements
a) Macro minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium,
potassium and sulphur.
b) Micro minerals such as manganese, zinc, iron, copper and iodine.
c) Ultra trace elements, like selenium, cobalt, molybdenum and
chromium.
Essential amino acids
Additives supplying lysine, methionine and tryptophan.
Protein hydrolysates
A pre-digested protein such as hydrolysed feather meal, hair meal, etc.
supplying essential amino acids and other nutrients.
Liver extract
Supplies essential nutrients in the most assumable form.
Live yeast and yeast extract
Supplies essential nutrients, digestive enzymes and unidentified growth
factors (U.G.F.).
Fermentation by-products
Supply various essential nutrients and U.G.F.
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Non-nutrient feed additives
This group of feed additives do not have any direct nutritional role, but are added to the feed to
reduce mortality and morbidity caused by various diseases and stress factors; to improve feed
efficiency by better digestion, absorption and utilisation of nutrients; to enhance colour, flavour,
consistency and quality of feed, and to improve the shelf life of the feed by curbing, caking,
moulds, mustiness, oxidation and other physical, chemical and micro-biological degradation.
Classification, Uses and Examples
Non-nutrient feed additives are classified as follows, based on their nature and functions:
Antibiotic feed supplements: Used to control sub-clinical bacterial infections and thereby
boost the performance. Examples are tetracyclines, tiamutin, lincomycin, tylosin, erythromycin,
colistin, doxycycline, bacitracin, flavomycin, virginiamycin, etc. It is advisable to use antibiotics
which are not used in the treatment of human and animal diseases. Introduction of probiotics
with favourable microbes has now limited the usage of antibiotics in feed.
Non-antibiotic anti-microbial feed supplements: Check bacterial infections and promotes
performance. Examples: Furazolidone, chlorhydroxy-quinoline.
Antimycotic agents: Prevent mould growth and production of toxins. Examples: Gentian
violet, copper sulphate, propionic acid, calcium propionate and sodium benzoate.
Coccidiostats: Prevent outbreaks of coccidiosis. Examples: Dinitro-ortho-toluamide,
salinomycin, robenidine, nicarbazine, monensin and maduramycin.
Anti-parasitic additives: Check various parasitic infestations. Examples: Dichlorophan,
Niclosamide and Praziquantel.
Anti-oxidants: Prevent oxidative rancidity of fats and oils. Examples: B.H.T., B.H.A. and
Ethoxyquin.
Enzymes: Help in better digestion of the food. Examples: Protease, lipase, cellulase, amylase,
phytase and pectinase.
Hormones: Promote growth rate, feed efficiency and egg production. Examples: Caseated
iodine, melengestrol acetate, ethylestranol and stanazol.
Arsenicals: Promote growth rate, feed efficiency and carcass finish.Examples:3 Nitro-4-
hydroxy phenyl arsanilic acid.
Adsorbents: Adsorb or bind toxins and prevent their absorption from the intestine. Examples:
Zeolites, activated charcoal.
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Non-nutrient feed additives Contd
Pellet binders: Used for pelleting the feed in preparation of crumbled feed for broilers.
Examples: Bentonite, sodium alginate, carboxy methyl cellulose, gelatine,
lignosulphonate, carragenan and guargum.
Deodorising agents: Reduce the ammonia production in the litter. Example: Yucca
extract.
Flavouring agents: Improve feed flavour and thereby feed intake, growth rate and
production. Examples: Essential oils, fish oils,etc.
Pigments: Impart attractive colour to the feed as well as to the products like egg yolk
and skin. Examples: Canthaxanthin, leutin, zeaxanthin,etc.
Herbal preparations: Tone up the liver, improve the appetite and increase disease and
toxin resistance power of the birds. Examples: Extracts of herbs.
Performance boosters: Improve overall performance of the birds by various means.
Examples: Nitrovin,avoparcin,etc.
Immuno-stimulants: Stimulate anti-body production, cell-mediated immunity and general
resistance to disease. Examples: Tetrahydrophenylimidazole, immogen, levamisole,etc.
Other miscellaneous feed additives: Perform certain specific functions in the body or
feed and thereby improve the performance. Examples: Electrolytes, egg-up, egg toner,
etc.
Probiotic or Direct Fed Microbials (D.F.M.): Probiotic is a live microbial feed supplement
which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance
resulting in a better performance in terms of growth or feed efficiency. Probiotic
preparations are made from bacteria, yeast and fungi. Commonly included probiotic
preparations in various combinations are:
Bacteria: Strains of Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Bifidobacterium, Pediococcus and
Streptococcus
Fungi: Strains of Aspergillus
Yeast - Strains of Saccharomyces.
Probiotics act by suppressing viable counts of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia
coli, producing antibacterial compounds, by competing for nutrients and adhesion site
in the intestinal epithelium. In general, probiotics increase growth rate in broilers, egg
production in layers, and reproductive performance in breeders. However, the effect of
probiotics is more noticeable in stressed birds than in healthy ones.
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Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S.) specifications-Chicken: IS - 1374-1994
Broiler Broiler
Character Chick Grower Layer Breeder
starter finisher
istics feed feed feed feed
feed feed
Moisture 11 11 11 11 11 11
max %
Crude 23 20 20 16 18 18
protein
min %
Crude 6 6 7 8 8 8
fibre max
%
Acid 3 3 4 4 4 4
insoluble
ash max
%
Salt (as 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
(NaCl)
Max %
Calcium 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 3.0 3.0
min %
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Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S.) specifications-Chicken: IS - 1374-1994
Broiler Broiler
Character Chick Grower Layer Breeder
starter finisher
istics feed feed feed feed
feed feed
Available 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
phosphor
us min %
Lysine 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.6 0.65 0.65
min %
Methioni 0.5 0.35 0.3 0.25 0.3 0.3
ne min %
Metaboliz 2800 2900 2600 2500 2600 2600
able
energy
(ME)
Kcal/ kg
Mangane 90 90 90 90 90 90
se, mg/kg
Vitamin 6000 6000 6000 6000 6000 6000
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A, IU/kg
Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S.) specifications-Chicken: IS - 1374-1994
Broiler Broiler
Characteri Chick Grower Layer Breeder
starter finisher
stics feed feed feed feed
feed feed
Vitamin 600 600 600 600 1200 1200
D3, IU/kg
Vitamin E, 15 15 15 10 10 10
mg/kg
Vitamin K, 1 1 1 1 1 1
mg/kg
Riboflavin 6 6 6 3 3 3
, mg/kg
Biotin, 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.15 0.15 0.15
mg/kg
Choline 1400 1600 1300 900 800 800
Pyridoxin 5 5 5 5 5 8
e, mg/kg
Aflatoxin, 50 50 50 50 50 50
max, P.P.b.
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