FEED FORMULATION
Animal Feeds
FEED FORMULATION
INTRODUCTION
Livestock feeding is the heartbeat of a profitable
livestock production enterprise and in intensive
enterprise like broiler, layers, piggery and beef
fattening. It constitutes more than 60% of the total
variable costs.
“Feed what you want to grow and starve anything you
want to die”
There are different types of feeds, formulated using
various ingredients for different classes of livestock.
Cont.
When animals consume and digest these feeds, they
assimilate nutrients which are essential in supporting
metabolic activities in the animal.
In order to compute rations that meet the animals’
requirements it is paramount that on understands
what makes up these ingredients and also the
difference between feeding ruminants and non-
ruminants.
Cont..
By definition, feed is any material which upon ingestion
by animals is capable of being digested and nutrients
absorbed and utilized.
The proper feeding of livestock essentially involves
supplying the animals with the right amounts of those
chemical compounds essential for carrying on the
different life processes in animal body.
It is these elements that are referred to as nutrients.
Animals feed for maintenance first and extra nutrients
are used for production (live weight gain, egg production,
wool production)
FEED FORMULATION
Feed formulation: Defined as the process by which
different feed ingredients are combined in proportions
necessary to provide the animal with the proper
amounts of nutrients needed for a particular
production target.
Requirements for Successful Formulation
Knowledge of the nutrients composition of the
ingredients (analysis and evaluation)
The physiological status of the animal, and its
requirements with respect to specific production
target, its likely dry matter intake.
Availability of the feed ingredients, their cost and
potential effects as a result of presence of anti-
nutritional factors.
Important consideration in feed formulation
Ration (or feed) formulation does not merely involve mathematical
calculations to meet the requirement of the animals. Factors to be
considered in making good feed formulations are:
Acceptability to the animal – Ration being formulated has to be
palatable enough to stimulate intake by the animal.
Digestibility – The nutrients in the feed have to be digested and
released into the gastrointestinal tract to be utilized by the animal.
Cost – The requirement of the animal can be met through several
combinations of feed ingredients. The least-cost ration should
ensure that the requirements of the animal are met and the desired
objectives are achieved.
Presence of anti-nutritional factors and
toxins
Presence of anti-nutritional factors and toxins –
The presence of anti-nutritional factors in the feed, such
as anti-trypsin factors in soya bean meal, affects the
digestion of some nutrients by making them unavailable
to the animal.
Some feeds ingredients may contain toxic substances,
which may be detrimental to the animal when given in
excessive amounts.
The inclusion of these feed ingredients should therefore
be limited or eliminated from the formulation.
Feed formulation Rules
Use locally available feed ingredients.
Know the quality or feed value
Buy the missing feed ingredients such as vitamins, minerals or
protein sources if not produced locally.
Change the feed formulation depending on availability of
ingredients, quality or feed value.
Reduce the flock or herd size during lean seasons and if feed
ingredients becomes too costly.
If you change feed and feeding levels always do it slow and
gradual.
Mix feed ingredients uniformly in relatively small quantities to
avoid too long storage.
Feed nutrients
Feed nutrient is a term applied to any feed constituent
which may function in support of animal life.
There are generally five classes of nutrients; water,
protein, energy, minerals and vitamins. If, for
some reason, we were to create a hierarchy of
nutrients, water would probably be the most
important nutrient followed by energy.
POULTRY NUTRIENT REQUIREMENT
Nutrient requirements for poultry
Poultry diets must be formulated to provide all of the
bird’s nutrients requirements if optimum growth and
production is to be achieved.
The presence or absence of essential amino acids or
vitamins can mean a lot of difference in performance
of flocks.
CONT..
Chickens eat to meet their energy demands. Meaning total
feed consumption is affected by the density of the feed provided.
A very high energy density can result in an insufficient uptake
other classes of nutrients e.g. protein and minerals.
Soya cake (requires heat treatment to destroy the anti-nutritional
factors present that includes trypsin inhibitor and urease),
sunflower cake (quality depends on whether its dehulled or not) ,
cotton seed cake should not exceed 11% inclusion in broiler diets.
This is because of the presence of an anti-nutritional factor,
gossypol, which is detrimental to poultry and other monogastrics.
Always provide clean water (that which you can drink) to your
birds. Water availability and quality affect feed intake.
Crude
Starter
protein for
Growers
Broilers &
Finisher
Layers
22% 20% 18%
Crude protein for Layers
Chick starter 0-8 WEEKS GROWERS 8-18 LAYERS FROM 18
WEEKS MASH WEEKS
18-20% CP 15-16% CP 18-19% CP
PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS FOR BEEF CATTLE AND GOATS
Calves and kids- 16-18% CP
Beef cattle should get 12-13% crude protein (CP).
This level supplies in excess of tabulated values, but it is
desirable in order to promote maximum feed intake and
efficiency.
The sources of protein for beef cattle and goats in Zimbabwe
are;
Cotton seed meal/cake, soya bean meal/ cake, sunflower
meal/cake, blood and meat meal, fishmeal, cowpea meal.
Urea is a source of ammonia and can be used in stover
treatment and give good results
Energy requirements
The energy levels of the diet should be as high as economically
possible. Ideally it must be in the region of 70-80% Total
Digestible Nutrients.
Feed intake is affected by the levels of fats in the feed.
The total fat in the diet should not exceed 7% otherwise feed
intake may be depressed.
Sources of energy
Maize – is the most commonly used source of energy in feed
formulation. The performance of animals on diets containing
different energy feeds will be closely related to the energy content
of the diets.
Sorghum, wheat, peal millet and rapoko.
Cont..
Sorghum – can be used for feed formulation. The
white varieties are than the reds.
The choice of the feed should be dedicated by
performance in relation to cost.
For some feeds the quantities to be included in the
diet must be restricted.
Pigs
Age/growing stage Crude Protein required(CP)
Growing 10-20 kg 19 % CP
Growing 20-50 kg 16 % CP
Baconer/ Finisher 14 % CP
Breeding gilts 14 % CP
Lactating (gilts /sow) 15 % CP
Boar 14 % CP
Rabbits
Starter 20-22% CP
Growers 18-20%CP
Finisher 16-18%CP
NB when feeding rabbits solid feeds or formulated
feed please supply them with water.
General guide for Crude Protein and Energy of commonly used
Feed ingredients.
FEED DM% CP% ME MJ/kg
Butu (from munga) 91 11.9 9.1
ENERGY
SOURCES Corn &cob meal 88 7.6 11.1
Maize grain 88 8 12.1
masese 93 11.9 9.4
Wheat
grain 89 12.7 11.8
Rapoko 88 7.2 12.4
Snap corn
Sorghum grain 90 10 12
CONT..
Bambara nuts
Cowpeas
89
23
23.4
11.5
Cotton seed cake 92 36 10.9
PLANT
PROTEIN
Groundnut cake 94 46.7 12.9
Soya bean meal(expressed) 90 43.8 12.9
Soya bean meal (solvent) 89 45.8 10.8
Sunflower cake 94 50.7 10.9
Velvet beans 90 23.4 12.4
Sunflower seed 33
ANIMAL
PROTEIN
Blood Meal 88 80 9.1
Fish Meal 91 65 11.4
Meat & Bone Meal 93 48 9.8
Poutry Manure 90 30 0
CONT..
Veld hay 90 2 6.8
ROUG
HAGE
S
Maize
Stover 87 5.1 8.2
Soya
bean hay 93 14.3 7.4
Velvet
bean hay 90 12.5 7.4
Methods of formulating feeds
There are several pieces of information that are required
for successful least cost feed formulation. These are;
The nutrient requirements of the animal in relation to
target performance.
The nutrient density of the ingredients.
Digestibility of the feed components. The presence of
anti-nutritional factors may reduce or alter the digestibility
of the feeds.
Acceptability and palatability of feed ingredients are
important considerations when formulating a diet. There
is no point in coming up with a highly digestible, cheap
diet that will supply the correct nutrients when the diet is
not going to be eaten.
CONT..
The Cost of the ingredients is important. Even though
the requirements of the animal can be met using various
combinations ingredients, the unit cost (and availability)
of each of the ingredients is different, meaning there can
only be one least cost formulation. Availability of the
feed ingredients may be seasonal or regional, and cost of
the feed ingredients may increase due to processing.
Processing especially heating tend alters digestibility,
acceptability and palatability of the feed.
Associative effects these may be positive or negative.
The Pearson Square method
Formulating diets
Ration formulation is the process by which one determines the
percentage composition of the diet. It is important because of a
number of factors and these are:
The animal’s nutrient requirements cannot be met by nutrients
found in one feedstuff. Ingredients differ in their suitability for
providing nutrients.
It facilitates the production of balanced diets at least cost
It enables the nutritionist to incorporate marginal feeds in the
animal diet
It enables the incorporation of less palatable ingredients in the
animal diet
CONT..
Ration formulation can be done with the aid of
computers or it can be done using a calculator.
The Pearson square method can be used to carry
out ration formulation when one is using a calculator.
Ration formulation should not be confused with
ration mixing.
Ration mixing is the compounding of a diet using the
ingredient percentages determined using ration
formulation.
How to use the square method to formulate diets
The steps in the use of the square method when only two feed
ingredients (e.g. soyabean meal and maize meal) are involved are as
follows:
Draw a square at the left side of the page
Insert the % crude protein desired in the final mixture e.g. 16% in the
middle of the square
Place maize with its % crude protein (8.5) on the upper left corner and
soyabean meal with its % crude protein (44) on the lower left corner. For
this method to work, one feed must be above the desired level of protein
and the other below.
Subtract the % crude protein in corn (8.5) from the % crude protein
desired in the mix (16) and place the difference (7.5) on the corner of the
square diagonally opposite from the corn. This amount is soyabean meal.
CONT..
subtract the % crude protein desired in the mix (16)
from the % crude protein in the soyabean meal (44)
and place the difference (26) on the corner of the
square diagonally opposite from the soyabean meal.
This amount is maize.
the differences obtained on subtraction represent the
proportions maize and soyabean meal that will
provide a mix containing the desired % crude protein
i.e. 16. The amounts are then converted to a
percentage or other weight basis for mixing purposes.
Cont…
Below is the diagrammatic presentation of the square method:
On a % basis
Maize meal 8.5 28 maize parts
16
Soya bean meal 44 7.5 soya parts
Total 35.5 parts
28/35.5 *100 = 78.9%
7.5/35.5 * 100 = 21.1%
Cont..
To make 25kg feed 1. Maize 78.9/100*25kg = 19.75kg
2. Soya bean 21.1/100*25kg = 5.25kg
Square method when three or more feeds are involved
Normally it is desirable to use more than two feeds in formulating a feed mixture.
Example: a producer may decide to use a mixture of maize, millet and soyabean
meal in formulating a 14% crude protein (CP) mix for his pregnant sows.
The maize and millet may need to be used in a proportion of 2:1.
The average percentage protein in the maize and millet component must be
calculated as follows:
2*8.5 - 17
1*11 - 11
Total = 28 Therefore 28/3 = 9.37 % CP
Cont..
Place ‘two maize plus one millet’ with its calculated
percentage of CP (9.37) on the upper left corner of the
square and the 44% soyabean meal on the lower left
corner.
Application of the square method as outlined above
using three or more ingredients is presented below;
Cont…
maize plus millet 9.36% 30
14%
Soyabean meal 44 % 4.63
Total
30/34.63*100 = 86.6%
4.63/34.63*100 = 34.63
The final ration mixture will contain the following:
Maize 2/3*86.6 = 57.7%
Millet 1/3*86.6 = 28.9%
Soya bean meal = 13.4%
Cont..
To make 50kg feed 1. Soyabean 13.4/100*50kg =6.7kg
2. Millet 28.5/100*50kg =
14.25kg
3. Maize 57.7/100*50kg =
28.85kg
