How to formulate broiler feed
Basics of broiler feed formulation
Broiler feed formulation involves composing a mix of raw materials that meets the animal's nutritional needs at each production stage while minimizing cost.
Production stages
- Starter (0-10 days): high protein needs (22-23% CP), moderate energy
- Grower (11-28 days): protein/energy balance, 20-21% CP
- Finisher (29 days to slaughter): higher energy, 18-19% CP
Essential raw materials
- Energy sources: corn, wheat, sorghum, wheat bran
- Protein sources: soybean meal, groundnut cake, fish meal
- Minerals: calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, salt
- Amino acids: lysine, methionine, threonine (synthetic)
- Premix: vitamin and trace mineral supplement
Least-cost optimization
Least-cost formulation uses linear programming to find the cheapest ingredient combination that satisfies all nutritional constraints. This is the approach used by Feed Access.
Try Feed Access to formulate your broiler feed.