Feeding ration for animal maintenance

Feeding of indigenous chicken is of importance in order to increase production of meat and eggs. 
A lack of feed and water will reduce resistance to disease, parasites and mortality. 
 Under a free-range chicken production system with temporarily confinement during planting season and at night, you can supply grains, by-products of grains or tubers besides the green forage and seeds they collect during scavenging. 
With a variety of feeds (plants and insects), requirements for minerals, trace-elements and vitamins are likely to be met. 
Water should be available at all times. 
Young chicken should be fed with easy to digest feeds that are energy and protein rich.

Types of Feeds

Starter diet :  Chick mash - high in protein offered upto 8 weeks

Growers’ diet :  Medium in protein offered from 9- 19 weeks

Layer diet:  Lower in protein offered from 19 weeks onwards

Feed Formulation

Energy feeds:  Maize, millet, sorghum, sugar, maize bran, pollard, wheat bran, maize germ, roots and tubers

Forms over 75% of poultry feed

For Body Maintenance requirements e.g. body temperature, vital functions and exercise

Protein feeds:  Blood meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal, cotton seed, soya meal, sunflower meal, peanut meal, beans, peas, oil cakes, fish, maggots, termites, worms, insects.

Form less than 20% of poultry diet due to high costs among others

Needed for growth, production and optimal health

Minerals feeds:  Bone meal, burned eggshells

Important for bone and egg formation

For optimal health status

Important minerals are calcium and phosphorous in a ratio of 2:1

Vitamins:  Green grass, vegetables, fresh cow dung (scavenging birds)

Important for optimal health status i.e. disease prevention

Important vitamins; A, B2 and D

Non-nutrient substances

Grits

Water

Medications

Growth promoters 

Criteria

Extensive

semi intensive

Intensive

Flock size mainly in small scale production 

Purpose

For home consumption

Home consumption /income

generation

Income generation

Social Role

Social & cultural importance

Social importance

No social importance

Genotypes

• Indigenous
• Indigenous/improved
• Improved
• Mortality
• High mortality
• Moderate mortality
• Low mortality
• Feed Source
• Scavenging
• Scavenging+  Supplementation
• Commercial feeds
• Disease control
• No vaccination
• Newcastle disease vaccination and occasionally Fowl pox
• Various vaccination schemes

Housing

Shared with other household members at night

Simple housing made of local material with a run

Housing made of conventional material

Common Feed Problems

Fish - fishy taste to meat and eggs

Cassava – contains cyanide which is toxic

Oil and seed cakes can contain excessive amounts of oil and fiber

Beans and peas contain a number of anti-nutritional substances

Feed Consumption formular-

Age in Weeks 
..................................

                                                     Feed Consumption (g/day)

Cumulative Feed (kg/day