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PoultryfeedWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Poultryfeed
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Poultryfeedisfoodforfarmpoultry,includingchickens,ducks,
geeseandotherdomesticbirds.
Beforethetwentiethcentury,poultryweremostlykeptongeneral
farms,andforagedformuchoftheirfeed,eatinginsects,grain
spilledbycattleandhorses,andplantsaroundthefarm.Thiswas
oftensupplementedbygrain,householdscraps,calcium
supplementssuchasoystershel,andgardenwaste.
Chickensfeedingongrain.
Asfarmingbecamemorespecialized,manyfarmskeptflockstoo
largetobefedinthisway,andnutitionallycompletepoultryfeed
wasdeveloped.Modernfeedsforpoultryconsistslargelyofgrain,proteinsupplementssuchassoybeanoil
meal,mineralsupplements,andvitaminsupplements.Thequantityoffeed,andthenutritionalrequirements
ofthefeed,dependontheweightandageofthepoultry,theirrateofgrowth,theirrateofeggproduction,
theweather(coldorwetweathercauseshigherenergyexpenditure),andtheamountofnutritionthepoultry
obtainfromforaging.Thisresultsinawidevarietyoffeedformulations.Thesubstitutionoflessexpensive
localingredientsintroducesadditionalvariations.[1]

Healthypoultryrequireasufficientamountofproteinandcarbohydrates,alongwiththenecessary
vitamins,dietaryminerals,andanadequatesupplyofwater.[2]Certaindietsalsorequiretheuseofgrit,tiny
rockssuchaspiecesofgranite,inthefeed.Gritaidsindigestionbygrindingfoodasitpassesthroughthe
gizzard.[3][2][4]Gritisnotneededifcommercialfeedisused.[3]
Thefeedmustremaincleananddry[2]contaminatedfeedcaninfectpoultry.Dampfeedencouragesfungal
growth.Mycotoxinpoisoning,asanexample,is"oneofthemostcommonandcertainlymostunder
reportedcausesoftoxicosesinpoultry".[5]Diseasescanbeavoidedwithpropermaintenanceofthefeed
andfeeder.Afeederisthedevicethatsuppliesthefeedtothepoultry.[6]Forprivatelyraisedchickens,or
chickensaspets,feedcanbedeliveredthroughjar,troughortubefeeders.Theuseofpoultryfeedcanalso
besupplementedwithfoodfoundthroughforaging.[7]Inindustrialagriculture,machineryisusedto
automatethefeedingprocess,reducingthecostandincreasingthescaleoffarming.Forcommercialpoultry
farming,feedservesasthelargestcostoftheoperation.[2]

PoultryFeedTerms
Mashreferstoanutritionallycompletepoultryinagroundform.Thisistheearliestcompletepoultry
ration.[1]
Pelletsconsistofamashthathasbeenpelletizedthatis,compressedandmoldedintopelletsina
pelletmill.Unlikemash,wheretheingredientscanseparateinshipmentandthepoultrycanpickand
chooseamongtheingredients,theingredientsinasinglepelletstaytogether,andthepoultryeatthe
pelletswhole.Pelletsareoftentoolargefornewlyhatchedpoultry.[1]
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Crumblesarepelletsthathavebeensentthroughrollerstobreakthemintogranules.Thisisoften
usedforchickfeed.
Scratchgrain(orscratchfeed)consistsofoneormorevarietiesofwhole,cracked,orrolledgrains.
Unlikeotherfeeds,whicharefedintroughs,hoppers,ortubefeeders,scratchgrainsareoften
scatteredontheground.Hence,alargeparticlesizeisdesired.Becausetheyconsistonlyofgrains,
scratchgrainsarenotacompleteration,andareusedtosupplementthebalancedration.[1]
Thetermchickenfeedisalsousedasacolloquialismforasmallorinsufficientamount,especiallya
smallamountofmoney.[8]Thetermwasfirstcoinedandusedinthatsensein1904.[9]

Seealso
Cattlefeeding

References
1. ^abcdG.F.Heuser(1955).FeedingPoultry(http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/feeding_poultry.html).Norton
CreekPress.p.527626.ISBN9780972177023.Retrieved19August2014.
2. ^abcdJamesR.GillespieFrankB.Flanders(2010).ModernLivestockandPoultryProduction
(http://books.google.com/books?id=7Z9o_vGPP4cC&pg=PA693).CengageLearning.p.693.ISBN97814283
18083.Retrieved7November2012.
3. ^abGailDamerow(20January2010).Storey'sGuidetoRaisingChickens:4thEdition
(http://books.google.com/books?id=GxoH_NRDxe8C&pg=PA96).StoreyPublishing.p.96.ISBN978160342
4691.Retrieved7November2012."Thegizzardconsistsofstrongmusclessurroundingatoughpouchfilled
withsmallstonesorgritthatthechickenhasswallowedforgrindingupgrainsandotherhardfeedstuffs.
Chickensthateatonlyprocessedfoodssuchaschickstarterorlayerpelletsdon'tneedgrit."
4. ^GailDamerow(31January2012).TheChickenEncyclopedia:AnIllustratedReference
(http://books.google.com/books?id=YTkBu_R6jiYC&pg=PA118).StoreyPublishing.pp.118119,135136(for
grit).ISBN9781603425612.Retrieved7November2012.
5. ^MarkPattison(2008).PoultryDiseases6e(http://books.google.com/books?id=QN0h7MGKy8C&pg=PA550).
ElsevierHealthSciences.p.550.ISBN9780702028625.Retrieved7November2012.
6. ^RobertBlair(15September2008).NutritionandFeedingofOrganicPoultry(http://books.google.com/books?
id=9WZ9LJLoCZIC&pg=PA238).CABI.p.238.ISBN9781845934064.Retrieved7November2012.
7. ^MalcolmF.Fuller(2004).TheEncyclopediaofFarmAnimalNutrition(http://books.google.com/books?
id=JGBBhSWnz4C&pg=PA68).CABI.p.68.ISBN9780851993690.Retrieved7November2012.
8. ^"Chickenfeed"(http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/chicken%20feed).MerriamWebster.Retrieved
7November2012.

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9. ^"Chicken"(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?
allowed_in_frame=0&search=%22chicken+feed%22&searchmode=none).Etymonline.Retrieved7November
2012.

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