Chicks need a diet that can give the nutrients for quick growth and feather development. They require increased protein to help them develop without any deformities. Chicks need a high amount of protein, energy and vitamins and minerals for their starter period. They need more protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals in order to grow correctly, have enough energy to do so and to maintain good health not getting calcium, phosphorus deficiencies needed for the chick to have strong bones and develop the body correctly. When the chicks are completely feathered their energy requirements are decreased. This is because they need protein for bone development but they do not need as much of this when they are developed. Layer pullets need to control a growth rate that will cause the pullet to get to sexual maturity at the correct age without getting obese. This means they do not need as many lipids to stop them becoming obese and they do not need as much protein to slow down their growth rate. The pullet starts laying eggs and is dependent on day length, body weight and age. Layer pullets diets have lower energy and protein amounts than chick diets. This is because they are not growing so do not need as much energy when fully grown as well as not too much protein again because they are fully grown. However, they still need some protein, carbohydrates and calcium in order to have the strength and energy to produce eggs when they are laying. A pre-lay diet is beneficial because it increases parts of nutrient amounts e.g. calcium, that is needed by the chicken when it starts to lay eggs.
Layer diets are available to have the best egg production possible. Calcium intake becomes higher for egg shell creation (poultry hub, 2015).
Layer diets are available to have the best egg production possible. Calcium intake becomes higher for egg shell creation (poultry hub, 2015).
(Poultry hub, 2015).
Formulating energy requirements
A broiler Chickens feed that provided between 100 and 320 kcal ME/d/kg0.75 body weight 1.34 kg
Energy balance (kcal/d/kg 0.75)= -188.2+7.398 (average% body weight) + 0.777 (ME/d/kg 0.75). A chicken with 13% body fat requires 118kcal ME/d/kg 0.75 for maintenance. (Bishop, 2004).
Laying hens
A feed for a laying hen that consists of 3000 kcal metabolisable energy per kilogram. A hen needing 300 kcal metabolisable energy per day will consume (300 kcal/ 3000 kcal/kg =) 0.100kg (100g) per day of this feed (Pond, 2005). This would be suitable for layers mash.
Chickens need 1/4 lbs of layer pellets a day to meet their energy requirements.
16% protein requirement
80% carbohydrate requirement
3% calcium requirement (What do chickens eat, 2015).
Dodsan and Horrell layer pellets
3.5% fat
3.5% carbohydrates
16% of protein
3.75% calcium
This diet however, consisting of 100g of layer pellets would not get 300 calories a day this would not be beneficial because they are not getting enough as a result of the need for 300 calories a day. So they would be required to be fed a higher amount than 100g to get the requirement of 300 calories a day. So in order to get the correct energy requirements for this feed you would need to feed them 125g of pellets a day. However, this is good because pellets have all the nutritional requirements in them instead of a seeded mix where they can pick what they want to eat and may not eat everything that they need. As well as this, adding mealworms 8g to encourage scavenging would increase nutrition. This diet is suitable because they are getting all the nutrients in one pellet. However, it can be a problem if the chicken does not like the pellets. On the other hand only getting 100g of the 125g that is needed to get 300 calories means they will become ill if something else is not added to the diet because there will be a deficiency of nutrients. This diet is also not good enough because they are not getting enough carbohydrates; this is essential to give them the energy needed for producing eggs. They will also become weak only getting a little amount of carbohydrates; therefore to improve the situation other ingredients will be necessary. A higher amount of carbohydrates and protein in their diet would meet their needs. However, they are getting the correct amount of calcium and protein which help them lay strong eggs.
A broiler Chickens feed that provided between 100 and 320 kcal ME/d/kg0.75 body weight 1.34 kg
Energy balance (kcal/d/kg 0.75)= -188.2+7.398 (average% body weight) + 0.777 (ME/d/kg 0.75). A chicken with 13% body fat requires 118kcal ME/d/kg 0.75 for maintenance. (Bishop, 2004).
Laying hens
A feed for a laying hen that consists of 3000 kcal metabolisable energy per kilogram. A hen needing 300 kcal metabolisable energy per day will consume (300 kcal/ 3000 kcal/kg =) 0.100kg (100g) per day of this feed (Pond, 2005). This would be suitable for layers mash.
Chickens need 1/4 lbs of layer pellets a day to meet their energy requirements.
16% protein requirement
80% carbohydrate requirement
3% calcium requirement (What do chickens eat, 2015).
Dodsan and Horrell layer pellets
3.5% fat
3.5% carbohydrates
16% of protein
3.75% calcium
This diet however, consisting of 100g of layer pellets would not get 300 calories a day this would not be beneficial because they are not getting enough as a result of the need for 300 calories a day. So they would be required to be fed a higher amount than 100g to get the requirement of 300 calories a day. So in order to get the correct energy requirements for this feed you would need to feed them 125g of pellets a day. However, this is good because pellets have all the nutritional requirements in them instead of a seeded mix where they can pick what they want to eat and may not eat everything that they need. As well as this, adding mealworms 8g to encourage scavenging would increase nutrition. This diet is suitable because they are getting all the nutrients in one pellet. However, it can be a problem if the chicken does not like the pellets. On the other hand only getting 100g of the 125g that is needed to get 300 calories means they will become ill if something else is not added to the diet because there will be a deficiency of nutrients. This diet is also not good enough because they are not getting enough carbohydrates; this is essential to give them the energy needed for producing eggs. They will also become weak only getting a little amount of carbohydrates; therefore to improve the situation other ingredients will be necessary. A higher amount of carbohydrates and protein in their diet would meet their needs. However, they are getting the correct amount of calcium and protein which help them lay strong eggs.
Chicken food has lipids that are made up of fats and oils (ester fatty acids) with glycerol. Lipids give a lot of energy to the animals. The Metabolisable energy of feed is affected by the lipid content. Lipids are digested by the intestine creating lipid droplets with the aid of bile salts acting as emulsifying agents. Lipids are hydrolysed by pancreatic lipase in the intestinal lumen and spread out into small mixed micelles. The mixed micelle is spread across the microvilli of the intestine by diffusion. The fatty acids are changed into triglycerides in the mucosa cell and mixed with phospholipids, cholesterol and protein into a lipoprotein structure that travels by portal blood to the liver. The digestibility of fats is changed by the ratio of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, level of glycerol, length of carbon chains, amount of double bonds and age of the chicken. The ME value of corn oil and soya bean oil is higher than pig lard or beef; this is due to higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in comparison to saturated fatty acids.