Feed Formulation

Feed Formulation

 

From my summer class, is a process by which feed ingredients are proportionally combined to give the animals the proper amount of nutrients they need. Feeding standard states the amount of nutrients that should be provided in rations for farm animals to obtained their desired performance.

First Factors to be considered are:

Body size

Level of production or growth

Stress condition

Temperature

Sex

Requirements may be expressed as either: Amount/Animal/Day or % of overall Feed

Feed composition tables, it provides information on nutritive composition of feeds. Individual feed often vary from the average chemical composition which is one major problem of thee feed millers and livestock producers who mix their own feeds.

Balanced diet or ration is one that provides the necessary nutrients in such a proportion to properly nourish an animal according to its type and level of production. It is necessary to target the optimum production rather than maximum production.

Important considerations in feed formulation

1.       Acceptability to the animals – palatable

2.       Digestibility – rations with high fiber content cannot be tolerated by poultry and swine.

3.       Cost

4.       Availability in the market

5.       Availability of nutrients

6.       Presence of anti-nutritional factors and toxins.

Steps in feed formulation (general steps)

1.       Characterized very well the animals – type, species and production level.

2.       Determine the nutrient requirement of the animal to feed.

3.       List the feed to use in feed formulation.

Example: A 1000kg ration having 16% CP and containing 10% fixed ingredients.

Step 1. Determine the percentage of protein to be used in the center of the square.

     100% - 10% = 90%

     1000kg × 90% = 900kg –non fixed portion

     1000kg × 16% = 160kg – supply of protein

To determine the percentage of protein = 160/900×100=17.8% CP

Step 2.

Corn 8%

29.2 / 39.0 × 100 = 74.87% corn

                                                                                                9.8 /39.0 × 100 = 25.13% SBM

SBM 47%

900kg x 74.87% = 673.83kg corn

900kg x 25.13% =226.17kg SBM

Check:

                673.83kg corn x 8% = 53.91kg protein

                226.17kg SBM x 47% =106.30kg protein

                100kg fixed x 0% = 0________

                1000kg ration          160.21kg protein