Measures to Avoid Wastage of Poultry Feed

About 75% of the capital spent on poultry business is for feeding.

Hence, one has to be highly careful in preventing birds from wasting the
feed. There are several ways of avoiding feed wastage of which the major
and most common ways are discussed below.

1. Using The Right Feeders

The two types of feeders are Straight feeder and Round feeder. In both
types, feed wastage can be prevented by using the feeder with lip, ensuring
the feeder not more than half or one-third filled, hanging the feeder at the
level of the bird's back and the feeder should be at least 7cm deep.

2. Get Rid Of Rats and Wild birds

A rat can eat about 12kg of feed and waste over 36kg of feed on yearly
basis. Rats also promote spread of viral diseases through mouth contact
with feed. Make sure the feed store is rat-proof, you can even use trap to
catch those that have gained entrance to the feed store.

3. Debeaking
Debeaking or Beak trimming is the cutting of the sharp points of the lower
and upper beak. This should be done by an experienced person to avoid
mouth pain to the birds. Beak trimming helps to prevent cannibalism, feed
wastage and feather pulling. Beaked birds can waste feed about 5 times
than the debeaked ones.

4. Overfeeding
Overfeeding is not good as it can make the birds excessively fat and
unhealthy, especially the laying birds, a fat hen is a poor layer. Overfeeding
can be prevented by using the standard feeding chart as a guide. The chart
shows how much feed required with respect to the bird's type and age. It
may not be followed strictly as it is just a guide.
Enough feeders must be provided to prevent difference in growth rate
and body weight. The number of required feeders is a function of the type
of feeder used and birds stocked. For straight feeder, a broiler needs 5cm, a
growing layer needs 9cm and 12cm in laying birds. In round feeder, it is
2cm, 4cm and 5cm for a broiler, growing layer and layer respectively.

Practical recommendations to prevent feed wastage in

routinely farm practices and to get better FCR as result.

1. Weight your feed vehicle routinely and the net weight must be
precise because you are paying for them.
2. Check you feed transporting vehicle on regular basis, to ensure that
there is no feed spilling.
3. Ensure all feed bags are properly sealed if not then never collect that
bag take picture as well for farm record and complaint that respective
feed company.
4. Keep eye on all feeding management during feeding time, there
should be no feed spilling during placement of feed bags in main
hoppers and, no feed in fed bags.
5. Manage things in such a way to avoided spillage during feeding e.g.
Avoid over of feed from the feeders, the feed plates locks are
properly closed.
6. The opening of feeders should be age accordingly to meet demand
that’s also help to avoids feed wastage. Hanging the feeder so that
the base is at the same level as the bird’s back.
7. The feeder’s height should be according to bird height and demand;
the feeding wenches should be in properly working condition.
8. Use automatic feeding system; all feeding sensors should be in
properly working condition for that cause.
9. Check and maintain and update your feed stock on daily basis to
ensure any stolen poultry feed.
10. Temperature and humidity should be managed through
ventilation system in feed store room to avoid feed and protein
degeneration.
11. Feed order must give, according to bird demand and
requirement evaluate it on daily basis, there should be no feed bags
left at end of marketing day.
12. Plan to use all feed from hoppers, feed lines, and feeders on the
last day of catching and marketing.