Combined feeds provide the supply of microelements necessary for the normal development of animals. Such mixtures are developed taking into account the age of the chickens, thanks to which the birds quickly gain the desired weight. These circumstances should be taken into account when independently preparing feed for broilers. Therefore, beginning farmers are advised to purchase ready-made products.
Features of feed for broilers
Compound feed (or a specialized feed mixture) has a balanced composition, which ensures rapid weight gain in chickens, starting from the first day of the bird’s life. This product:
- helps to grow a 2.5 kg broiler in a short time;
- ensures the supply of necessary microelements and proteins, thanks to which the bird develops normally;
- selected taking into account the age of the bird (ingredients are used in different proportions for each period of development);
- has a long shelf life (6 months, provided the integrity of the packaging is maintained);
- allows you to abandon other methods of feeding.
Combined feeds are necessary mixtures, without which it is impossible to raise a full-fledged broiler in 1.5-2 months. The composition of this product varies depending on the brand of the manufacturer. But each feed must contain chopped grass, cereals (wheat), corn, as well as ingredients that provide proteins, minerals and vitamins.
Advantages and disadvantages of use
The advantages of combined feeds include the following:
- creates conditions for rapid (within two months) gaining the required weight;
- ensures the supply of all microelements necessary for development;
- contains natural ingredients that do not cause side effects.
The main disadvantage of combined feeds is due to the fact that a number of manufacturers, instead of natural ones, introduce artificial ingredients into the mixtures. Because of this, birds do not gain weight and suffer from side diseases. When feeding on mixed feed, chickens are required to consume enough water (the proportion is 1:2). In addition, such feeding is relatively expensive.
Feed requirements
In addition to the above components, high-quality feed should include cereal ingredients. The mixtures should not contain antibiotics, which stimulate the growth of chickens, but have a negative effect on poultry meat. In addition, high-quality feed meets the following characteristics:
- when pressed, the granules do not crumble;
- there is no dust in the bag with the mixture;
- color - dark green (rich green indicates a high concentration of herbs in the composition);
- For young animals at the initial stage, feed with a high protein content is suitable, for broilers - with a low one.
For better absorption, it is recommended that young animals be given finely ground combined feeds.
Types and composition of feed
At each stage of poultry development, the composition of the supplied feed changes. This parameter must be strictly controlled, since deviations upward or downward contribute to the occurrence of diseases. The volume of combined mixtures and the number of feedings also depends on the age of the chickens. Until the seventh day, the bird must eat at least eight times daily.
Then, until the second week, this figure is reduced to six. Until the 21st day, chickens are given food no more than four times. Shortly before slaughter, chickens eat no more than twice a day.
On the first day, no more than 15 grams of feed are given. Then every day this figure increases by about 5 grams. Between the 10th and 17th days, 2 grams are added. Next, the amount of food given is increased by 10 grams every day. By day 30, chickens should eat up to 120 grams of product at each feeding.
Compound feed is produced in the form of mash and dry mixture. The first is issued in finished form according to the scheme described above (or recommended by the manufacturer).Milk or broth is first added to the dry mixture in a proportion of 0.5 liters of liquid per kilogram of feed.
The type of feed depends on what feeding method is used:
- Two-stage. This option involves feeding with mixtures of the PK-5 and PK-6 types.
- Three-stage. The most popular feeding method, which involves the use of “Start”, “Growth” and “Finish” mixtures.
Mixtures for two-stage feeding cost approximately 500 rubles more than products for the three-stage method. Some manufacturers produce pre-start feed. These mixtures are given in the first days after the chicks hatch. Specialized ratings help you choose the optimal brand of product. But when referring to such lists, it is necessary to take into account the above recommendations and requirements for dry food.
Start
The quality of the feed provided in the first few days directly determines how the chicken will develop. The mixtures that birds consume during this period are determined by:
- the success of bone mass formation in chickens;
- features of immune development;
- the nature of the development of the digestive tract.
In this regard, the starter package should contain corn (36% of the composition), soybean seed cake (30%) and crushed wheat grains (21%). The quality product also includes rapeseed oil and cake (5.5%), corn gluten and molasses (2.5%).
The starter package is issued from the moment of birth until the 15th day (up to the 31st, if two-stage feeding is used). This type of feed is produced in the form of fine granules (fine grinding). In addition to the above components, the feed should include soda with salt, chalk, pork or chicken fat, phosphates and proteins.With the correct composition, this food provides a daily weight gain of 30 grams.
Height
In the period from the 14th to the 21st day, chickens are given mixtures that include wheat grains, soybean and sunflower cake, yeast and bone meal obtained from fish or animals. Also, these products should contain amino acids with minerals. The percentage of these components varies depending on the brand of the manufacturer. This is not considered a deviation from the norm and does not affect the development of the bird.
This composition ensures rapid weight gain: chickens gain up to 50 grams every day. You can achieve a successful result if you give feed intended for the middle period of development three times a day in the amount of 85-115 grams.
Finish
For one-month-old chickens, feed consisting of large granules is suitable. The basis of mixtures intended for this period is crushed wheat grains (at least 45% of the total volume). Additionally, products of this type contain corn (21%), soybean cake (16%), fish bone meal (6%), sunflower greens (5%), and vegetable oil (3%).
The remaining 1% comes from limestone flour, mineral and vitamin complexes, and salt. During this period, with this feeding, broilers gain more than 50 grams daily with two meals a day. In 20 days, the weight of chickens should increase by 1 kilogram. With properly selected nutrition, the weight of broilers after the fifth week exceeds 2 kilograms. But to achieve this figure, each chicken has to be given 3.3 kilograms of dry mixture.
What feed is best for broilers, and how much does it cost?
The type of feed is selected taking into account the nature of feeding and the purposes for which such a mixture is introduced.The cost of the product depends both on the brand and on the period of development of the chickens. The starting mixture, which ensures optimal growth in the first days of life, is sold at a price of 1.35-1.4 thousand rubles per 40 kilogram. Compound feed for the active development phase, which begins in the fourth week, will cost 1.1 thousand rubles. Large broilers are given compound feed valued at 1 thousand rubles.
Among the best brands of dry mixture manufacturers, Purina, Shchedra Niva, Rozovka and Provimi stand out.
How to prepare feed yourself
To prepare compound feed with your own hands, you will need the following ingredients (weight in grams):
- corn (260);
- wheat (150);
- sunflower greens (120);
- barley and fish bone meal (100 each);
- animal bone meal (80);
- premix and feed fat (20 each);
- chopped grass and shells (40 each);
- sunflower oil and yeast (30 each);
- feed chalk (10).
These components must be mixed. To do this, it is recommended to use a drill with a suitable attachment. Then the mixture must be passed through a granulator or crushed in another convenient way. At the end of the procedure, the composition should infuse for 10 minutes.
This recipe is suitable for preparing feed intended for both newly hatched chickens and broilers.
