06/01/2025
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN QUALITY POULTRY FEED
To formulate feeds, farmers have to use the Pearson Square method. In this method, the digestible crude protein (DCP) is the basic nutritional requirement for any feed preparation for all animals and birds.
Now, assuming that a farmer wants to make feed for their chicken using this method, they have to know the crude protein content of each of the ingredients they want to use to make their feed.
The following are the DCP values for each of the common ingredients used in feed making:
◇Whole maize — 8.23%
◇Soya — 45%
◇Fishmeal (omena) — 55%
◇Maize bran — 7%
◇Sunflower — 35%
Each category of chicken has its nutritional requirement. For example, if we want to make feed for layers, the feed should have at least 18 per cent crude protein.
If one was to formulate feed for layers, then they would have to calculate the percentage of DCP in each of the ingredients they want to use to ensure that the total crude protein content is at least 18 per cent.
Therefore, to make a 70kg bag of feed for layers, a farmer would require the following ingredients:
=34kg of whole maize
=12kg of soya
=8kg of omena (fishmeal)
=10kg of maize bran
=6kg of lime (as a calcium source)
To find out if all the above ingredients meet this standard of 18% crude protein, a farmer can do a simple calculation as follows:
》Whole maize — 34kg x 8.23 ÷100 = 2.80 %
》Soya — 12kg x 45kg ÷ 100 = 5.40 %
》Omena — 8 kg x 55kg ÷ 100 = 4.40 %
》Lime — 6 kg x 0 kg ÷ 100 = 0.00%
Total % of crude protein = 13.30%
To get the total crude protein percentage of all these ingredients in a 70kg bag of feed, the farmer should take this crude protein content of the combined ingredients, divide by 70kg and multiply by 100, thus — 13.30 ÷70 ×100 = 19%; this shows that the crude protein content of the above feed formulation is 19%, which is quite adequate for layers.
To ensure the chicken to get all they need in terms of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids, you need these additives in their standard quantities.
In order to make it even simpler for farmers who would wish to make their own feeds, below are feed formulations for each category of chickens and stage of growth already worked out such that all the farmer needs is to buy the ingredients and mix them:
Making a 70 kg layers of layers chick mash (1-4 weeks)
Growing chicks require feed with Digestible Crude Protein (DCP) of between 18 to 20 per cent. The following formulation can be used to make a 70kg bag of layers chick mash:
Ingredients
》31.5kg of whole maize
》9.1kg of wheat bran
》7.0kg of wheat pollard
》16.8 kg of sunflower (or 16.8 kg of linseed)
》1.5kg of fishmeal
》1.75kg of lime
》30g of salt
》20g of premix Amino acids
》70g of tryptophan
》3.0g of lysine
》10g of methionine
》70 g of Threonine
》50g of enzymes
》60g of coccidiostat
》50g of toxin binder
Making a 70 kg bag of growers mash (4 to 8 weeks)
Growers (pullets or young layers) should be provided with feed having a protein content of between 16 and 18 per cent. Such feed makes the young layers to grow fast in preparation for egg laying:
》10kg of whole maize
》17kg of maize germ
》13kg of wheat pollard
》10kg of wheat bran
》6kg of cotton seed cake
》5kg of sunflower cake
》3.4kg of soya meal
》2.07kg of lime
》700g of bone meal
》3kg of fishmeal
Additives
》14g of salt
》1g of coccidiostat
》18g of Pre-mix
》1g of zinc bacitracitrach
》7g of mycotoxin binder
Making a 70 kg bag of layers’ mash (18 weeks and above)
Ingredients
》34kg of whole maize.
》12kg of Soya.
》8kg of fishmeal.
》10kg of maize bran, rice germ or wheat bran.
》6kg of lime.
Amino acids
》175g premix.
》70g lysine.
》35g methionine.
》70kg Threonine.
》35g tryptophan.
》50g toxin binder.
Layer feed should contain a Digestible Crude Protein (DCP) content of between 16-18%.
