PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY NUTRITION

Abstract

The main aim of Animal husbandry is to provide useful products like food, wool, manure, skin, power etc. to man. Poultry,as one of the farm animals provide eggs, meat and also manure. Poultry, if they are expected to produce optimally, need to be supplied with the necessary nutrients in the appropriate proportions and quantity. The common sources of feed for poultry include grains and grain by products (wheat, wheat shorts, corn etc); processed slaughter house by products (meat meal,bone meal etc); by-products of oil extraction (Noug Cake, peanut cake etc). Some of these products especially the intact grains can be consumed directly by humans while the others like the oilseed cakes and slaughter-house by-products can’t be directly consumed. The aim of animal husbandry (and thus poultry husbandry) is to transform such humanly inedible products to highly desirable and nutritious human food-meat and eggs. Attainment of efficient transformation of these by-products requires knowledge and application of the scientific bases of Animal (poultry)) feeding. We should know the following in order to understand the scientific bases of animal feeding.