Feeds of Poultry

Feeds are normally the natural organic sources eaten for the supply of nutrients essential for the maintenance of optimum physiological functions of the body. Poultry birds may be omnivorous and herbivorous. Fowl is the main poultry bird around which commercial farming is flourishing in the country. The compounded commercial feeds are normally complete balanced diets manufactured for the feeding of different classes of poultry for egg and meat production. In the preparation of compounded feeds the nutritional requirements for different production functions are the main consideration. Cereal grains are the major constituents of the compounded commercial feeds of simple stomached animals like pigs, poultry birds. Some of the common cereal grains used for the feeding of poultry are maize, wheat, rice, sorghum, pearl millet, pearled barley, dehusked oat, finger millet, Paspalam and other minor millets. Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates and oil. Coarse rice with polish prepared by indigenous milling methods is fed to poultry alognwith feed ingredients.