In chicken farming, feed costs account for 2/3 of total costs. Therefore, reducing feed waste lowers farming costs and increases returns.
Feed waste is particularly serious in the chicken farming industry. This article briefly discusses the causes of feed waste on chicken farms and how to address them.
1, causes of feed waste
(1) Direct waste. Direct waste at chicken farms caused by poor feed management generally accounts for 5%–15% of annual feed consumption.
Among these, waste caused by unreasonable feeder design, improper placement height, or overfilling accounts for 2%–6%; waste caused by feed being too fine and dispersing accounts for 0.5%; waste caused by pheasants and rats accounts for 1%; waste from spillage accounts for 0.5%; and waste caused by birds not being debeaked or being improperly debeaked accounts for 3%.
(2) Indirect waste. Indirect waste caused by low feed efficiency accounts for 11%–22% of the total feed quantity.
Among these, excessively low ambient temperatures result in a waste of 4%–6%, incomplete feathering results in a waste of 2%–6%, excessive feed intake results in a waste of 3%–5%, and waste caused by parasites and diseases accounts for 2%–7.
In production, to save feed and reduce costs, greater attention should be paid to indirect feed waste, because this type of waste is not easy to detect in the short term.
2. Methods for Saving Feed
(1) Choose high-quality chicken breeds. In addition to advantages such as high production performance, fast growth, high egg production, heavier eggs, and strong disease resistance, high-quality chicken breeds also use feed more efficiently.
Chickens of the same age, kept in the same environment and consuming exactly the same amount of feed, perform much better when they are of a superior breed than when they are of other breeds.
Under the same rearing conditions, high-producing laying hens can lay 20%～30% more eggs than ordinary laying hens. Raising chicken breeds with high production performance is an effective way to reduce feed costs.
(2) Beak trimming at the appropriate time. Chickens can easily hook and scatter feed with their beaks, resulting in feed waste. Chicks are generally beak-trimmed at 6～9 days of age, with their beaks touched up at 12～16 weeks of age. Beak trimming not only effectively reduces feed waste, but also prevents the occurrence of feather pecking.
(3) Choose a suitable feed form. Feed is classified by form into 3 types: mash, meal, and pellets. Pelleted feed is palatable and easy to eat, and chickens can consume it completely, preventing waste. It is particularly suitable for feeding broiler chicks. If chickens raised on the floor, on slats, or in cages are not given grit in their feed and grit is not supplemented regularly, feed digestibility will decrease by 3%～10%. Therefore, grit should be supplemented regularly, either fed separately or added at 454g per 50kg of feed. This helps the chicken’s gizzard mechanically grind the feed, making it easier to digest and absorb and improving feed utilization. Avoid making mash too fine: overly fine mash is not only less palatable but also easily scattered, causing losses. If wet mash is fed to chickens, mix it immediately before feeding; otherwise, it can easily turn sour in summer and freeze in winter. When adding green fodder to feed, chop it into short pieces so that chickens do not scatter feed adhering to the green fodder while picking through it, causing waste.
(4) The feed trough design and placement height should be appropriate. An unsuitable feed trough design and placement height can result in feed wastage of up to 15%, so it is important to choose a suitably sized feed trough.
The feed trough should have a pointed bottom, a wide body, and a narrow opening. It should be positioned so that its upper edge is level with the chickens' backs or 2㎝ above them, allowing the chickens to reach the feed without tossing it out of the trough while picking through it.
If the feed trough is too small, too shallow, or placed too low, the chickens may easily scratch feed out of it. If it is too large, too deep, or placed too high, it may affect the chickens' feed intake and growth and development. Therefore, an appropriately sized feed trough should be selected according to the chickens' age, and its height should be adjusted as needed.
(5) Effect of the drinking device. Compared with a water trough, using nipple drinkers can save 2～3g of feed per chicken per day. When using a water trough (with water supplied continuously), a water depth of 1㎝ saves feed compared with 2㎝. Therefore, the water level in the trough should not be too high. This is especially important when feeding dry mash, as feed on the chickens' beaks may be carried out with the flowing water, causing waste.
(6) Adjust the feeding method and change the rearing system. Adding too much feed at one time is the main cause of feed waste.
When feeding, follow the principles of feeding small amounts frequently, feeding at set times and in set quantities, feeding in portions, and leaving no feed in the trough after feeding. Each addition should be no more than 1/3 of the trough depth.
Change from floor rearing to cage rearing. Cage-reared chickens are less active than floor-reared chickens, have lower maintenance requirements, and eat less. Since the trough is outside the cage, chickens are less likely to trample feed while eating.
(7) Manage the daily ration appropriately. Use different feeding methods for flocks of different breeds and purposes, namely free-choice feeding or restricted feeding. Use different daily ration amounts for flocks of different ages, and adjust them promptly with reference to body-weight standards or egg production rates.
Meat chickens are generally allowed to feed freely. Laying hens and breeder chickens are generally given restricted feeding from the rearing period onward, either by restricting feed quality or quantity. Feed restriction can save about 10% of feed and prevent chickens from becoming too fat or heavy, which could affect future egg production.
(8) Control rodents and prevent wild birds from causing harm. Wild birds and rodents not only consume feed and cause waste, but also release heat and excrete feces, causing localized increases in feed temperature and humidity. This leads to feed clumping and mold spoilage, and they can also spread various diseases.
(9) Cull sick or disabled chickens and low-producing chickens. If there are roosters in a laying flock, they consume more feed and increase production costs, so they should be culled promptly; promptly cull rearing
period chickens that cannot stand, have lame legs, crooked beaks, or are blind. Before egg production begins, first cull especially weak chickens and sick or disabled chickens; during peak egg production, cull chickens that do not lay eggs; during the middle of the egg-laying period, cull chickens with a low egg production rate.
Breeder farms raising roosters should promptly cull roosters with poor semen quality or that are no longer capable of mating.
3, Improvement measures
Feed a complete ration; maintain a suitable temperature in the chicken house, ensuring it does not fall below 12℃; carefully handle and store feed; strengthen feeding management, reduce stress factors, save feed, increase returns, and improve the economic benefits of the chicken farm.