BENEFITS OF FEED MIXING
Why you should start mixing your own feed!
FEED QUALITY
Inspect all feed ingredients to ensure a perfect match with your birds' nutritional needs, optimizing performance, and preventing spoiled or toxic components.
COST REDUCTION
Preparing your own feed reduces costs and lets you use your own maize.
TYPE OF FEED INGREDIENTS
There are 4 main categories to consider when selecting your ingredients.
1. Energy
In order for your birds to grow or lay eggs, they need energy. The amount of energy required depends on the age of the bird and its production purpose. Too much energy in the feed will cause the birds to become overweight or reduce their appetite.
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Examples of ingredients which mainly provide energy include grains (maize, wheat, broken rice), grain by-products (maize bran, wheat bran, tapioca) and oils (seed oils).
2. Protein
Protein (also known as amino acids) is used to grow muscle tissue and produce eggs. It is often the more expensive part of the feed.
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Examples of ingredients that mainly provide protein include soya (note that soya comes in various qualities and protein values), fish meal, seed by-products (sunflower meal, cottonseed meal, groundnut meal).
3. Calcium
Layer birds produce eggs almost every day. The shell of an egg consists almost entirely of calcium. Without a specific source of calcium in the feed, the bird's bone tissue will begin to deteriorate.
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Examples of ingredients that primarily supply calcium include limestone and shells.
4. Essential Vitamins and Minerals
Not all required nutrients can be obtained from local ingredients. Therefore, you need to add a premix specially designed to meet the additional requirements. It can also be a concentrate that contains all the elements of a premix but also includes high-quality proteins.
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Champrix provides these Premixes and Concentrates to over 60+ countries worldwide. Do you want Champrix in your region? Contact Champrix at info@champrix.com.
SPECIALTY INGREDIENTS
In addition to the 4 main categories, there are some special ingredients that deserve a mention on this page. These are ingredients added with a specific purpose in mind.
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Toxin binders: These reduce the effect of mycotoxins found in grains if not treated properly.​
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Acidifiers: These improve feed efficiency and control pathogen pressure for a healthier gut flora, efficient nutrient utilisation by the animal, and the absence of digestive disorders.
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Electrolyte boosters: A boost of specific nutrients that can help when the flock is not in good health. It prevents blood alkalosis and compensates for elevated blood pH through a combination of different buffers, specific vitamins, and electrolytes.