To achieve energy balance and maintain a constant BW, changes in feed intake and energy expenditure must be coordinated and tightly regulated. This may not hold true for some poultry species intensively selected for such economically important traits as growth and meat production. For example, the modern commercial broiler breeder does not adequately control voluntary feed intake to meet its en...

Agriculture accounts for 92% of the freshwater footprint of humanity; almost one third relates to animal products. In a recent global study, Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2012) [31] show that animal products have a large water footprint (WF) relative to crop products. We use the outcomes of that study to show general trends in the WFs of poultry, pork and beef. We observe three main factors driving th...

A strain of Aspergillus ochraceus Wilhelm, isolated from poultry feed, produced both penicillic acid and ochratoxin A. Studies demonstrating the ability of this fungus to colonize poultry feed and produce these two mycotoxins under various temperatures and moistures indicated that the interaction was complex. The optimal temperature for conidial development did not vary with moisture, but accum...

Commercial poultry operations involve four types of birds: broiler (meat producing) chickens, layer (table egg) chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Each type differs greatly in size and nutrient requirements. Breeder flocks for each of the species are a major part of the industry, and those flocks also have different nutrient requirements. Distinctly different diets are required for each species and ...

This fact sheet has been developed to support the implementation of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Feed Management 592 Practice Standard. The Feed Management 592 Practice Standard was adopted by NRCS in 2003 as another tool to assist with addressing resource concerns on livestock and poultry operations. Feed management can assist with reducing the import of nutrients to the farm and...

A study was conducted to determine the presence of aflatoxins in finished poultry feed from manufacturing companies, feed ingredients, and poultry feed at the point of sale. Two collections were made. In the first collection, samples of the finished feed and feed ingredients were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For the second collection, all samples were analyzed by E...

The measurement of feed efficiency in the broiler industry is one of pri­ mary measurements used to monitor and evaluate broiler performance. It has a significant impact on the competitiveness in the marketplace as nearly 70% of the cost of raising a commercial broiler is feed. Although feed costs may shift up or down, it will always represent the highest input cost in commercial poultry produc...

Agriculture in the United States is undergoing a significant change. Grain, oilseed, and land prices have increased significantly, creating a subsequent increase in the income and wealth of many rural Americans—unless you are in animal agriculture. Feed is the largest single cost item for livestock and poultry production, accounting for 60%– 70% of the total cost in most years. Although energy,...

This study assessed the technical effi ciency of family poultry production in NigerDelta, Nigeria. The technical effi ciency estimate shows that the technical effi ciency of family poultry ranges between 0.09 and 0.63, with mean of 0.22. This indicates that on the average, the respondents are 22% effi cient in the use of combination of their inputs. The elasticity estimate of 12.29 indicates th...

Reduction of feed costs is a major concern of poultry producers. However, replacement of components of a corn-soybean diet with a lower-cost alternative requires the assessment not only of poultry performance and carcass characteristics but also of resulting meat quality. A brief overview of research studies, conducted over the past 10 yr, investigating the effects of alternative poultry feedst...