Two Keys to Improving Feed Efficiency Metrics

Every producer strives to maximize productivity while minimizing costs, and a key factor in achieving this balance is feed efficiency. Optimizing this single metric can spell the difference between thriving flocks and financial strain. Understanding and optimizing feed efficiency metrics is crucial for ensuring poultry feed quality, maintaining a favorable feed conversion ratio (FCR) and producing high-quality pellets. Effective feed pathogen control and improved pellet quality support producer efforts to improve feed efficiency metrics and profitability.

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Understanding Feed Pathogens

Feed pathogens are microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can contaminate poultry feed. These pathogens pose significant risks to poultry health, leading to diseases that can drastically reduce feed efficiency. Controlling feed pathogens is crucial for maintaining high poultry feed quality and achieving an optimal feed conversion ratio.

Strategies for Controlling Feed Pathogens

Producers have options for feed pathogen control, but not all strategies offer the same level of control. True heat treatment of feed, requiring a high temperature of 86°C for 6 minutes, is effective for point-in-time sanitation but leaves feed vulnerable to recontamination after processing. Organic acids, such as formic, propionic, and lactic acids, are effective against Salmonella but lack protection against recontamination, leaving farms at risk of pathogen reintroduction. Feed sanitizers, on the other hand, offer ongoing pathogen control from the feed mill to consumption, requiring lower inclusion rates to effectively manage Salmonella and providing continuous protection against recontamination.

Proper storage of feed is essential to prevent contamination, requiring that feed be kept in clean, dry conditions and away from potential sources of pathogens. Regular inspection of storage facilities for signs of contamination, and prompt corrective measures are crucial. Additionally, conducting regular testing of feed samples is important for detecting pathogens early, allowing for immediate action to mitigate contamination and maintain high, consistent feed quality.

Benefits of Feed Pathogen Control

Controlling pathogens is essential to producing healthier poultry and improving feed efficiency. Healthy birds convert feed into body mass more effectively, resulting in a better feed conversion ratio (FCR). Effective feed sanitation reduces microbial loads and pathogen prevalence, alleviating stress on the digestive system and lowering the risk of enteric diseases. Sanitized feed has been shown to support early poultry health, contributing to cleaner eggs and higher-quality chicks, and helps broilers withstand performance-limiting diseases like Necrotic Enteritis, leading to lower mortality and better productivity.

Estimates indicate that Necrotic enteritis costs the global poultry industry around $6 billion USD annually due to mortality, performance losses and prevention costs. Studies have associated NE with:

• An 1-10% reduction in egg production and a 2-gram decrease in egg weight
• A 6.5-gram loss in daily live weight gain
• 6% monthly flock mortality

Importance of Feed Form

The form and quality of poultry feed plays a critical role in feed efficiency. Poor feed form, such as crumbled or dusty pellets, can lead to reduced consumption and increased feed wastage. Maintaining high pellet quality is essential for optimizing feed efficiency metrics.

Strategies for Maintaining High Feed Form Quality

Maintaining high feed form quality involves implementing strategies that enhance feed mill efficiency and safeguard feed value. Effective feed mill efficiency programs, such as the Maxi-Mil solution, enable mill managers to balance throughput, shrinkage, and pellet quality while reducing energy consumption. Key strategies include optimizing the four-step pelleting process: grinding, conditioning, pressing, and cooling/drying. Fine, even grinding ensures uniform feed mixing and improved pellet digestibility. Effective conditioning with increased time and temperature enhances starch gelatinization, leading to more durable pellets with fewer fines. Maxi-Mil’s surfactant properties improve moisture absorption, further enhancing pellet quality. Additionally, precise pelleting and ingredient mix management ensure high-quality, nutrient-dense pellets, even when using less expensive ingredients. Adding fat at appropriate stages of processing can also improve pellet durability, addressing common challenges like moisture inhibition and maintaining feed quality.

Benefits of Good Feed Form

Good feed form is crucial for maximizing feed efficiency in poultry and swine. Studies have consistently shown that reducing feed fines significantly improves feed conversion ratios (FCR). In broilers, improved physical feed quality maximizes FCR, reduces mortality, improves yields and helps manage excess feed costs. High fines diets negatively impact feed conversion, requiring additional feed to achieve target weights and increasing costs. High-quality pellets that are easy for poultry to consume and digest lead to better feed conversion ratios, as birds efficiently convert the feed into body mass, improving overall productivity. Additionally, high-quality pellets minimize feed wastage, ensuring that more of the feed is consumed and utilized by the birds. This not only improves feed efficiency metrics but also reduces feed costs. Enhanced pellet quality can also lead to increased bird gains and reduced mortality, adding substantial value to poultry operations. For instance, an extra 58 grams per bird and a 44% reduction in mortality in a million-bird flock can equate to an additional $134,000 in value.

Improving feed efficiency metrics is a multifaceted challenge, but by focusing on two key strategies—feed pathogen control and preventing poor feed form—poultry farmers can make significant strides. Effective pathogen control ensures healthier birds and better feed conversion ratios, while maintaining high pellet quality minimizes feed wastage and enhances overall efficiency.

By implementing these strategies, poultry farmers can achieve higher poultry feed quality, better feed conversion ratios, and superior pellet quality. These improvements lead to more productive and cost-effective operations, ultimately contributing to the success and sustainability of the poultry farming industry.

Contact a clean feed expert today to learn more about how Maxi-Mil supports pellet quality.

Get Your Guide to Making More, High-Quality Feed Today.