The major ingredients in poultry diets provide the protein and energy required for poultry to maintain health, grow, and produce eggs. Common energy sources in poultry feeds include cereals, fats and oils. Cereals are starchy grains, many of which can be used in poultry diets as an energy source. Although the starch in corn, also called maize is highly digestible. Corn stored as starch, cellulose, and oil. It has a good energy content and is easy to digest. Barley has a low starch content, a high fiber content, and some antinutritional factors. Sorghum is only 3-5% lower in feeding value than corn. Wheat is also often used in poultry diets. Fats and oils provide a concentrated source of energy. Protein sources for poultry feeds are used in feed formulations such as canola, fish meal, meat and bone meal, soybeans and cereal by-products. Premixes, vitamins, enzymes, salt, and limestone also used in small quantities in poultry feed formulations. Conditioning and heat treatment of poultry feed is very important. The optimum conditioning of feed ensures better starch gelatinization, improved digestibility, reduced pellet mill power consumption, better pellet durability and better hygiene.
