Feeding and Nutrition

By Dr. Andrew T. Bunan/ Dr. Eulalio D. Lorenzo/ Mr. Edmundo A. Gorgonia , posted on Wednesday March 17, 2004

(Not for reproduction)

The amount of feed given, the kind and level of nutrients present in the feed and the way this is given to game fowls are very important aspects of game fowl production. All these have to be well understood and feeding programs well implemented if birds are expected to perform exceptionally well in terms of egg laying, fertility and hatchability in breeders, optimum development in growers and training and pit performance in battlestags and battlecocks. These reasons make feed the biggest single cost in game fowl production.

It is not enough that game fowls are given what appears to be the best brand of commercial game fowl feed available or concentrate mixture one can get, just because everybody else uses it. The bird and its nutrient requirements from hatching up to the pit or the breeding pen should be well understood. These differ in levels, which need to be carefully considered if feeding is to be effective but cost-efficient.

Commercial feeds available in the local market contain a range of nutrients needed in levels required by any age group of chickens. If one does not have any prior formal or practical knowledge in chicken nutrition and feeding, he should not attempt to mix this feed with any other feedstuff, like grains. This will alter the ratio of energy to protein and other nutrients, and if the alteration is beyond what could be tolerated by the game fowl, its performance will be affected.

The Nutrient Game Fowls Require

The food given to game fowls contains water and dry matter. The dry matter component is divided into those that are organic and those that are inorganic. The organic portion is composed of energy, protein and vitamins, while the inorganic portion is made up of minerals.

Water

Water is vital to life. At least half of what compose the adult game chicken is water. In fact, it will die more rapidly if deprived of water than if deprived of food.

Water serves as solvent in digestion and as agent for the transport of nutrients in the body and the excretion of waste products of metabolism. It is involved in various chemical reactions within the body, in which it absorbs the tremendous heat production brought about by these reactions, allowing for very little change in body temperature. Since chickens do not have sweat glands, water has a major function in maintaining its body temperature through evaporation from its lung.

The game fowl takes its water requirement from three sources: the water it drinks, the food it eats and the chemical reactions within its body. Since the bulk of its water requirement is taken from the water it drinks, this should be free from harmful microorganisms and metals so as not to jeopardize its health.

Energy

Energy is a nutrient required by game fowls both for body maintenance and other important bodily functions. Basically, a bird eats to satisfy its energy need. Therefore, all other nutrients have to be in correct ratio with it if they are to be supplied in their correct levels.

For maintenance, energy is used for bodily functions that are necessary for life, like essential muscular activity (digestion, respiration), chemical work (allowing nutrients to pass through concentration gradients), and production of hormones and enzymes that are constantly used up by the bird. The energy supplied by the feed in excess of what the bird needs for maintenance is used for other functions and activities like growth, egg laying and physical work, of which fighting is one. If the bird's diet contains energy more than what it requires for body maintenance and work, the excess energy is stored as body fat, the bulk of which is found in the bird's abdomen, the so-called abdominal fat pad.

When starved, the bird gets its supply of energy from its stores: first, the glycogen, which is in the cells; and second, the fat depot. When these are used up, the bird starts to use its muscle protein, which is fatal.

Nutritionists use metabolizable energy (ME) in quantifying the energy requirement of the bird. ME is that portion of the energy of the feed that is left after losses in the feces and urine. In other words, it represents the energy in the feed that the bird can utilize for bodily functions.

Carbohydrate.Carbohydrate is the major ingredient in all game fowl rations to supply their energy need. This is found in grains and plant starches.

When the bird takes in feed, the dietary carbohydrates are digested into simple sugars and then absorbed in the small intestine. Of the different simple sugars, glucose is more readily absorbed. Those that are not converted to glucose in the small intestine are converted into it in the liver. The bird converts glucose to glycogen and stores it in its muscle and liver tissues, and is converted back to glucose on demand.

Lipid. Lipid is important as source of energy. It serves as solvent for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and as source of essential fatty acids. It reduces dustiness in mash feed, aids in feed pelleting and improves feed palatability.

Lipids are stored in the game fowl in the form of body fat. Body fat, in turn, is more effective than glycogen as a stored energy source.

In a bird's diet, lipids are usually supplied in the form of animal fat (tallow) and vegetable oils (soybean, corn oil), which are rich sources of the essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid. Protein

Protein is a very important nutrient in feeding game fowls because aside from water, it is found in highest concentration in all organs and muscles. The chick has a high protein because it is growing - its muscles and organs literally increase in size, thus the need for more dietary protein that will be converted to muscle protein. In the adult fowl, the need for protein is lower. Basically, this is for repair of worn-out tissues, cell maintenance and reproduction.

Apart from being components of bird muscle, feathers, skin, toes, beak and scales, proteins also have metabolic functions. The metabolically important proteins are the blood serum proteins, hormones, enzymes and antibodies, each having specific functions in the bird's body.

Proteins are composed of amino acids, which are either essential or non-essential. Essential amino acids are those that could not be synthesized by the bird and, therefore, have to be present in its diet. Of the essential amino acids, methionine, lysine and threonine are the most limiting, meaning that these are most likely to be deficient in synthetic form. The rest, while considered essential, are usually satisfied as long as the feed is nutritionally balanced.

Amino Acids Considered Essential in Game Fowl Nutrition

*No dietary essential in adult game fowls, but may be considered in formulating chick rations for optimum growth

The protein in the game fowl's diet may be animal-based (meat meal, meat and bone meal, fish meal) or plant-based (soybean oil meal). The value of these proteins to the bird varies according to how closely their amino acids resemble the amino acid composition of the bird muscle. Thus, not all proteins are quality proteins. Their quality or biological value depends upon their amino acid spectrum.

If protein is deficient in the diet, growing birds will have poor growth rate and feed conversion efficiency - that is, they will need more feed per unit increase in body weight. In a mild deficiency, brood hens will have low rate of egg production and the eggs they lay will have low fertility rate. If the deficiency is severe, egg laying will stop and the bird will undergo complete molt, accompanied by severe weight loss.

If protein is in excess of what the bird requires, the excess protein is deaminated and converted to energy. In the process, there is an increase in uric acid level in the blood. To excrete the extra uric acid, the bird will drink more water, and this results in wet droppings (diarrhea). There may be a slight reduction in growth of young game birds, because an imbalance will be created with the conversion of excess protein to energy, since this uses up energy in the body.

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds needed by game fowls in small amounts for normal growth and maintenance of life. They are important because each plays an important role, and that deficiency in any of them seriously affects the bird's health.

The chicken produces its own Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Therefore, its need for this vitamin is not as much as its need for the other vitamins, which are essential and need to be in its diet. Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. As their classifications imply, fat-soluble vitamins are soluble in fats and fat solvents but not in water, while water-soluble vitamins are soluble only in water. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K, while water-soluble vitamins include the B-complex vitamins and Vitamin C.

Minerals

Apart from carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, which are major elements that make up the organic chemical compounds of the bird's body, it requires inorganic elements, or minerals, for proper nutrition.

Minerals are solid, crystalline, chemical elements that cannot be decomposed or synthesized by ordinary chemical reactions. Those that are considered dietary essential are classified as macro and micro minerals. Macro minerals include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and chloride. Of these, calcium and phosphorus are needed in large amounts, while the rest needed in smaller amounts. Trace minerals include magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, molybdenum, selenium, iodine, cobalt and chromium, which are needed in minute amounts.

Nutrition Important Vitamins, Their Role and Deficiency Symptoms

Copyright Rooster Content Online, Inc