Apr 3, 2008 1314 views 20 comments

Feed prices: what can we do?

Mojtaba Yegani

Feed prices, as the major expenditure of poultry production, have been rising lately. This situation has increased production cost in poultry farms and is already reflected in the price of poultry products at grocery stores.

It is expected that this effect on consumer prices will be more significant in developing countries. Evidence indicates that there will be another increase in food prices during this summer.

Rising feed cost is a huge problem for the animal industries right now. What can we do to reduce the effects of this increase in the poultry industry? It seems that using alternative feed ingredients could be of help.

This strategy is, however, dependent on the accessibility of alternative ingredients in different parts of the world and also on regulatory limitations in animal commercial feed manufacturing. It may be needed to enhance availability of nutrients in these feedstuffs in order to incorporate them in poultry diets.

What are your experiences or suggestions?

20 comments

Beryl

7 Apr 2008 14:42

I can't see any problem with alternative feeds, apart from feeds containing GM seeds. The EU has authorised the import of GM maize as animal feed. If the Danes feed their pigs on it, I won't buy Danish Bacon for a start. I deplore putting any GM foodstuff into animals and therefore on my plate. I only buy GM free feed for my birds, so the meat and eggs are not tainted. The general public don't want GM soya, maize etc. in their own food, as Iceland and other Supermarkets found to their cost, so meat and eggs from poultry fed on GM feed will not be welcomed by most.
C. Van Milligen

7 Apr 2008 14:59

Protein is often the limiting supply faced in alternative feeds. Various byproducts can be used for their protein. This includes the 45% protein and 30% fat in Black Soldier Fly larvae.

cavm@aol.com
JJJohnson

7 Apr 2008 19:10

As long as the alternative feed doesn't get immediately diverted to biofuel production. Too bad about corn, it is such a good source of energy and is so easily digested by birds. Well, I guess we will have to choose either to drive, or to eat.
Rina Langenhoven

8 Apr 2008 09:34

Here in South Africa rising feed costs are also a problem due to the fuel price increases. I have planted yellow maize and will be putting it through the hammer mill as well as a patch of sunflowers. I have 14 hectares of alfalfa and cut fresh alfalfa every day for the chickens - they love it and they are so much healthier - it even helps with the "white diahroea" problem. Harmony chop is still relatively inexpensive per tonne and I am also considering feeding it to the chickens, as I buy it anyway for the Nguni cattle herd.
Dr. Badr Alfadil

8 Apr 2008 09:45

the use of poultry pyproduct in the feed of poultry will be of great value to participate uin solving the problem.
Dr. Amir Reza Bidgoli

10 Apr 2008 16:49

I believe in use of cheap sources of Energy and protein in diets and also use of expensive nutrients/micronutrients in water.
By this way we may be able to prohibit waste of expensive materials in cheap diet.

arbidgoli@yahoo.com
winnie

12 Apr 2008 19:14

on my side i strongly believe we should go for alternative feed suppy ingredient to solve the problem of feed shortage at this stage where by we need to work hand in hand with other partners in same field of poultry feeds if we need change for best.we here in uganda we have same challenge but consider proteins so much and it has worked.contact me at mail:babiryewinnie@yahoo.comOR namuddumilly@yahoo.com.Thanks
winnie
Md. Golam Masud

15 Apr 2008 11:42

The concept "Alternative feeds" is one of the solutions at this moment as global situation against sustainable poultry, fish & livestock production. Very strong R&D, huge new investment on R&D, continuous exploration of alternative feed ingredients (nutrients, additives etc.) & Its danger free applications along with productions etc are the main issues, also needs more connectivity among industry people, regional co-operations & real globalization on feed sources. Thanks. cndhaka@yahoo.com
Dr Amir Al-Shamma'a

16 Apr 2008 09:25

useing cheap sources of energy and protein in animal diets,i.e. we should go for alternative feed ingredient to solve the problem, this include food indestry byproducts .Recycling such materials and animal pyproducts is very helpfull. Reused poultry pyproduct may be send to fish farms. R&D need more money.
KB Bohara,Nepal

18 Apr 2008 15:18

As we all know that rising prices of feed ingraiends is going biggest problem for the poor people of developing world .I think we also have e responsibility to do some thing in this field In my openion
R&D should be given top priority
poultry wast needs to be utilsed for livestock feeding
we must look on other alternative for producing biofuel other than food grain such as microbs
Berkoh charles-berkohcharles2@yahoo.com

18 Apr 2008 18:35

I have 14 hectares of alfalfa Dr. Badr Alfadil // Tuesday 08 April 2008.This is great, the greens are said to influence the colour of the yoke.
Can alfalfa be grown in Ghana so that farmers can use it.
dr.hany saber

18 Apr 2008 21:59

to solve this problem we should follow these points; at first increase the cultivation of feed materials by increasing the reclaimed areas allover the world;secondly genetic improving of poultry to obtain highest feed conversion rate;producing genetic diseases resistant breeds;application of strict sanitary conditions in hatcheries and farms to control diseases and save cost of treatment and economic loss in birds and their production
laban gwaro

19 Apr 2008 08:46

it is possible and economic to use alternative as one can be able to moniture the expenditures
Dr. Tariq Mushtaq

19 Apr 2008 09:03

I am afraid that it would be very difficult to make a certain weight of the feed batch even with low energy and low protein ingredients. I think single cell protein and industrial by-products like DDGS may be an alternative. In this situation, we have to tune our birds for low ME and certain lines may be developed which have efficiency for very low ME. Further, I anticipate a bird with greater capability of digesting more fiber like ruminants. This may be done with manipulating microflora of the birds and some sort of genetic engineering. I may be wrong......
shanthilal Mendis

19 Apr 2008 09:29

I too believe in use of cheap sources of Energy and protein in poultry diets and use enzymes & probiotics to balance the feed formulations.
mapussa

21 Apr 2008 13:06

Here in east africa,the source of protein from fish meal available at higher price,we need somebody from up country to introduce the cultvation of Soya
Givemore Chiambiro

22 Apr 2008 11:58

Going for alternative sources is practically feasible,but we should consider the ubiquitiness of the sources across th globe. Are all farmers accessible to such alternatives then ,if yes,i will advocate for this these alternatives. If they are accessible we should devise strategies to cushion such players who won`t accessible to these alternative sources.
s. s. alawi

25 Apr 2008 07:15

Alternative feeds such as Black Soldier Fly larvae may solve the problem, but there are many questios:
1- world distribution of this fly (especially the presence in middle east , IRAN)
2- IF this fly be as an exotic, Is it correct to import IT ?
3-how can we prepare that in bulk and have a mass production ?
THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS IS SINCERELY APPRECIATED!(HEFAZ_RAYANEH@YAHOO.COM)
Max Fakude; South Africa

10 May 2008 09:31

I Maxwell Would like to comment on the issue of alternative sourses of protein and energy in poultry feed as neusense!
Derick Musuka

25 Aug 2009 09:48

Here in Zambia what i noticed is that most commercial farmers prefer to export soya beans and corn elsewhere to make good margins. This forces a lot of poultry farmers to pull out of business and this withdrawal impacts negatively on commercial hatcheris and feed plants. The exchange rate of our local currency flactates alot making importers of animal based proteins like fishmeal, meat & bone meal very expensive.