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Adjusting nutrient needs in poultry
The nutrient needs of vertebrate animals (e.g., poultry, swine, humans, ruminants, fish, etc.) are fairly similar and include vitamins, minerals, amino acids (animal do not required protein), fatty acids (e.g., linoleic and linolenic), and water. Some other nutrients may be needed by certain animals like taurine in obligated carnivores. Energy although is not a nutrient but rather a characteristic of certain nutrients (i.e., amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) is also needed by animals. The differences in nutritional needs among species or stages within a species are in the amounts of nutrients needed. For example, a laying hen needs more calcium than a pullet or broiler.
Nutrient needs of animals are determined on a daily basis and expressed in grams (or other units) per day. So why do we normally talk about requirement in percentages? We do it for practical reasons and assuming a daily feed intake. And here is where we can fall into some trouble. For example, a 26-day-old broiler chicken needs 1.41 g of digestible lysine per day. If the feed intake is 141 g, then the digestible lysine requirement will be 1% of the diet (i.e., 1.41/141*100). However, if feed intake will drop to 133 g, and the requirement is still 1.41 g/d, then the diet will need to be adjusted to contain 1.06% (i.e., 1.41/141*100) of digestible lysine.
Most poultry guides, express nutrient needs in percentages, parts per million, or kcal/kg (MJ/kg) so be prepare to make a correction in diets if the feed intake of your birds is not the same as the indicated in the nutritional guides.
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20 Replies
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Good information.
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Great job 👍
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Well discussed.
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The nutrient needs of vertebrate animals vary depending on species, life stage, activity level, and environmental conditions, but all vertebrates share some fundamental nutritional requirements. These include macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and water
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Good
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Well
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👍
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Appreciated
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✅
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Good
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Thank you, Dr Jeffrey
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Interesting details
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Thanks
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