Broiler chickens – guide to the nutrient values and weight gain benchmarks for your flock.

 

Broiler chicken is any chicken that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. They fall under the Gallus gallus domisticus genus and these chickens typically take around four to six weeks to reach processing maturity.

In this article, we will discuss the different stages of growth along with the nutritional requirements and the optimal growth rates needed to ensure your broiler chicken business performs successfully. We will also use the Epol Suregro product range to illustrate the nutritional needs of your birds because they need feed options with a high protein content to optimise muscle development and rapid growth, leading to birds with more meat on the bone so to speak.

Epol has a 4-stage range of chicken feeds aimed at ensuring your broilers grow at the correct rates. There are 3 main stages in your broiler chicken’s growth namely the starter, grower and finisher stages.

In the starter stage, you will feed your chickens the Suregro Broiler Starter Feed. Feed this product to your chick from 0-18 days of age at 600 grams per bird. It contains about 180 grams of protein per kilogram of feed and the higher protein content supports muscle development and growth, much like a bodybuilder will build muscle by increasing their protein intake. Broiler starter feed should contain 20-24% protein.

Suregro Starter feed also contains the essential amino acid, Lysine which is needed for muscle development and growth.  Methionine is another added amino acid which aids in protein synthesis or creating muscle but most importantly also influences the bird’s ability to absorb amino acids in the intestines. Fat is also added to ensure that the animal has adequate energy reserves and fibre is added at 70 grams per kilogram to ensure the digestibility of the feed. Lastly, Calcium and Phosphorus are added to ensure that bone development keeps up with the mass and muscle development in the bird.

The optimal feed conversion rate for this stage of growth is much higher compared to later stages in the chick’s life cycle. The average feed conversion rate for your birds should be around 1.3 to 1.5 kilograms of feed to produce 1 kilogram of body weight gain. During this phase, broiler chickens typically need to gain 1.5 to two times their initial body weight towards the end of the starter stage. The chick will start at around 50 grams and will reach a weight of approximately 75 to 100 grams by the end of this stage.

The second phase of the broiler chick cycle is the grower phase and the suggested broiler feed is the Suregro Grower Feed. In this phase, the feed nutrient ingredients are still mostly the same, but the quantities are adjusted to match the needs of the growing chickens. The protein is slightly lowered to 160 grams per kilogram as grower feed maintains a moderate protein level of 18 – 20 % protein.

The grower feed is optimised to ensure continued growth, muscle development, feathering and the skeletal health of your broiler chickens.  Gaining too much fat on your birds can adversely affect the final product in this phase and the recommended feed amount from 16-24 days of age is 1000g per bird.

The optimal feed conversion rate for the grower stage is around 1.6 to 1.8 kilograms of feed to develop 1 kilogram of body weight gain and they can gain 1.5 to 2 times their body mass in this phase as well. You can generally expect around 150 – 200 grams at the end of this phase if you start around 100 grams.

In the finishing phase of your broiler chickens, the protein content of the feed is typically lowered to around 15 to 17%. The feed then aims to support optimal body weight and muscle development while reducing the risk of excessive fat deposition in the chicken. Nobody likes fatty chicken on their plate. The feed for the finishing phase is the Suregro finisher feed and the recommended feed rate is 1300 grams per bird from 25 to 32 days of age.

From day 33, you can feed your birds Suregro Broiler Maintenance feed to slow down the growth of your boiler chickens once they have reached their target weight and you can give your birds 600 grams per bird until their processing date.

During the finisher stage, broiler chickens are typically close to reaching their market weight. The feed conversion rate in this stage can vary, but a desirable range is around 1.8 – 2.2 kilograms of feed to produce 1 kilogram of bodyweight gain.

In this phase, your birds should gain around 0.8 – 1 kilogram towards the end and the average ideal market weight for a South African Broiler chicken on processing date is 2.2 to 2.6 kilograms live weight.

It is important to note that preferences and requirements might differ among different regions within South Africa. Discuss your planned feeding plan with your veterinarian as these are general guidelines and specific chickens might need more or less of the feed than specified.

Throughout this article, we’ve emphasised the importance of feed conversion rates. From the starter phase through to the finishing phase, these benchmarks not only ensure efficient feed utilisation but also contribute to the production of quality meat for the market.