phase feeding poultry. Phase feeding in layers. phase feeding in the broiler. Feeding systems of poultry. Feeding system of broiler and layers.

1. Topic: Phase feeding and feeding
systems
Dr. Hafeez Ur Rehman Ali
Lecturer
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
The Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of
Agriculture

2. Feeding Systems

3. Feeding Systems

4. Ad.libitum feeding System
• This system is also called free choice feeding.
• In this system feed is always available and the bird can eat
at will.
• Ad.libitum feeding is practiced in broiler chicken where
maximum body weight is the ultimate goal for rearing the
birds.
• Ad.libitum feeding is easy to manage.
• Feed can be supplied for several days at a time and needs
no monitoring or supervision of the bird's daily intake.
• In this system a bird regulates its total intake (their intake of
nutrients) themselves.
• Due to the higher cost of feed ad.libitum feeding system is
not of very great interest.

5. Controlled Feeding
• (a) Forced Feeding
• It is sometime attempted for a short while in first
week when turkey poults do not learn or try to
pick up their feed.
• Forced feeding may be employed in other species
if feed and water are denied for more than 36
hours to prevent body dehydration.
• Mash water mixture, sweetened milk, skim milk
etc. should be fed.
• A 25 ml syringe or a laboratory pipette fitted with
a rubber catheter or smooth tube may be
employed to force the slurry down the gullet.

6. Restricted Feeding
• Restricted feeding during the growing period
means an actual reduction of nutrient intake
below minimum requirement of birds.
• Feed intake is reduced either by limiting feed
offered to 85-90% of normal fed intake or by
diluting the conventional feed with fibrous
material of low nutrient density or following skip
a day feeding.
• In skip a day feeding feed is provided on the first
day at 85-90% level of the 2 days ration ; on the
2nd day birds are not given any feed and some
whole grain may be spread on litter.
• Feed restriction is recommended until 21 or 22
weeks of age up to 5% egg production level

7. • It is reported that low protein or low lysine
diets are able to produce slightly more delay
in sexual maturity than quantitative feed
restriction.
• Pullet birds on restricted feeding requires 5-10
days longer to reach sexual maturity.
• There is a reduction in the number of small
eggs laid at the commencement of
production.
• Restricted feeding is also practiced in broiler,
since excess weight of breeders affect fertility
and egg production.

8. • Allowing birds an unlimited supply of feed may
with some strains result in heavy over
consumption.
• The birds are liable to consume too much energy
and this will be converted into body fat which in
turns leads to a higher maintenance requirement.
• In addition birds become too fat and resulting in
reduced egg production, and infertility and
mortality may be increased.
• Restricted feeding programmes are therefore,
recommended for some strains of laying chicken.
• Restricted feeding is essential to delay sexual
maturity and is thus essential during growing
stage to retard live weight gain from becoming
too fat and allowing them to economize
production.

9. • In cases of broiler chicks preferably after 18 days are
subjected to restricted feeding up to 30-35 days of age
in order to check the prolific body growth resulting into
physiological and metabolic disease syndromes like
Ascites, Cardio-respiratory failure etc.
• In the majority of cases the recommended feeding
programme of the breeder should be followed carefully
and only departed from for very good reasons.
• Over restriction of feed is also harmful and can result in
very late maturity and unsatisfactory production.
• Restricted feeding programmes are often started with
replacement broiler breeders at about eight weeks of
age and continued throughout their laying life.

10. Advantages of Restricted Feeding:
• Delay sexual maturity from few days to 3 or 4
weeks.
• Reduces body weight and amount of body fat.
• Cost of raising pullets is reduced.
• There is a better livability during egg
production.
• Egg weight is regulated producing larger eggs.

11. • Restricted feeding programmes are followed by
different methods:
• a) Limited Everyday- Feeding Programme: The birds are
given a measured amount of feed each day but less
than they would eat if full fed.
• b) Skip-a-day Feeding: (Limited Access):In this
programme birds are fed every other day and the
amount of feed given on feed days must be regulated
to twice the amount of feed allocated on the limited
every day programme.
• c) Varying Nutrient Density: Another approach to the
restriction of nutrient intake is diluting the nutrient
density of ration.
• This can be done either reducing the energy intake,
protein restricting, latter is based on the idea that
laying birds have different nutritional needs at different
phases of their productive life.

12. Phase Feeding
• Followed during laying phase
• Phase feeding refers to change in the protein level of
laying diet during normal production cycle.
• Such changes are designed to regulate the intake of
dietary protein to meet more closely the hen’s
requirement at various stages of egg production.
• Reduce feed cost and also to help to maintain the egg
size.
• The level of protein in layer ration may be reduced to
17,16,15% on 90,75 to90 and 65 to 75% of egg
production , respectively, keeping the feed intake at
100 g level per day per bird.

13. Three Phase stages
• In this the production cycle is divided into
three stages (popularly called phases): •
Phase-I • Phase-II • Phase-III

14. Phase-I
• During the first phase of 20 weeks period from the age
of 22'weeks to 42 weeks, the birds are expected to
reach from zero to peak egg Production of 85 percent
or so.
• This further accompanied into increase in body weight
by 500g and increase in size of eggs from 40 to 60g.
• Therefore, the first phase of reproduction is critical for
maximum egg production and tissue development.
• Thus energy content of poultry rations should be
adjusted to supply required quantity of protein.

15. Phase-II
• It is the period from 42 weeks of age to 62
weeks when hens have attained mature body
weight and egg production and has not gone
below 60 percent level.
• The eggs produced are larger and efficiency of
protein utilization is approximately 56 percent
during this phase.

16. Phase-III
• It ranges from 62 weeks to 76 weeks of age or
till the spent out birds are discarded. During
this phase egg production is less than 60
percent.
• Phase feeding can be applied for energy
restriction.
• The energy requirement for laying hens varies
from 310 kcal ME/day in severe winter to 265
kcal in summer.

17. • Thus phase feeding refers to changes in the
laying hen's diet.
• To adjust to age and state of production. To
adjust for season of year and for temperature
and climatic changes.
• To account for difference in body weight and
nutrient requirement of different strains of
birds.
• To adjust for one or more nutrients as other
nutrients are changed for economic and
availability reasons.

18. • In phase feeding, high protein feed (usually
18-19%) is given from onset of egg production
to peak production period.
• Therefore, a low level of protein (about 16%)
is fed for the next 5 or 6 months, followed by
still lower level (usually 15%) until the laying
period is completed.
• Phase feeding thus helps to reach higher peak
production and sustain it longer.