Poultry Improvement Project Nutrition, Water, and Carboydrates

Definition of Nutrition Involves the combination of processes by which all body parts receive and utilize materials necessary for: Function Growth Reproduction

Nutrition Includes: Release of energy. Building of body tissue. Regulation of body processes. Food has to be digested and enter the blood system to work.

Nutrient Substances necessary for the function of all organisms.

Nutrition Requirements The main objective of the poultry producer is to achieve efficient economic conversion of feedstuffs into human feed. TIP-In the Poultry Improvement Contest you are also striving for a low feed efficiency. Poultry require the same nutrients--water, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and certain unidentified growth factors--as mammals but the proportions differ.

Feed is Used to: Provide the energy necessary to maintain a normal body temperature. Provide body movements necessary to survive. TIP-That is why if your house is too cold, all of the energy from the feed will go to keeping the chicken warm instead of providing growth.

Provide energy for the production of body secretions and the repair of body tissues. To provide growth. For reproduction. Any additional nutrients are stored in the body as fat. Poultry are more sensitive to nutrient needs than other mammals because their body and digestive processes are more rapid, their respiration and circulation are faster, and their body temperature is 8-10 degrees higher(107).

Rapid Growth Broilers grow so fast that they are especially sensitive to nutritional deficiencies.

Water Water is the single largest constituent of animal tissue and it amounts to 58% of the chicken. It regulates temperature, serves as a medium and transportation agent for dissolved substances, and it gives the chicken form and shape. Water is the cheapest and most important nutrient.

The amount of water that a chicken drinks depends upon the food consumption, temperature, humidity, activity of the chicken and nature of the food. The water should be fresh, clean, uncontaminated, and be easily and readily accessible. It should be cool, extreme cold or hot water decreases consumption and leads to dehydration and slow growth.

Water accounts for 70% or more of the composition of plants and animals. Enables living plants and animals to hold their shape. Helps in the digestion of feeds. Serves as a carrier for waste-products resulting from body functions.

Drinking water from wells, farm ponds, and other sources contaminated with bacteria can not only cause disease but also influence growth and the general well being of the flock. 50 broiler chickens require 2.35 gallons of water a day.

Carbohydrates Organic chemical compounds from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are used as a source of energy by the organism because they are easily burned up in the body to produce heat and energy for body movement and function. Sugars, starches, and fiber are the most common forms in feeds.

Glycogen is a carbohydrate synthesized in the body and stored in small amounts in the liver and muscles. It can be utilized rapidly under emergency and stress situations in the bird. Excess carbohydrates turn to fat. The indigestible carbohydrate are called fiber which aids in the normal digestion and absorption of certain minerals.

All cereal grains are classified as carbohydrates. The number one cereal grain used in poultry rations is corn. Other cereal grains that can be used are: –Oats, barley, grain sorghum, rice, wheat, and wheat by-products.