Poultry is one of the most efficient livestock as far as feed conversion and environmental impact. However, it also requires more nutrients than other animals, making it a costly but worthwhile endeavor.

 Depending on the bird, poultry diets may differ slightly; however, all feature common nutritional components.

• Cereal grains

• Proteins and amino acids

• Animal by-product meals

• Fats

• Vitamins and minerals (in the form of pre-mixes)

When combined, these components help sustain poultry growth, reproduction, and well-being. However, it's vital to remember that one of the most essential nutrients for poultry nutrition is water.

 Water May Not Be Everything, But it is Vital

Believe it or not, water intake is actually twice as much as feed for birds. Thus, proper hydration should always be taken into account when discussing poultry health and quality. Variables that can influence potential water sources to continuously fluctuate; these factors include:

• The temperature of the environment

• Relative humidity

• Level of salt and protein in the diet

• A bird’s productivity (growth or egg production rate)

• The ability of the bird to resorb water in the kidney.

To ensure the health and well-being of your poultry, it is essential to maintain a steady supply of cool, clean water free from any potential contaminants. To make sure that your bird's water isn't drifting in terms of quality, be sure to examine for general pH along with minerals like sodium regularly, chloride, iron, and manganese; calcium and magnesium-hardness; nitrates/nitrites as well as sulfur-sulfates.

 It is essential to remember that the lack of water can be just as hazardous, or even more so, than impure water. After merely twelve hours without any access to clean drinking water, growth in young poultry and egg production from layers will slow down drastically. A tragic consequence would ensue if a bird has been deprived of fresh H2O for thirty-six hours or longer — fatalities amongst both mature and juvenile birds are likely to skyrocket.

Considerable Feed Ingredients

After ensuring you have enough water to supply your poultry, it's time to turn your attention toward their feed components. Grains and fats are amongst the most common ingredients in any poultry diet, so these should be considered first when planning food for them. With that said, here is a brief overview of things you will need to take into account for each component:

Carbohydrates

To fuel their activity, poultry requires an ample supply of carbohydrates found in corn, wheat, and cereal grains. Yet not all of these ingredients are equal when it comes to digestibility so additional supplements may be necessary for optimal nutrition absorption. Supplementation with enzyme preparations can help ensure your feathered friends have the nutrients they need!

Proteins & Amino Acids

Protein, and more significantly the amino acids found in it, play an essential role in creating poultry's skin, feathers, bones, and ligaments - not to mention its organs and muscles which are vital for peak performance.

 It's imperative to remember that attaining the right balance of proteins and amino acids is far more intricate than it may appear. The levels needed to depend largely on the type, size, and function of your bird- a mature rooster needs fewer aminos than a laying hen, for instance. Hence why conducting extensive research on the particular needs of your breed will be immensely beneficial in this situation.

Fats

Fats are an imperative element of poultry feed, as they bolster the overall energy concentration and subsequently enhance your birds' productivity and feed efficiency. Common fat sources include:

• Grease from restaurants

• Rendering from animal carcasses

• Refuses from vegetable oil refining

 Antioxidants are essential for protecting unsaturated fatty acids and should be supplemented in poultry feed. Corn is a great source of fat due to its favorable ratio of mostly unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, it is an ideal choice for including antioxidants in your poultry diet.

Minerals

Minerals are indispensable for countless critical poultry functions. As The Poultry Site reveals, calcium and phosphorous play a key role in the formation of bird bones, while sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride help maintain these creatures' pH balance.

 Depending on the bird and its purpose, some minerals are more indispensable than others—a hen needs a lot of calcium to produce eggshells for example. If she falls short in her intake, terrible consequences will follow, she'll stop laying eggs instantly as the calcium is taken from her skeletal stores.

Vitamins

Vitamins are split into two distinct groups: fat-soluble and water-soluble. These vitamins play an essential role in providing chickens with a healthy diet, as they help to produce yellow yolks while also reducing stress levels. Farmers can take comfort knowing that most poultry supplements contain more than enough of the required vitamins—as long as your flock is receiving sufficient amounts of supplement, then you should be unlikely to experience any deficiencies. It is not possible to get all the  required nutrients from the food which creates a need for adding feed supplements like Alltech - Yea-sacc Bolus, Chicktonic - Oral solution by Livisto, Multistar or similar product to enhance the growth of the flock.