Availability of poor quality feed is a challenge most poultry farmers grapple with

The availability of poor quality feed in the market is a challenge most poultry farmers grapple with. Unlike other livestock animals such as dairy cows that rely on different sources of feed for their dietary requirement,

“I have been keeping kienyeji and exotic breeds. The greatest challenge I have faced is presence of poor quality feeds and counterfeit animal feeds in the market, which has resulted in great economic losses. What can a small scale farmer like me do to avoid being a victim of such products? Mary Chege, Nakuru

 The availability of poor quality feed in the market is a challenge most poultry farmers grapple with. Unlike other livestock animals such as dairy cows that rely on different sources of feed for their dietary requirement, poultry especially commercially reared chicken solely depend on formulated feed which account for 100 per cent of their nutritional needs.

 Art of feeds mixing

Feed formulation is more than just mixing raw materials - certain standards and procedures should be followed to ensure the final product meets required specifications.

Most feed millers do not adhere to globally set feed manufacturing standards.

Feed millers should use feed analysis laboratory services every time they produce a new batch of feeds. Ideally, all raw materials should be tested before mixing commences.

This is to make certain that the raw materials are of good quality and would provide the nutrients they are intended to and at the right proportion.

Other parameters, for instance, harmful elements such as aflatoxins found in cereals especially maize, are also analysed — different harvests from the same maize farm would record different levels of aflatoxins, hence the need to analyse each and every raw material before formulating feeds.

The finished product should again be analysed to make sure it meets the intended specification for the particular type of feed. Ideally, feed miller should have an in-house lab to ensure all these steps are followed.

Unfortunately, setting up an in-house lab is costly and therefore these procedures are usually skipped.

Most of the time the millers outsource lab services when a farmer forwards a quality related complaint and this may be too late when damage has already been done.

How to spot counterfeit

Farmers who formulate their own feeds are also at a high risk of buying poor low quality raw materials and lab analysis of each and every single raw material may prove to be too costly for the farmer. Farmers have also been exposed to unscrupulous millers who produce poor quality feeds for purposes of maximising their profit margins.

To address issue of counterfeits, top feed manufacturing companies are now using high quality, laminated (shiny) branded bags that are not easily faked. The bags are almost tamper-proof and one can tell if a bag has been interfered with. It is therefore advisable for poultry farmers to go for feeds in such tamper-proof bags.

A batch number, date of manufacture and contacts are usually provided with each bag. Ensure each bag purchased contains this information and record of such should be kept. In case of any complaints, the feed company may be contacted and the specific batch traced back.

Feed stockists should ensure they source feeds directly from reputable distributors/ feed companies so as to eliminate the middle men.