Phase feeding means giving chickens different types of feed at different stages of their life. As birds grow, their nutritional needs change, so their diet must be adjusted to match their age and production stage. This helps them grow properly, stay healthy, and produce more eggs or meat efficiently. By practicing phase feeding, the feed is balanced between the nutrients the bird needs to produce optimally, and what nutrients are supplied in the feed.
Why Phase Feeding is Important
Common Phases in Poultry Feeding
Why Phase feeding is Economical
Feeding birds the right amount of nutrients at the right stage of growth—matching supply with requirement—is important because birds have different needs as they grow.
Imagine a scale: if we give more nutrients than the bird requires, the bird can’t use those nutrients and money is wasted providing nutrients that don’t contribute to production of eggs or meat.
If we give less nutrients than the bird requires to produce optimally, the scale tips the other way. When the bird does not receive the nutrients it needs for optimal production, the production declines which negatively influences the income generated from the flock.
When the nutrients are balanced just right, the scale is level. This means there is no money wasted on nutrients that are not used by the bird, and the bird gets exactly what it needs to produce optimally.
How to Implement Phase Feeding
Phase feeding ensures poultry get the right nutrients at the right time, leading to better productivity and profitability for farmers.