Taking the guesswork out of using wheat and barley in broiler feeds

摘要

Measuring the viscosity of grains allows nutritionists to predict the optimum dose of an enzyme product for the formulation of feeds on a least-cost basis. The feeding value of wheat and barley is notoriously variable. Since their contribution to thetotal energy content of poultry diets can be 60 percent or more, even small deviations from the expected feeding value used in the feed formulation may result in significant losses in bird performance. In addition, there are other problems associated with feeding wheat or barley, such as wet droppings, which can lead to hock burns, breast blisters and consequent carcass downgrades. With the new harvest just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, nutritionists are asking, "What will the quality and consistency of the new crop wheat and barley be? What impact will this have on broiler performance? How can I anticipate and reduce the risks of reduced and inconsistent performance?"