AdiDharma17
Sistem pemilihan makanan oleh ternak unggas
By
Y. L. Henuk and Made Sudarma
Review
Journal
Thursday,
21 February 2013
By Y.L. Henuk and J.G.
Dingle
Worlds
Poultry Science Journal, Vol. 58, June 2002. pp.199-207
(World’s
Poultry Science Association 2002)
Abstract
Poultry can be managed under different feeding
systems, depending on the husbandry skills and the feed available. These
systems include the following: (1) a complete dry feed offered as a mash ad
libitum; (2) the same feed offered as pellets or crumbles ad
libitum; (3) a complete feed with added whole grain; (4) a complete
wet feed given once or twice a day; (5) a complete feed offered on a restricted
basis; (6) choice feeding. Of all these, an interesting alternative to offering
complete diets is choice feeding which can be applied on both a small or large
commercial scale. Under choice feeding or ‘free-choice feeding’ birds are
usually offered a choice between three types of feedstuffs: (a) an energy
source (e.g. maize, rice bran, sorghum or wheat); (b) a protein
source (e.g.soyabean meal, meat meal, fish meal or coconut meal) plus
vitamins and minerals and (c), in the case of laying hens, calcium in granular
form (i.e. oyster-shell grit). This system differs from the modern
commercial practice of offering a complete diet comprising energy and protein
sources, ground and mixed together. Under the complete diet system, birds are
mainly only able to exercise their appetite for energy. When the environmental
temperature varies, the birds either over- or under-consume protein and
calcium. The basic principle behind practising choice feeding with laying hens
is that individual hens are able to select from the various feed ingredients on
offer and compose their own diet, according to their actual needs and
production capacity. A choice-feeding system is of particular importance to
small poultry producers in developing countries, such as Indonesia, because it
can substantially reduce the cost of feed. The system is flexible and can be
constructed in such a way that the various needs of a flock of different
breeds, including village chickens, under different climates can be met. The
system also offers a more effective way to use home- produced grain, such as
maize, and by-products, such as rice bran, in developing countries. Because
oyster-shell grit is readily available in developing countries at lower cost
than limestone, the use of cheaper oyster-shell grit can further benefit
small-holders in these countries. These benefits apart, simpler equipment
suffices when designing and building a feed mixer on the farm, and transport
costs are lower. If whole (unground) grain is used, the intake of which is
accompanied by increased efficiency of feed utilisation, the costs of grinding,
mixing and many of the handling procedures associated with mash and pellet
preparation are eliminated. The choice feedstuffs can all be offered in the
current feed distribution systems, either by mixing the ingredients first or by
using a bulk bin divided into three compartments.
Keywords : choice feeding, economic advantage, laying
hens, performance
