What is actually in poultry feed
Roughly two-thirds of a broiler’s cost is in the bag. Knowing what the ingredients do is how you judge whether the bag is worth what you paid.
FeedونڈاwandaThe standard term. ‘Wanda rate’ is how feed prices are quoted.Glossary → is around two-thirds of the cost of producing a broiler in Pakistan. Most farmers buy it as a brand and a price, which is a strange way to buy the biggest line on the farm.
You do not need to formulate rations. You do need to know what is in the bag, what each part is for, and which parts are the ones that vary.
The four jobs a ration has to do
Energy. Mostly from Maize · cornمکئیmakaiPoultry uses ~65% of Pakistan’s corn.Glossary →, which is typically the largest single ingredient by weight. Energy drives growth, and the bird eats to meet its energy requirement — which is why energy density indirectly controls how much feed disappears.
Protein and amino acids. Mostly from Soybeanسویا بینsoya beanMostly imported; the main protein source.Glossary →. This is the expensive part. What actually matters is not crude protein but the supply of specific amino acids — lysine, methionine, threonine — which is why synthetic amino acids are added even when protein looks adequate.
Minerals. Calcium and phosphorus for the skeleton, and for layers, for the shell. Sodium and chloride for water balance.
Vitamins and trace minerals. Small inclusions, non-negotiable, and the first thing degraded by bad storage.
The ingredients you will actually see
| Ingredient | Role | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Maize | Energy | The benchmark grain; also the main aflatoxin risk | | Soybean meal | Protein | Must be properly heat-treated — raw soy is harmful | | Rice polish / BranچوکرchokarGlossary → | Energy, fibre | Cheap, variable, goes rancid | | Wheat / wheat by-products | Energy | Substituted when maize is expensive | | Canola or sunflower meal | Protein | Partial soy replacement, more fibre | | Meat and bone meal, fish meal | Protein, minerals | Quality varies enormously | | Vegetable oil | Energy density | Concentrated energy; oxidises if stored badly | | Limestone, DCP | Calcium, phosphorus | Particle size matters in layers | | Salt | Sodium, chloride | Excess causes wet litter | | Synthetic amino acids | Lysine, methionine | Let you cut crude protein without cutting performance | | Vitamin/mineral premix | Micronutrients | Degrades with heat and time | | Enzymes (phytase, NSP) | Release bound nutrients | Standard in commercial feed | | MedicineدواdawaGlossary → | Controls Eimeria | Check whether it is in your feed before adding anything | | Toxin binder | Binds mycotoxins | Widely used in Pakistan for good reason |
Where the ration actually varies
Maize and soybean meal are the two that move, and between them they are most of the bag. When maize is expensive, formulators substitute wheat or rice polish; when soy is expensive, they trim crude protein and lean harder on synthetic amino acids.
This is legitimate least-cost formulation and it is how the industry works everywhere. It is also why the same brand, the same bag and the same price can perform differently in different months — and why your own FCRFeed conversion ratio — kilograms of feed to put on a kilogram of live weight. The single most useful number in broiler production, because feed is 60–75% of what the bird cost.Glossary → record is the only honest test of a feed.
Why soybean meal prices decide your margin →
The Pakistani specification gap
This is worth knowing before you compare a bag against a breeder manual. Independent testing of Pakistani commercial rations has repeatedly found crude protein below the levels breeder guides specify for the corresponding phase.
That does not automatically mean the feed is bad — a well-balanced lower-protein ration with the right amino acids can outperform a crude-protein number. But it does mean that comparing a Pakistani bag directly against a Ross or Cobb manual will mislead you.
Feed specifications and the gap →
Storage is part of the ration
A perfectly formulated feed stored badly is a worse feed:
- Off the floor, off the wall, dry. Concrete wicks moisture into the bottom bags.
- First in, first out. Vitamins and oils degrade; old feed is not the same feed.
- Rodent- and bird-proof. Wild birds in the feed store are a disease route as well as a loss.
- Watch for mould. Warm, humid storage is how a clean bag becomes a mycotoxin problem on your farm rather than the mill’s.
Mash, crumble, pellet
Pellets generally give better conversion — less sorting, less waste, less energy spent eating. Mash is cheaper per tonne and lets birds select, which is exactly the problem: they eat the grain and leave the fines, and the fines are where the premix is.
Crumble is the usual compromise for young birds.