FEEDING NATIVE CHICKENS THE NATURAL WAY (1): Carbohydrates Sources

Raising native chickens can be expensive when the raiser or the household relies on commercial feeds. Without alternative feeds and feeding methods, feed costs can take up as much as 70% of the total production cost. Thus in response to many inquiries over our regular radio show at RMN Sa Uma ni Pinoy segment (8:30 to 9:00 PM Monday to Saturday) we would like to present some alternative feeds and feeding program to those needing to shift to more natural methods in order to lower their cost of producing chickens.

Basic Feeding Guide.

The type and quality of feed given to chickens vary with its age or stage of growth. Usually, chickens like all animals are given high protein and highly digestible feeds early in their lives and as they grow older, the level of protein decreases. Day old chicks are fed with high quality feeds containing 20-22 % protein and as they grow older, the protein level goes down, Grower chickens, usually between 2 to 5 months old are fed with 16-18 % protein while mature chickens can tolerate low proteins diets between 14-16 %.

The regular commercial feed contains about 3,200 kilo calories per kilogram. Lower than that indicates that the feed may be high in fiber and the nutrition is compromised. The calorific requirement of chicks would range at about 20-40 calories while the mature chickens would need about 200 to 320 calories per day.

Native chickens can tolerate poor quality feeds especially when allowed free range. The usual practice nowadays by small raisers is to feed commercial starter rations containing 20% protein to the chicks including the mother hen to give them an early start. This practice usually extends for about 30 days when the chicks have grown feathers to cover their whole body and protect them from extreme cold at night time. Commercial feeds are balanced nutritionally and contain essential amino acids for growth. These amino acids are often hard to come by if chicks are just allowed to free range. The reason behind the practice of feeding high quality ration to the mother hen is for it to recover earlier and start egg laying again by the time the chicks are just over one month old. This way, the hen can lay and hatch about 5-6 times a year.

Once the chicks are big enough for full ranging they are allowed to range freely in the farm lot. The usual practice is for the raiser to feed one half the full feed requirement and let the chickens forage among the grasses and feed on insects, grass grains, earthworms and other feed sources which they may find. It is also the usual practice of farmers to plant many types of grains and food plants so that the chickens can feed freely during the day. Some of the food plants that can be grown on the home or farm lot are:

Corn:

This is the most common and the best energy or carbohydrates source for chickens. Commercial ration contain as much as 45% corn as a source of energy. However corn needs to be managed intensively in order to produce large ears and may need to be sprayed with pesticides to control pests. Corn contains 9% crude protein and is deficient in amino acids like lysine and tryptophan and has to be balanced by protein sources like fish and soybean meal.

As an energy source, corn is an excellent choice because of its high calorific value at 3,600 kilo calories per kilogram of grains. Yellow corn is also high in beta carotene, an essential nutrient that makes the yolk yellow.

Sorghum:

This grain crop is given a fresh attention nowadays. A new strain of sorghum called sweet sorghum is now being promoted by ICRISAT or the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics has bred this dual purpose grain from Africa. The grains are traditionally a staple for humans and livestock it was discovered that some varieties or strains have high sucrose content and can be extracted for processing into molasses or directly as feed stock in ethanol production. Thus, the fresh attention should encourage more farmers to grow this crop as a source of grains for poultry and pigs and as a source of stalks for processing into ethanol when demand comes in.

Sorghum has a better nutrient profile than corn. It has better amino acid content and has a higher protein value at 13%. It also contains as much calories per kilogram at about 3,500 kilo calories per kilogram of grains. However there had been a slow down of local production of sorghum when new high yielding varieties of corn came out of the market especially when multinational seed companies came out with genetically modified varieties that are resistant to the corn borer.

Sorghum is ideal for backyard or small scale chicken production. It can be planted in small lots and can be stocked whole by just hanging the panicles on the rafters of other convenient areas and fed whole as need arises. It can also be ratooned up to four times, meaning, with just one planting, one can harvest and cut the plant about four inches from the ground and it grows again to produce grains in 60-75 days. A head of grain of sorghum can weigh up to 250 grams and per hectare, sorghum can produce between 3.0 to 4.5 metric tons. A flock of 100 chickens would need about 2,000 sq. meters of sorghum to sustain all the energy needs per year.

One does not need to grind sorghum since the size of the grain is just about a munggo seed and thus chickens can easily peck at it from the feeder or from the ground. It can be fed dry or soaked for about eight hours prior to feeding and mixed with other grains like beans and munggo to complete the protein to energy ratio required for growth.

Camote or sweet potato:

Sweet potato or camote is another excellent carbohydrate source for chickens. The root which can be harvested in about 60-75 days is also rich in carbohydrates as well as proteins needed for growth. Being short term, it is an ideal survival feed since it can be harvested earlier than other feeds like corn. Farmers in the rural areas have traditionally fed their free ranged chickens with raw camote which they chop finely or bite sized and spread on feeding troughs in the late afternoon prior to herding the chickens back to the coops for safety against predators. When mature coconut is available, camote is added at a ratio of 75:25 (camote to coconut) to balance the protein-fat-carbohydrate profile. The leaves of camote when finely chopped is also an excellent source of forage for free range chickens. It contains a high level of protein and beta carotene which makes the egg yolk deeper yellow.

Studies at VISCA in Leyte have shown that camote can substitute corn up to 75% in commercial rations and is recommended in home-mixed rations especially for small scale poultry growing because of the ease by which it can be grown and can be harvested when needed when grown nearby. It can also serve as a cash crop as well as substitute staple for the farm family. (To be continued)