Formulating Your Own Feeds to Enhance Profitability To create feeds, farmers utilize the Pearson Square method. In this approach, the digestible crude protein (DCP) serves as the foundational nutritional requirement for feed preparation for all livestock and poultry. For instance, if a farmer aims to formulate feed for chickens using this method, they must be aware of the crude protein content of each ingredient intended for the feed. Here are the DCP values for common feed ingredients: - Whole maize — 8.23% - Soya — 45% - Fishmeal — 55% - Maize bran — 7% - Sunflower — 35% Each type of chicken has specific nutritional needs. For example, when formulating feed for layers, the feed must contain at least 18% crude protein. To prepare a 70kg bag of feed for layers, a farmer would need the following ingredients: - 34kg of whole maize - 12kg of soya - 8kg of fishmeal - 10kg of maize bran - 6kg of lime (as a calcium source) To verify if these ingredients meet the 18% crude protein standard, a farmer can perform a straightforward calculation as follows: - Whole maize — 34kg x 8.23 ÷ 100 = 2.80% - Soya — 12kg x 45 ÷ 100 = 5.4% - Fishmeal... To be continued... Have you ever considered or decided to make your own feeds? Follow this page, like, and share for more insights. Let's talk. ‎Follow the Afrostain Farmtech channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va8qlx2L7UVWz3JFZK1a