Feed is the biggest cost in a broiler batch, usually well over half of all spending. Good feed can still be spoiled on your farm by damp, heat, rats and careless feeding. Check bags when they arrive, store them dry and off the floor, use the oldest first, never feed mouldy feed, and set feeders so birds eat instead of spilling. These habits protect both your FCR and your money.
Why feed quality matters so much
A batch of 10,000 birds eats several hundred bags of 50 kg feed. If 3 to 5 percent is wasted or spoiled, that is many bags thrown away, and the damage from poor feed reaches further: slower growth, worse FCR and weaker birds. Our post on understanding FCR shows how even small losses add up across a batch.
You cannot test feed for nutrients on the farm. But you can protect it from damage and notice when something is clearly wrong.
Checking feed on delivery
Take 10 minutes when the truck arrives. Do it every time, even with a supplier you trust.
The bags
- Stitching intact, bags not torn or wet.
- Tag or print readable: feed type (starter, grower, finisher) and manufacturing date.
- Correct feed for the age of the birds. Starter going to a finishing shed is a costly mix-up.
- Weigh 3 to 5 bags on a proper scale. A 50 kg bag should weigh 50 kg.
The feed
Open one or two bags:
- Smell: fresh grain smell is good. Sour, musty or burnt smell is bad.
- Feel: dry and free flowing. Lumps or a warm, damp feel inside the bag means moisture.
- Look: even colour, pellets or crumbs mostly whole. Lots of dust and fines means birds waste more. Webs, insects, green, grey or black spots mean mould or pests.
If something is wrong, do not unload it. Take photos, write the delivery note number and talk to the dealer the same day. If you buy on credit, note the issue in your khata too. See udhaar and feed dealer credit for keeping that record clean.
Fungus and aflatoxin
Moulds grow on maize and other feed grains when they are warm and damp. Some moulds, mainly Aspergillus types, make aflatoxin, a poison that harms poultry even in small amounts. Pakistani studies, including surveys of feed in Punjab published in the Journal of Animal Health and Production (2021), have found aflatoxin in broiler feed samples, and linked higher levels to poor storage conditions.
Why it matters
Aflatoxin can cause:
- Slower growth and poorer FCR
- Pale birds and liver damage
- Weaker immunity, so birds catch diseases more easily and respond less well to vaccines
These signs look like many other problems, so only a vet and a lab test can confirm it. If you suspect feed, keep a sealed sample of the batch and the bag tag, and call your vet.
What raises the risk
- Pakistani monsoon months, when heat and humidity are both high
- Feed stored on a damp floor or against a wall
- Rain leaking onto stacks
- Feed kept for weeks in a hot store
- Feed left wet in feeders, especially near leaking drinkers
Storing feed on the farm
A simple, dry store saves more money than most products.
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| Keep feed under a roof that does not leak | Store bags in the open or under a tarpaulin for days |
| Stack on wooden pallets, off the floor | Put bags directly on a concrete or earth floor |
| Leave a gap from the walls so air moves | Stack tight against damp walls |
| Use the oldest bags first | Put new bags on top of old ones |
| Keep the store clean and rodent proof | Leave spilled feed to attract rats |
| Buy in amounts you will use soon | Stock up for a month in summer |
In hot, humid weather, try to keep stock to what you will use in about one to two weeks. Grain and feed generally store safely only when they are dry; damp feed in summer heat can grow mould fast.
Rats and birds
Rats eat feed, foul it with droppings and urine, chew bags and spread disease. Wild birds do the same. Close holes, keep the store tidy, and set traps or bait stations away from the birds' reach. Ask your advisor about safe rodent control near poultry.
Cutting feed wastage
Wasted feed on the litter is money on the floor, and it also wets litter and feeds flies.
- Feeder height: set the lip of the pan or trough at the height of the bird's back. Raise it as birds grow.
- Do not overfill: pans and troughs filled to the top get scratched out. Fill a third to half and top up more often.
- Enough feeder space: crowded feeders mean pushing and spilling.
- Fix leaks: wet feed in pans goes bad within a day in summer.
- Feed quality: lots of dust and broken pellets increase wastage.
- Change feed at the right age as your feed supplier advises; do not stretch starter or skip phases to save money.
Check feeders in the evening walk. Clumps of feed on the litter below a pan tell you that pan is set wrong.
Keep a feed record
Write feed received, feed used and stock left, shed by shed, every day. Poultry Curve's daily log keeps feed next to deaths and weight, so FCR and cost per kg are worked out for you as the batch goes, and the udhaar khata keeps your dealer balance in the same place. At the end, compare batches with the profit calculator, and read broiler farming cost and profit to see how feed price and FCR move your margin.