Poultry feeding standards

It is clear that the idealism set out initially in the principles of organic agriculture has had to be tempered by practical considerations. The standards adopted have to aim for a balance between the desire of consumers for organic products and considerations of ethical and ecological integrity and the practical and financial needs of producers. As a result, synthetic vitamins are now allowed in organic poultry feeds, with some restrictions. 

SCA (1987) Feeding Standards for Australian Livestock-Poultry. Standing Committee on Agriculture. CSIRO Editorial and Publishing Unit, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for maduramicin in poultry feed. The assay utilized polyclonal anti-maduramicin antibody raised in rabbits, maduramicin monoamide with 1,6-hexane diamine-conjugated ovalbumin as the coating antigen, horseradish peroxidase conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG and 2,2 azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline) sulfonic acid (ABTS) for quantitation. Standard curves ranging from 0 to 80 ng/mL maduramicin were constructed. The assay did not cross-react with monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, lincomycin, narasin, chlortetracycline or roxarsone. Broiler feed fortified at 4 to 7 ppm maduramicin were shown to be quantifiable by ELISA at an average recovery of 98.1%. This ELISA method for maduramicin in poultry feed is comparable to the established HPLC-F method. 

Extraction and Analysis of Maduramicin from Poultry Feed. Feed extraction was accomplished by adding 250 mL of acetonitrile to 50 gm of medicated feed. The mixture was shaken for 30 minutes on a reciprocal shaker. A clear aliquot of the sedimented extract was removed for ELISA. At least a fifty fold dilution of the acetonitrile solution was assayed directly without further processing. Standard curves using the corresponding dilution of an acetonitrile extraction of a control feed sample was used to quantitate medicated feed samples. The HPLC-F analysis of the same samples were carried out according to the method described previously (31. 

The dose response curves performed in PBS 7.6 buffer and in a non-medicated poultry feed extract solution are shown in Figure 5. The two curves are significantly different in optical density responses but the slopes appear to be similar. A preliminary analysis of broiler feed extract by ELISA indicated that a non-medicated feed extact standard curve must be used for computing the values of unknown feed extracts. The same feed extract samples were analyzed by HPLC-F. The comparison is shown in Table II. The data indicates that the ELISA method of analysis for maduramicin in broiler feed correlates well with the HPLC-F method with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.973. 

The main users of feeding standards are commercial companies that supply concentrate feeds as complete diets for pigs and poultry and as complementary feeds to forages consumed by ruminants. Nutritional advisers and consultants also use them to formulate diets and advise farmers. Commercial feed companies often modify published standards in order to meet the specific needs of their customers. For example, the nutrient requirements of poultry tend to change from one generation to the next because of the speed of genetic selection and improvement. Consequently, national feeding standards fail to... 

Different feeding standards adopt different approaches to estimate energy and protein requirements for growth. Protein requirements for pigs and poultry are generally more detailed than those of ruminants and horses because they include estimates of requirements for specific amino acids. 

Egg production in poultry imposes large requirements for nutrients, especially amino acids and calcium, and these have been quantified in the form of detailed feeding standards. 

There is still significant controversy within the organic poultry sector/ industry about the level of extensification that should be achieved and there are significant differences in standards (especially with respect to flock sizes/stocking densities, level access to the outside and pasture and feeding regimes) used by different organic sector bodies. 

This publication sets out guidance for producers on nutrition and feeding practices that relate to the standards for certification of organic poultry. Details on permitted feed ingredients, with an emphasis on those grown or available locally and on suitable dietary formulations, are included. Although aspects of these topics have been presented at conferences and in trade and scientific publications, no comprehensive text has been published to date. 

Another problem for the UK farmer and feed manufacturer is a current ban on the use of fishmeal in feedmills that produce feed for ruminants (an industry-wide rather than an organic regulation). This means that organic feed manufacturers with only one mill (and who cannot now use pure amino acids) who produce ruminant and non-ruminant diets can no longer use fishmeal at all. The result is that those mills in particular have a very difficult task in producing organic poultry diets of the necessary nutritional standard. 

Rough rice (paddy or padi rice) can be used in poultry diets after grinding but is generally not available. Rice that does not meet the quality standards for humans after processing is a good feed ingredient for poultry diets, provided it is not moulded and contaminated with toxic fungi. 

Data from NCR reports for standardized poultry rations (26). b International feed no. 

Utilization of Soybean Meal in Animal Feeds. Soybean meal is the most extensively used of the oilseed meals and serves as a protein supplement for all classes of animals. It has become the standard to which all other protein sources are compared, and its quality, acceptance, and reputation are widely known (4). The meal contains from 44 to 50% cmde protein and from 2500 to 2800 kcal of metabolizable energy per kilogram, depending on the amount of hull present and the species of animal being fed. Dehulling increases the metabolizable energy values by about 5% for cattle and 12% or more for pigs and poultry (5). 

The evaluation of a number of immunoassay diagnostic kits was undertaken to determine their usefulness in a regulatory analytical laboratory environment in the food, feed and pesticide areas. Four rapid enzyme immunoassay tests for the detection of aflatoxin residues at the 20 ppb level in animal feeds were compared to the official HPLC procedure. In the pesticide area, a commercial pentachlorophenol competitive inhibition assay for residues in water was investigated as to its applicability to poultry and pork liver matrices. In addition, an ELISA screening procedure for the herbicide fusilade was developed. Modifications were incorporated into the rapid immunoband 1-2 Test procedure for the detection of motile Salmonella in various food and animal feed products resulting in quicker analysis than the standard culture method. Also, a comparative evaluation of a Quik-Card Test for sulphamethazine drug residues in pork urine, liver and muscle tissue, is described. 

---