Feb 2006 - PRACTICAL POULTRY
FEED FORMULATION HANDBOOK

This gesture is consistent with my vision to use this mini site to share/develop the ideas I have for SDAc's intended Integrated Fish Farm (IFF).

As I said on the welcome page for this site, the IFF(and this mini-site) will be used to continuously investigate, document and publish best practice ways of rearing food and ornamental fish cost-effectively for higher yields using locally sourced materials and indigenous knowledge/skills – in conjunction with consistent implementation of Best Practice Process Management Techniques

You Can Save Money By Compounding Your Own Feed!

Anyone engaged in livestock farming as a business will need to actively pursue best practices that will enable him/her achieve cumulative savings while maximising production output, if s/he is to be sure of getting sustainable profits.

Livestock farmers(of Fish, Poultry, Piggery etc) who have done their process records analysis properly will know that they very often over 70% of the money they spend to produce each batch of animals for sales can be traced to feeding.

It therefore follows that if they can find a way to reduce what they spend on feeding(through routine application of best practice/continuous improvement initiatives in the processes), they will be assured of earning higher profits even if they do not increase their selling prices.

This handbook contains elaborate details that will give anyone interested in learning the rudiments of feed compounding the necessary know-how. I invite you to read the details provided about it on this page, and then continue to our March 2006 page to read a FREE preview of the first twenty(20) pages.

The rest of the report will be available to anyone willing to request it using the file mailer form provided on the March 2006 page. Simply enter your email address, and click the "Send File(s) To Me" button.

This Handbook reveals ALL The Secrets needed for ANYONE to become Proficient in Poultry (Even Livestock) Feed Formulation and Compounding!

It comes loaded with over 60 pages of:

• Detailed notes, worked examples, practical tips, and illuminating insights into the science of feed formulation using the Pearson Square computation technique.

• In-depth exposition on critical considerations in selection and use of feedstuffs, plus tables of nutrients/energy values of local feedstuffs, anti-nutritional factors etc

• Essential features of Broiler starter/finisher, Chicks starter, Growers & Layers’ rations as well as Sample/Pre-formulated rations all of which have been fully used for production in real-life settings.

• PLUS a lot more(See table of contents below).

1.0 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tayo Solagbade holds a B.Sc degree in Agricultural Extension Services from the University of Ibadan. He graduated top of his class - with Second Class Upper Division honors - in 1992. While in the university, he was an active member (and at a point Sales Coordinator) of the Student’s Farm Research Foundation (SFRF) - an innovative, self-funding farm research oriented student group. SFRF was dedicated to helping members gain in-depth understanding of livestock management by exposing them to real-life experiences, which often involved experimentation with feeding, medication/vaccination etc.

Tayo observed his National Youth Service year (1992/93) in Vatsa village on the outskirts of Niger state. During this period he was involved in teaching Agricultural Science and Mathematics/Physics at Senior Secondary School level in two schools – Government Girls Science Secondary School and Government Day Secondary School. After completing his service year, he initially worked for 6 months as a Trainee Sales Coordinator in Produce Extract Limited, Matori, Lagos where he got involved in the day to day running of the wine manufacturing plant. In that plant, overripe papaw fruits were innovatively processed into a popular range of fruit-based wines (e.g. Carta Blanca) sold across the country.

In October 1994, Tayo joined Guinness Nigeria Plc as a Management trainee in the Technical Function. About 12 months later was redeployed to Benin Brewery as a Shift Brewer. Over a 3-year period, Tayo worked in the Production and Packaging Departments of the brewery where his performance led - among other things - to his repeat nominations to act as Training and Technical Development Manager (twice) in 1998.

In June 1997, Tayo sat and passed the Institute of Brewing (UK) Associate Membership Examinations – earning the AME certification. Later that same year, Tayo wrote a paper titled “Statistical Process Control and Target Setting” and became the first manager from Guinness Nigeria to participate in the Nigerian Institute of Management’s (NIM) Young Managers’ competition. He presented the paper (and won 2nd

place) at the Zonal finals Ibadan. He later went on to place 5th at the National finals in Lagos (December 1997). Between 1997 and 2000, Tayo became widely recognised in Guinness for successfully developing automated Lotus 1-2-3-spreadsheet packages for data management/reporting purposes in the Production department of Benin brewery. The packages were not only formally adopted for use, but (also in preparation for the rollover to year 2000), were sent over to the UK for conversion to Microsoft® Excel-compatible format.

In September 2000, Tayo was promoted Training and Technical Development Manager (TTDM) and almost immediately nominated to attend a 6 week International Brewing Course in the United Kingdom. Four months after returning from the UK/resuming as Training manager, he was nominated to act as Production Manager for a five-week period. Despite this sudden and unexpected demand to act as a departmental head (having left that same department only some months earlier), Tayo successfully completed the secondment - getting commendations from senior management in the process. In August 2001, Tayo successfully developed a Custom Automated Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet Training Records database package for Benin brewery. The package was developed to meet the requirements of the then impending ISO 9002 certification audits.

Over a 7-year period, Tayo successfully employed Self-Development techniques to give himself a consistent edge in Guinness Nigeria Plc. This fact was well attested to by his bosses, colleagues and reports during a departmental send-off party organized in his honour on Wednesday 19/12/01. Tayo resigned his appointment in Guinness Nigeria Plc with effect from December 2001. A passionate desire to actualize his dream of owning an integrated Poultry and Catfish Rearing/Breeding farm – as well as the need to be “free” to further develop his ideas on the application of Self-Development principles for successful living made him decide to leave – the promise of a bright future in Guinness notwithstanding .

All through the time he spent in the breweries, Tayo had never lost touch with developments in the area of Livestock farming. He had maintained close contacts with former classmates in active practice, and also made new acquaintances like Ademuyiwa Adediran (The Fish Man™) who is a pioneer of catfish/ornamental fish breeding/rearing in Nigeria .

Tayo now runs the Self-Development Academy, a mobile/freelance creative training outfit dedicated to helping people achieve perpetual successes in their personal and work lives, by teaching them practical Self-Development techniques. He decided to write this handbook, following his discovery that a need still exists for an easy to understand body of information on the subject of Feed formulation. He is also currently using his programming skills to develop custom computer spreadsheet solutions for individuals and businesses. An example is his Automated Ration Formulation Spreadsheet Package designed to make the process of computing the various ingredients in a ration quicker, easier and more accurate.

Tayo believes the availability of an automated package will not detract from the usefulness of a handbook on feed formulation. This is because only a person with a sound understanding of the basis of feed formulation (nutrient balancing in diets, nutrient requirements in different birds etc) would be able to use the package. His hope is that persons who attend his seminars on Self-Development, and who decide to set up Poultry Farm(s) for instance, would find the handbook to be a useful and affordable Information Product on one of the most critical aspects of poultry management i.e. feed formulation.

Tayo is 31 years old and happily married to Nkechi. They have 2 sons – Fela (3 years) and Emeka (8 months).
 

1.1 CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In producing this handbook, I have drawn heavily from notes and knowledge I acquired during my 5 years of study as an undergraduate of Agricultural Extension Services in the University of Ibadan. Especially useful were the 3 years I was a member (and at one time “Sales Coordinatior”) of a very innovative campus group called “the Student’s Farm Research Foundation – SFRF ”.

On many occasions – as Sales Coordinator – I had to visit various farms/feed mills in order to purchase different poultry feedstuff for use in compounding rations formulated by the then Project Coordinator – Kunle Bayewu. The challenging experiences that resulted from carrying out my assignments back then really gave me deep insight into the essential requirements for proper ration formulation.

At this point, I must acknowledge and thank Kunle Bayewu for putting together a Poultry Feed Formulation Handout – which he made available to interested SFRF members just before he left in 1991. The handout became a bible of sorts for me later on, and I successfully used it - in combination with other books/literature (some from the internet) - to consolidate my understanding of poultry ration formulation.

Footnote(3) SFRF - A student’s organization comprising mainly Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture and Forestry department students. Members were typically exposed to practical livestock (poultry, rabbits etc) management techniques including feeding, feed formulation/ compounding, disease prevention and control etc. The Supplies Coordinator was responsible for purchasing needed feeds/other materials for running the farm. Substantial income was generated by the foundation through sales of pullets; broilers, cockerels, old layers/eggs, rabbits etc produced on its farm - hence its self-funding status.