Poultry nutrition for economic egg and meat production: A review

Poultry industry of India, though one of the fastest growing segments of animal husbandry sector, uncertainty prevails in the mind of poultry entrepreneurs because of chronic and acute problems of high feeding cost, emerging and reemerging diseases, vaccine failure and fluctuating market price of meat and eggs. Economizing the cost of feeding is one of the effective tools, which can make poultry farming a sustainable enterprise. The present review highlights certain burning issues related to feeding and nutrition, their present status and scope ahead for economizing production of safe foods from poultry birds with due consideration for their welfare and environment based on latest research carried out in the country and elsewhere. Reduction of feed cost, encompassing judicious use of available feed resources, precise nutrient supply and augmenting nutrient utilization through processing, supplementation of deficient nutrients and suitable feed additives, are continuous processes. Close relation exists among nutrition, immunity and health of poultry. However, the effects are more pronounced in high producing stock. Nutrition, disease management and flock management must be considered together to ensure maximum profitability in poultry production. As the immunostimulation effects of various nutrients are observed at much higher levels than those actually recommended for optimum production, it is necessary to give due considerations to the economic aspects of the whole exercise.