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| Poultry
Byproduct Meal is higher
in protein than other common
protein supplements and higher
in energy because of its
relatively high lipid and
low crude fiber contents.
It is also a good source
of highly available calcium
and phosphorus, although
it has less of these minerals
than Meat and Bone Meal. |
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| Poultry
Byproduct Meal is also an excellent
source of highly available amino acids,
having more methionine, total sulfur-containing
amino acids, threonine and arginine
than either soybean meal or Meat and
Bone Meal. |
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| Hydrolyzed
Feather Meal is an excellent source
of protein for livestock. It is very
similar to soybean meal in its energy
content and much higher in protein
than Soybean meal or Meat and Bone
Meal. Hydrolyzed Feather Meal has much
higher lipid levels than Corn or Soybean
Meal, and much less crude fiber. Calcium
and available phosphorus contents are
similar to Corn and Soybean Meal. |
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| Hydrolyzed
Feather Meal is an excellent source
of amino acids for all livestock species
when a part of properly balanced diets.
Hydrolyzed feather meal has nearly
as much methionine as soybean meal
and meat and bone meal. It is an excellent
source of cystine (one of the sulfur-containing
amino acids), threonine, arginine and
isoleucine. |
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| Poultry
Grease is an excellent source of
energy and fatty acids for all animal
species. Most samples contain more
unsaturated oleic acid than either
soybean oil or tallow. About 20% of
poultry grease is the poly-unsaturated
linoleic acid. Of course the composition
of poultry grease will depend somewhat
on the fatty acids that were being
fed. |
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Feather
Meal Composition
The
composition of the feather meal is dependent
on the source of feathers and processing
conditions. The cystine content of feather
meal is probably over-estimated by most
researchers because lanthionine is converted
to cysteic acid by typical sample preparation
techniques. The actual bioavailability
of cystine in feather meal is probably
underestimated because of overestimation
of cystine levels in feather meal. |
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Key
Papers: 214, 296 and 274 |
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Feather
Meal Digestibility
It
is very clear that optimally processed
feather meal can approach 90% digestibility
and be as digestible as good soybean
meal samples. The key phrase is "optimally
processed", not over- or under-processed.
Processing conditions and methods (equipment)
are very important. If processing conditions
are designed to give maximum levels of
pepsin digestibility, some cystine, for
instance may be destroyed. That is important
only if the finished feed is limiting
in cystine, an unlikely situation.
There has been much speculation that microbial
fermentation techniques will replace conventional
processing methods for feather meal. Fermentation
methods are expected to save energy, since
they don't require heating. Unfortunately,
any bacterial activity also results in heat
loss as the bacteria grow, so whether these
techniques will result in an economical energy
balance remains to be seen. Microbial enzyme
technologies that are economically feasible
may be developed, especially if future energy
costs greatly increase. |
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Key
Papers: 22, 78, 5002,
and 104 |
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Feather
Meal for Young Cattle
In
the overwhelming majority
of studies, young cattle
fed feather meal performed
as well as, or better
than, those fed other
supplements. Of course
the response to any ingredient
depends on its balance
with other ingredients
being fed, so instances
when feather meal didn't
compliment the other
ingredients can be found.
Feedlot calves fed 80% corn and 5% hay may
respond as well to urea as to other supplements,
but under most other circumstances there is
an advantage to feeding intact protein sources,
like feather meal. For grazing cattle, feather
meal is clearly better than urea in slurries,
for instance. Depending on the rest of the
diet, feather meal has been shown to be better
than, or at least as good as, soybean meal,
cottonseed meal, and meat and bone meal.
In only a very few studies has adding feather
meal to growing calf diets caused an apparent
nutritional imbalance and reduced performance.
In paper 181, for instance, a soybean meal
and feather meal combination was found to be
equivalent to soybean meal alone in two trials,
but inferior in a third. A reason for the discrepancy
is not apparent although there were several
differences between the trials. |
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Key
Papers: 131, 142, 259, 319,
and 4005 |
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Digestibility
of Feather Meal for Young Cattle
The
preponderance of data
from these studies demonstrates
that feather meal is
a digestible, high escape
protein source that is
useful in diets for growing
ruminants. Feather meal
is a positive addition
to meat and bone meal
supplements, especially
because it is a good
source of sulfur-containing
amino acids and cystine. |
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Key
Papers: 76 and 145 |
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Feather
Meal for Mature Cattle
In
the large majority of
research work published,
feeding feather meal
to lactating cows has
very positive effects.
If there is a criticism
of the studies it may
be that the effects of
adding feather meal versus
protein per se are not
separated. This criticism
may not be important
since feather meal is
usually the least expensive
protein source.
There is some indication that adding feather
meal to lactation rations will decrease feed
intake. Some authors caution to watch for decreased
intake, but since milk production is not usually
affected, the decrease in intake means an increase
in efficiency, a positive effect. |
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Key
Papers: 103, 115, 4001,
and 4035 |
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Digestibility
of Feather Meal for Mature Cattle
Because
of the small number of
papers with a small number
of individuals fed very
different basal diets,
it is practically impossible
to meaningfully summarize
these papers. In two
papers about 19 and 44%
of feather meals were
ruminally degraded. How
these values relate to
conditions under commercial
milk production cannot
currently be determined. |
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Key
Papers: 118 and 124 |
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Feather
Meal for Lambs and Sheep
These
papers clearly show that cottonseed meal
is a good substitute for feather meal,
but soybean meal is not. Lambs and sheep
simply performed better when fed feather
meal than soybean meal. The high value
of feather meal for sheep is probably
related to their need for amino acids
for wool growth. Wool and feathers are
both high in cystine. |
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Key
Papers: 90, 166,
and 202 |
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Digestibility
of Feather Meal for Lambs and Sheep
The
feeding value of feather meal for sheep
is so high that is must be digestible.
Unfortunately, there is little specific
information available to suggest ways
to maximize digestibility. |
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Key
Papers: 143 and 233 |
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Feather
Meal for Swine
In
one experiment, 10 kg piglets performed
very well when fed 15% feather meal in
a properly balanced ration. In other
experiments, 9 or 7.5% feather meal was
the maximum level that could be fed without
reducing performance. Swine, like poultry,
reduce carcass fat when fed protein in
excess of the level needed for maximum
growth. The value of feather meal for
growing swine should include its effects
on increasing yields and carcass composition. |
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Key
Papers: 100, 294,
and 369 |
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Feather
Meal for Fish
Clearly
feather meal is an excellent ingredient
for commercial fish production. The important
question is " how much feather meal
can be fed before diets become unbalanced?" One-third
to one-half of the fish meal supplement,
or 10 to 15% of the diet, is the level
of feather meal found to be acceptable
in most research work. But several studies
found that fish performed best when some
feather meal was included in their diets.
Aquaculture appears to be an area where
more research could be particularly valuable
to demonstrate the value of feather meal. |
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Key
Papers: 133, 208,
and 226 |
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Feather
Meal for Poultry
These
papers show that feather meal can be
an excellent ingredient for poultry diets
if it is processed correctly. Feather
meal protein is particularly complimentary
to corn protein, which is low in cystine.
Feather meal is also an excellent inexpensive
way to increase dietary protein levels
and decrease the carcass fat of broilers.
Nearly all papers have found that 5% feather
meal can be fed to broilers, layers, or turkeys
without deleterious effects. But several reports
have included observations of increased performance
when low levels of feather meal are included
in broiler and layer diets. This may be because
amino acid balance is improved or perhaps because
the feather meal was substituted for soybean
meal (which is particularly low in energy). |
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Key
Papers: 279, 339, 360, 167, 180, 223, 213,
and 219 |
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Feather
Meal Digestibility for Poultry
Like
the growth and performance assays, digestibility
assays show wide variations between samples
processed by different methods. Excellent
samples of feather meal, when properly
processed and balanced with appropriate
ingredients and supplements, can provide
up to 40% of the protein for growing
broilers. The bioavailability of feather
meal seems to be much higher for mature
birds than for chicks. |
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Key
Papers: 149 and 177 |
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Poultry
Meal Composition
Poultry
Meal composition is variable. It is dependent
on the composition of the raw materials
and processing conditions. The terminology
used when describing Poultry Meal, or
Poultry By-Product Meal, or Poultry Offal
Meal is especially important. Special
care and attention must be taken when
evaluating research with poultry meal
because feathers and blood are sometimes
added to it. Such "conglomerate" meals
generally have improved amino acid profiles
although digestibility of the amino acids
may become an issue. |
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Key
Papers: 183 and 370 |
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Poultry
Meal for Young Calves
Poultry
meal has been shown to
be an excellent ingredient
for young ruminants,
as good as soybean meal,
fish meal, or meat and
bone meal. Of course,
the amount that can be
fed depends on the other
ingredients available
and how they are best
blended. |
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Poultry
Meal for Mature Cattle
There
are no reported studies
of poultry meal per se
being fed to mature cattle.
There are, however, two
reports of poultry meal
being fed to mature cattle
as part of animal protein
product supplements.
In both studies milk
production was unaffected
by the supplements. In
one study, feed intake
was reduced, indicating
an increase in efficiency. |
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Poultry
Meal for Fish
There
are reports where poultry meal is an
excellent ingredient for fish and reports
where it is not. The favorable reports
are from studies where the diets were
effectively balanced. Many of these reports
suffer from poorly characterized and
described ingredient samples and a lack
of understanding of the nutritional requirements
of the fish being studied. It seems that
special care should be taken when substituting
any ingredient into a fish diet. An inclusion
level of 20% poultry meal will probably
help balance many diets for fish. |
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Key
Papers: 3, 249, 266,
and 271 |
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Poultry
Meal Digestibility for Fish
Similar
to results with other species, considerable
between-sample variability in digestibility
was observed with fish. Inconsistencies
in results in several of the studies
suggest that there are significant problems
with measuring nutrient digestibility
with fish. There is insufficient evidence
to conclude how fish in general, or any
particular species, digests good samples
of poultry meal compared to a reference
protein. |
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Key
Papers: 6 and 10 |
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Poultry
Meal for Poultry
There
can be no doubt that properly processed
Poultry Meal is an excellent ingredient
for all classes of poultry. The only
question is how much of each nutrient
the product being used contains. Nutrients
in Poultry Meal substitute perfectly
for those in corn and soybean meal in
linear programming models for all classes
of poultry.
There is no modern research on maximum or optimum
levels of Poultry Meal that can be fed to poultry,
since the supply has been quite limiting. Poultry
Meals are more valuable in diets for other
species (especially pets) so the amount available
for poultry is relatively low. |
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Key
Papers: 70,
77, and 281 |
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Poultry
Grease for Ruminants
There
are no published articles
on feeding poultry grease
to ruminants. However,
poultry grease is very
similar to other greases
and should be an excellent
ingredient for ruminant
feeding. Information
in the following review
articles should apply
to poultry grease, as
well as other fats and
oils. |
Poultry
Grease for Poultry
Poultry
Grease, like Poultry Meal, has a long and
distinguished history as an excellent ingredient
for poultry. Adding Poultry Grease, like
other fats and oils, has positive effects
on the absorption of other ingredients
and so its apparent energy content is often
in excess of its gross energy. The metabolizable
energy content of Poultry Grease increases
with the age of the bird it is being fed
to. Poultry Grease also helps to reduce
the dustiness of ground feeds and helps
lubricate equipment. |
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Key
Papers: 162, 232, 340,
and 359 |
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Egg
Waste Composition
The
composition of waste
from egg breaking plants
is quite different from
waste from hatcheries. |
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Hatchery
Waste for Poultry
When
properly processed, Hatchery Waste is
an excellent source of calcium and protein
for growing poultry and layers. Numerous
studies show the calcium is equivalent
to calcium in oyster shell and the protein
is equivalent or better than the protein
in soybean meal. |
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Key
Papers: 240 and 246 |
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Hen
Meal for Poultry
As
with other Poultry By-Products,
processing conditions
are critical to determining
a product's value. Hen
meal, when properly processed,
can be used at least
up to 10% of broiler
or layer diets without
causing significant problems
(assuming the diets are
balanced). |
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Key
Papers: 37, 278,
and 287 |
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Blood
Meal for Ruminants
Blood
meal is an excellent
source of amino acids
for balancing ruminant
diets. Balancing the
protein in diets for
ruminants is especially
challenging because a
proportion of each ingredient
will be transformed to
microbial protein before
it arrives in the true
stomach. Post-ruminal
digestion and absorption
are essentially the same
as in monogastrics.
The amino acid profiles of blood and feather
meals are quite complimentary. The amino acid
in blood meal are relatively expensive, by-pass
the rumen without significant degradation and
have a good profile to compliment most vegetable
proteins for meat, milk, and wool production.
The amino acids of feather meal are very inexpensive,
mostly by-pass the rumen, and are very complimentary
to blood and most vegetable proteins for ruminants.
Feeding 10 to 30% blood meal with feather meal
greatly increases the value of feather meal.
The combination has been used so successfully
that most research has been conducted on blood
meal and feather meal combinations. |
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Key
Papers: 109, 115, 4038,
and 4039 |
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