Poultry Feed Formulation Guide for Broilers and Layers

Updated: September 12, 2026

What poultry feed formulation really means

Let me explain something to you. Feed formulation is not about copying one recipe forever. It is about meeting the bird’s nutrient needs with ingredients you can actually obtain, at a cost that still allows the farmer to make money.

I have formulated poultry feeds for my own birds and taken my own formulations to feed mills for production. One thing that experience teaches very quickly is that a breeder manual is a reference point, not a Nigerian recipe. Weather, ingredient quality, bird stage, ingredient price and what is genuinely available around you all matter.

Crude protein and metabolizable energy are important, but they are not enough on their own. Lysine, methionine, calcium, available phosphorus, fibre, vitamins, minerals and ingredient quality also matter. A feed can show the right crude protein on paper and still perform badly if the amino-acid or mineral balance is wrong.

PA formulation rules

• Every ready-to-use formula must total exactly 100 kg.
• Soybean meal, soybean cake and full-fat soybean are different ingredients. Do not treat them as interchangeable.
• Local fishmeal is optional, not compulsory. Where used here, it means a known or tested Nigerian-market batch.
• Blood meal is excluded from these poultry formulas.
• Lysine HCl is calculated at 78% lysine and DL-methionine at 99% methionine.
• Premix is shown at 0.25 kg/100 kg only where the product label specifies 2.5 kg/tonne. Follow the actual manufacturer’s label.
• A cheaper formula is useful only if it is still nutritionally valid. Least cost comes after balance, not before it.

PA Feed Calculator: use the Poultry Feed Calculator when your available ingredients differ from the examples below. Do not remove one ingredient and replace it by weight with another. Changing the ingredient changes the formulation.

Ready-to-use 100 kg broiler and layer formulas

Broiler Starter

Broiler Starter A — SBM + GNC + tested local fishmeal

Back-check: CP 21.80% · ME 3000 kcal/kg · fibre 4.27% · lysine 1.32% · methionine 0.50% · Ca 0.90% · available P 0.45%.

Use only a known/tested local fishmeal batch. If its mineral analysis is available, recheck DCP and limestone before mixing.

Broiler Starter B — SBM + full-fat soybean; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 21.80% · ME 3000 kcal/kg · fibre 4.99% · lysine 1.32% · methionine 0.50% · Ca 0.90% · available P 0.45%.

Broiler Starter C — GNC-heavy + tested local fishmeal

Back-check: CP 21.80% · ME 3000 kcal/kg · fibre 4.49% · lysine 1.32% · methionine 0.50% · Ca 0.90% · available P 0.45%.

Use only a known/tested local fishmeal batch. If its mineral analysis is available, recheck DCP and limestone before mixing.

Broiler Starter D — full-fat soybean + GNC; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 21.80% · ME 3000 kcal/kg · fibre 5.04% · lysine 1.32% · methionine 0.50% · Ca 0.90% · available P 0.45%.

Broiler Grower

Broiler Grower A — SBM + GNC + tested local fishmeal

Back-check: CP 19.50% · ME 3050 kcal/kg · fibre 4.23% · lysine 1.19% · methionine 0.48% · Ca 0.84% · available P 0.42%.

Use only a known/tested local fishmeal batch. If its mineral analysis is available, recheck DCP and limestone before mixing.

Broiler Grower B — SBM + full-fat soybean; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 19.50% · ME 3050 kcal/kg · fibre 4.73% · lysine 1.19% · methionine 0.48% · Ca 0.84% · available P 0.42%.

Broiler Grower C — GNC-based; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 19.50% · ME 3050 kcal/kg · fibre 4.53% · lysine 1.19% · methionine 0.48% · Ca 0.84% · available P 0.42%.

Broiler Finisher

Broiler Finisher A — SBM + GNC + tested local fishmeal

Back-check: CP 18.50% · ME 3124 kcal/kg · fibre 4.10% · lysine 1.05% · methionine 0.43% · Ca 0.76% · available P 0.38%.

Use only a known/tested local fishmeal batch. If its mineral analysis is available, recheck DCP and limestone before mixing.

Broiler Finisher B — full-fat soybean; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 18.50% · ME 3125 kcal/kg · fibre 4.62% · lysine 1.05% · methionine 0.43% · Ca 0.76% · available P 0.38%.

Broiler Finisher C — GNC-based; no fishmeal

Back-check: CP 18.50% · ME 3125 kcal/kg · fibre 4.45% · lysine 1.05% · methionine 0.43% · Ca 0.76% · available P 0.38%.

Layer Chick Starter

Layer Chick Starter A — soybean meal

Back-check: CP 18.52% · ME 2975 kcal/kg · fibre 4.21% · lysine 1.10% · methionine 0.54% · Ca 1.05% · available P 0.45%.

Layer Chick Starter B — soybean meal + soybean cake

Back-check: CP 18.52% · ME 2975 kcal/kg · fibre 4.60% · lysine 1.10% · methionine 0.54% · Ca 1.05% · available P 0.45%.

Layer Chick Starter C — soybean meal + full-fat soybean

Back-check: CP 18.52% · ME 2975 kcal/kg · fibre 4.72% · lysine 1.10% · methionine 0.54% · Ca 1.05% · available P 0.45%.

Layer Grower/Pullet

Layer Grower/Pullet A — soybean meal

Back-check: CP 15.51% · ME 2850 kcal/kg · fibre 4.44% · lysine 0.83% · methionine 0.40% · Ca 0.95% · available P 0.43%.

Layer Grower/Pullet B — soybean meal + soybean cake

Back-check: CP 15.51% · ME 2850 kcal/kg · fibre 4.80% · lysine 0.83% · methionine 0.40% · Ca 0.95% · available P 0.43%.

Layer Grower/Pullet C — soybean meal + full-fat soybean

Back-check: CP 15.51% · ME 2850 kcal/kg · fibre 4.90% · lysine 0.83% · methionine 0.40% · Ca 0.95% · available P 0.43%.

Pre-Lay

Pre-Lay A — soybean meal

Back-check: CP 16.10% · ME 2750 kcal/kg · fibre 4.23% · lysine 0.85% · methionine 0.39% · Ca 2.45% · available P 0.40%.

Pre-Lay B — soybean meal + soybean cake

Back-check: CP 16.10% · ME 2750 kcal/kg · fibre 4.60% · lysine 0.86% · methionine 0.39% · Ca 2.45% · available P 0.44%.

Pre-Lay C — soybean meal + full-fat soybean

Back-check: CP 16.10% · ME 2802 kcal/kg · fibre 4.65% · lysine 0.86% · methionine 0.39% · Ca 2.45% · available P 0.44%.

Layers Mash

Layers Mash A — lower feed intake / higher nutrient density

Back-check: CP 15.99% · ME 2750 kcal/kg · fibre 3.96% · lysine 0.86% · methionine 0.43% · Ca 3.75% · available P 0.39%.

Layers Mash B — medium feed intake

Back-check: CP 15.42% · ME 2724 kcal/kg · fibre 4.28% · lysine 0.82% · methionine 0.40% · Ca 3.55% · available P 0.37%.

Layers Mash C — higher feed intake

Back-check: CP 15.06% · ME 2700 kcal/kg · fibre 4.53% · lysine 0.79% · methionine 0.39% · Ca 3.40% · available P 0.36%.

How to choose between the formulas

Use the formula that matches both the bird’s stage and the ingredients you can obtain consistently. The A, B and C labels do not mean best, second-best and third-best. They are alternative balanced ingredient baskets.

If fishmeal quality is doubtful, don’t solve the problem by simply adding more fishmeal. Know the ingredient, test it where practical, use realistic nutrient values and watch the birds. That is where formulation discipline matters.

Palm oil is also not compulsory. Some formulas use it because it is an efficient Nigerian-market energy source. A ration can be balanced without it when the other ingredients provide enough energy.

Ingredient notes for Nigerian farmers

Maize

Maize remains the main energy ingredient in many Nigerian poultry rations, but its nutrient value varies with variety, storage and quality. Mouldy maize has no place in a feed formula.

Soybean meal, soybean cake and full-fat soybean

Open your eyes here: these three are not the same ingredient. Their protein, oil and energy values differ. Full-fat soybean must be properly heat processed before use because poorly processed soybean can depress performance.

Groundnut cake

Groundnut cake can be useful and economical, but aflatoxin risk makes supplier quality and storage very important. Do not assume a clean-looking batch is automatically safe.

Local fishmeal

Local fishmeal can supply useful protein and amino acids, but quality varies. I have encountered imported batches that were more consistent than some local products, but the right decision is not to worship origin. Use actual quality. These PA formulas do not depend on foreign fishmeal.

Wheat offal and other fibrous ingredients

They can reduce cost and contribute nutrients, but young birds cannot carry unlimited fibre. Inclusion must fit the stage and the rest of the ration.

Ingredient substitution: don’t do it kilogram-for-kilogram

This is where many farmers get it wrong. A formula containing fishmeal is not converted into a soybean-meal formula by removing 5 kg fishmeal and adding 5 kg soybean meal. Protein, energy, amino acids, minerals and fibre all change. Recalculate the complete formula.

The same rule applies to maize, sorghum, cassava, PKC, rice bran, soybean cake and every other alternative. There can be many correct formulas for one bird stage, but each one must be balanced independently.

Feed safety and quality control

Mycotoxins: do not dilute a questionable aflatoxin-contaminated batch and feed it simply because the average concentration may look lower. Segregate suspect material and obtain appropriate testing or professional advice before use.

Home-grown ingredients: growing an ingredient yourself can improve traceability, but it does not automatically mean pesticide-free or aflatoxin-free. Production, harvest, drying and storage still matter.

Moringa: moringa leaf meal can be a useful local feed ingredient in properly formulated diets, including layer diets, but it does not automatically replace commercial premix or remove the need to balance vitamins and minerals.

Calcium: more is not always better. Layers need much more calcium than growers, but excessive calcium can still disturb mineral balance and feed intake. Formulate to requirement.

Rodent and insect control: sanitation, spill control, rodent-proof storage and approved professional pest-control practice come first. Do not give farmers DIY aluminium-phosphide fumigation instructions.

Storage: keep ingredients and finished feed dry, off the floor, protected from rain and direct sun, and rotate stock. Smell, colour and temperature changes are warning signs, not laboratory tests.

Mixing the feed properly

1. Weigh every ingredient accurately.
2. Premix very small ingredients such as methionine, lysine and premix with a carrier before adding them to the main batch.
3. Add liquids gradually where used.
4. Use a mixer capable of producing uniform distribution; the correct mixing time depends on the mixer, batch size and ingredient form.
5. For commercial-scale production, sample and analyse finished feed periodically rather than relying only on arithmetic.

Least-cost formulation: the farmer must still smile

Least-cost formulation does not mean choosing the cheapest ingredients and hoping for the best. First meet the nutrient requirements and ingredient constraints. Then find the least expensive valid combination at today’s prices.

For broilers, one of the most useful economic checks is feed cost per kilogram of liveweight gain, not just feed cost per bag. A cheaper ration that damages FCR can become more expensive in the end.

Frequently asked questions

Does broiler finisher need fishmeal?

No. Fishmeal is an ingredient option, not a nutrient requirement. A finisher ration can be balanced without fishmeal if protein, amino acids, energy, minerals and other nutrients are supplied correctly.

Can I use palm oil in poultry feed?

Yes, where appropriate, but it is not compulsory. I personally prefer to balance many rations with soybean products and, where justified, some fishmeal rather than making palm oil mandatory.

Can I replace soybean meal with soybean cake?

Not kilogram-for-kilogram. They have different nutrient values. Recalculate the formula.

Why do two correct formulas look completely different?

Because the bird requires nutrients, not one sacred ingredient list. Several different ingredient combinations can meet the same target if each formulation is independently balanced.

Why can my finished feed perform differently from the calculated value?

Because a nutrient value printed in a table is an estimate. The ingredient in your store may be different because of variety, processing, adulteration, deterioration or storage. That is why practical formulation needs a sensible margin, ingredient knowledge, testing where possible and performance monitoring.

About the author

Adebola Adebiyi is an animal-production practitioner with practical experience in poultry production, feed formulation and feed milling. He has formulated feeds for his own poultry operation and worked with feed mills to produce his formulations. His approach is to use breeder and research standards as benchmarks, then adapt the finished ration to Nigerian ingredients, environment, bird stage and farm economics.

Sources and formulation basis

• Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) — current Nigerian feed-ingredient listing and nutrient specifications.
• Cobb-Vantress — broiler performance and nutrition benchmarks.
• Hy-Line International — layer rearing and production nutrition benchmarks.
• MSD Veterinary Manual — poultry nutrition reference.
• INRAE-CIRAD-AFZ Feed Tables — supporting ingredient-composition reference.

Important: these formulas are practical starting formulations based on stated nutrient assumptions. Ingredient quality varies. For large commercial batches, laboratory analysis and professional nutrition review remain good practice.