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The Nairobian

4 animal feed ideas that can reduce costs

Smart Harvest

By Dr Watson Messo Odwako | Feb 18, 2022

**Production of black soldier fly and Edible crickets. [Photo, Standard]**

After nearly two years of poultry feed price increases, it is clear that the prices of raw materials especially protein supplements like soya, sunflower, and cotton seed cakes are not going down any time soon. From last year to the beginning of this year, I have witnessed more than six price increases on the finished bag of poultry feed. The reasons being given include the shortage of key protein and energy supplements. One kilogramme of soya was retailing at Sh65, and now more than double at Sh138. Likewise, the cost of maize has soared from Sh80 to Sh120 per kilo. As farmers struggle with reduced margins, the feed manufacturers are blaming the grain price volatility in the global market.

It is a known fact that Kenya has a deficit in maize and soya production. This is why we import these products, making our cost of livestock production the highest in the region. If you add the cost of feed additives and micro-ingredients in the mix, the economic net effect in the sector is huge. So, what are the solutions to this high cost of production?

Soybean meal and fish are our traditional source of proteins and are formulated at a 16-22 per cent of the final product depending on the type of bird and their amino acids requirement. Sunflower meal is another good source of protein rich in fibre, oil, and amino acids. Unfortunately, these products are not grown in abundance locally and must be imported. It is said that the ecological conditions do not favour their production. As millers ponder into the future, I will offer alternative sources of protein found locally.

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The Black Soldier fly (BSF)

Black Solder Fly (BSF) farming concept is gaining traction in the animal feed industry sector globally. These flies are kept in a controlled environment where they are supplied with breeding equipment to deposit their eggs. The eggs hatch into larva and are fed on some sort of substrate or organic food waste and mature in six to nine days into large larva rich in proteins (40-65 per cent). These larval forms are what is processed into animal proteins and can be included in feed formulation at 5-10 per cent blending with other sources of proteins like sunflower cake to make a complete meal. For safety reasons, nutritionists and veterinarians must be involved to ensure that the substrates used in feeding these larval forms of the BSF are safe for both birds and the human consumers and together with the media build consumer trust in this novel technology.

Production of black soldier fly and Edible crickets. [Photo, Standard]

Cereal by-products

Traditionally, maize is commonly used grain in poultry feed formulation and is a staple food among many communities. It therefore makes sense to invest in an alternative source of energy for the poultry industry to reduce over-reliance on this commodity.

Rice bran and rice polish are produced as by-products during the milling of paddy rice in most of our milling factories. They are rich in proteins at 11-14 per cent and contains 1800-2800 kcal/kg of energy. Wheat bran, which is the outer covering of the cereal is also a very important alternative to maize. Its protein content is in the range of 11-15 per cent with calorific value of 1,000-1,400 kcal/kg of energy.