Poultry feed

The quantity of feed, and the nutritional requirements of the feed, depend on the weight and age of the poultry, their rate of growth, their rate of egg production, the weather (cold or wet weather causes higher energy expenditure), and the amount of nutrition the poultry obtain from foraging.

[1] Healthy poultry require a sufficient amount of protein and carbohydrates, along with the necessary vitamins, dietary minerals, and an adequate supply of water.

[4] Certain diets also require the use of grit, tiny rocks such as pieces of granite, in the feed.

[9] In industrial agriculture, machinery is used to automate the feeding process, reducing the cost and increasing the scale of farming.

For commercial poultry farming, feed serves as the largest cost of the operation.