Poultry Feed Formulation with Local Nigerian Ingredients

30 June 2026 · 9 min read · AgroForth agronomy team

Feed is normally 65–75% of the cost of raising poultry in Nigeria, so a farmer who can formulate on-farm with locally available ingredients controls the biggest line in the business.

Know the targets before you touch ingredients

Formulation is simply hitting crude protein and metabolisable energy targets for the bird's stage while keeping calcium, phosphorus, lysine and methionine in range.

Broiler starter: ~22–23% crude protein, high energy
Broiler finisher: ~19–20% crude protein
Grower pullets: ~16% crude protein
Layers in production: ~16–18% protein with 3.5–4% calcium

Local ingredients that carry the ration

Maize remains the energy base, but when maize prices spike, sorghum, cassava peel meal and brewers' dried grain can displace part of it. Palm kernel cake is cheap and widely available, though its fibre limits inclusion for young birds.

Soybean meal (properly toasted) is the main plant protein. Groundnut cake works but carries aflatoxin risk if poorly stored — mouldy cake is a false economy.

Energy: maize, sorghum, cassava peel meal, brewers' dried grain
Protein: soybean meal, groundnut cake, fish meal, blood meal
Minerals: bone meal, oyster shell or limestone for layers
Always include a premix, salt and a methionine/lysine top-up

Mixing without a mill

Weigh every ingredient — volume measures drift badly. Mix the small inclusions (premix, salt, amino acids) with a few kilos of maize first to make a pre-mix, then fold that into the bulk on a clean concrete floor or in a horizontal mixer.

Mix for a set time, not by eye. Under-mixing produces birds that grow unevenly across the same pen.

Storage and safety

Store feed on pallets, off the wall, in a dry ventilated room and use it within three to four weeks. Aflatoxin from damp maize or groundnut cake is the most common invisible cause of poor performance and layer mortality.

Frequently asked

Can I replace maize entirely in poultry feed?

No. You can displace a portion with sorghum, cassava peel meal or brewers' dried grain, but maize's energy density and digestibility make a full replacement risky, especially for young birds.

How much protein does a layer need?

Layers in production generally need around 16–18% crude protein plus 3.5–4% calcium to maintain shell quality.

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