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Energy value of FM

The feeding value of feather meal is affected not only by protein, but also by energy content of it. For poultry and animal nutritionists, the relationship between energy and nutrients is important, if the energy content of feather meal is underestimated, then its inclusion in diets will lead to wider calorie-protein ratios, and may contribute to excess fat accumulation in the body. It is reported that the energy content of feedstuffs, especially FM in terms of TMEn, strongly depends on their chemical composition. The metabolisable energy content of well processed feather meal is, to a large extent, dependent on fat content in raw materials.

Initial work to determine the energy value of FM was carried out using broilers birds. It was considered that the NRC values were too low. Pesti, upon investigation of the initial data, found that when FM was included in diets at 40% level in the ration, the energy value was low, as the animals were unable to digest and absorb the amount of protein offered. But when it was used at the levels of 20%, the energy value was much higher than NRC published values (2.36 kcal/g) and it was suggested that a value of 3.07 Kcal/g (12.8MJ/kg) was more appropriate.True Metabolisable Energy (TMEn) values vary from 3092 to 3996 Kcal/kg and mainly depend upon the fat content of FM which varies from 1.8 to 12%. Metabolisable energy can be estimated from the fat content of well processed FM from the equation, TMEn (kcal/kg dry matter) = 2862 + 77(% fat).

Amino acid availability in FM

The direct relationship exists between the quality of an animal protein source and its available amino acids. In recent feed formulation, considerable attention has been focused on the available amino acids content of feed ingredients. Although the animal protein sources have high values of available amino acids and the availability of amino acids can vary greatly with the quality. There are many methods for the determination of available amino acids. Indirect assays for determination of availability include physical and chemical analysis method. In case of direct method, considerable attention has been focused on the precision for determination of digestibility of amino acids. There is need to determine the relationship between the quality of feed ingredients and their available amino acids. A significant amount of certain sulphur amino acids like cysteine, methionine and a sulphur derived component such as cystine are important for the proper growth and development. These amino acids play an important role in the growth performance. Liu et al. examined three samples of FM to determine true amino acid availability (AAA) and found that true AAA ranged from 59.2 (lysine) to 82.8% (arginine).