Commercial Poultry Production and Hatchery Management

MINERALS

• About one percent of the broiler meat and 11 percent of the eggs are made up of minerals, while bones contain about 40 percent minerals.
• Minerals are also found in all body tissues and fluids, and perform many important functions like the formation of bone and eggshell, clotting of blood, etc.
• Feed ingredients of animal origin contain more minerals; those of vegetable origin have a lower proportion.
• As minerals found in common feedstuffs may not supply the birds’ requirements, mineral supplements are added to the ration to overcome the possible development of deficiency symptoms.
• The minerals required for poultry are classified as “macro”, “micro” and “trace” minerals, depanding on their requirement level.
• The macro minerals are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium; the micro minerals are iron, manganese, zinc, copper and iodine, and the trace minerals are cobalt, fluorine, selenium, molybdenum, etc.