What is Premix in Poultry Feed? A Complete Guide for Poultry Farmers

Premixes are an essential part of modern poultry nutrition. But what exactly are they, and why are they so important? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about premixes for poultry feed.

What is Premix?

Premix is a blend of vitamins minerals amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants and other nutritional additives that is added to poultry feed. Premixes provide the “micro-ingredients” that chickens need in their diet in a concentrated form.

The ingredients in a premix are added in small quantities typically ranging from 0.2% to 0.5% of the finished feed. But don’t let the small inclusion rates fool you. Even tiny amounts of vitamins and minerals can have a huge impact on the health and productivity of a flock.

Premixes allow nutritionists to precisely formulate poultry diets to meet the birds’ requirements. Instead of having to add dozens of minute ingredients separately, the premix conveniently bundles them into one ingredient.

Why Do Chickens Need Premix?

In simple terms, chickens need premix to stay healthy and productive.

Here are some of the key benefits that premix provides:

• Balanced nutrition: Premix contains a customized blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and more to meet the flock’s needs. It helps prevent nutrient deficiencies.

• Supports growth and development: The nutrients in premix fuel growth, immune function, bone development and other vital processes, especially in young birds.

• Increases egg production: Nutrients like vitamin D, zinc, selenium and biotin drive higher egg production and quality.

• Enhances meat quality: Premix promotes lean muscle growth and efficient feed conversion to maximize broiler performance.

• Cost-effective: Rather than weighing out tiny amounts of dozens of additives, premix offers an efficient way to deliver essential nutrients.

Simply put, premix gives your birds exactly what they need to perform at their genetic potential. Deficiencies or imbalances of vitamins, minerals or amino acids can limit health and productivity.

What’s in a Poultry Premix?

Poultry premixes contain a long list of essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other additives. While the exact formulation varies between products, here are some standard ingredients:

• Vitamins: A, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid and more

• Minerals and trace minerals: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium and more

• Amino acids: lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan

• Enzymes

• Antioxidants

• Pigments: xanthophylls, canthaxanthin

• Medications: anticoccidials like monensin

• Fillers: rice hulls, wheat middlings, corn cobs etc.

The ingredient list may seem long, but each one has an important role to play! Nutritionists carefully select the optimal ingredients and proportions to create a tailored premix.

How is Poultry Premix Produced?

Creating a high-quality premix for poultry is a complex process that requires careful manufacturing. Each ingredient must be precisely weighed and thoroughly mixed to produce a uniform mixture.

Here is a quick overview of how premixes are made:

• Procurement: Raw ingredients are sourced from reputable suppliers and rigorously tested.

• Weighing: Ingredients are precisely weighed to match the desired formula. Sophisticated software controls automated weighing.

• Mixing: Ingredients are blended in a phased mixing process—first a micro-mix of minor ingredients, then a macro-mix with carriers.

• Quality control: Samples are tested to verify nutrient levels and purity.

• Packaging: Premix is packaged to minimize nutrient degradation and maximize shelf life.

Adhering to strict quality control standards is crucial throughout the manufacturing process. High-quality equipment, strict process controls and extensive testing ensures the premix consistently meets specifications.

Types of Poultry Premixes

There are a few main categories of premixes designed for different types of poultry:

• Broiler premix: Formulated to meet the nutritional needs of rapidly growing meat birds.

• Layer premix: Supports egg production with extra calcium and nutrients.

• Breeder premix: Provides optimum nutrition for fertile hatching egg production.

• Turkey and other poultry premixes: Tailored to the unique needs of turkeys, ducks, geese etc.

Within each category, you’ll find options for different production phases like starter, grower and finisher premixes. There are also options for conventional, antibiotic-free, organic and other niche-market diets.

Work closely with your nutritionist to choose the optimal premix for your particular birds and production goals.

Benefits of Using Premix in Poultry Feed

Using a properly formulated premix offers many benefits for poultry producers:

• Ensures balanced nutrition: Premix takes the guesswork out of nutrition by providing customized vitamins, minerals, amino acids etc. to prevent deficiencies.

• Saves time: No need to manually weigh and add tiny amounts of dozens of micro-ingredients.

• Simplifies feed milling: Rather than handling bags of many additives, premix condenses micronutrients into one ingredient.

• Reduces feed costs: Economy of scale in premix production means lower costs compared to buying additives separately.

• Consistent quality: Uniform nutrient levels in every batch since weighing and mixing are precisely controlled.

• Flexible formulations: Different premix products allow nutritionists to easily optimize diets.

• Improves flock health: Adequate nutrition strengthens the immune system and prevents disease.

• Increases productivity: Key nutrients in premix help birds achieve their full genetic potential for growth, egg production, fertility etc.

In short, premix provides an economical, consistent and convenient way to give your flock the nutritional foundation for health and productivity.

Potential Drawbacks of Poultry Premix

While premix has clear benefits, here are some potential downsides to consider:

• Higher cost than basic feeds: The specialized nutrients in premix come at a price premium.

• Variation between suppliers: Quality, formulations, and pricing can vary significantly between premix brands.

• Uniform nutrient levels: Unlike whole feed ingredients, premixes lack natural variability in vitamin and mineral levels.

• Medication overuse: Routine inclusion of medications like anticoccidials in premixes can increase resistance.

• Oxidation potential: Vitamins and other nutrients can degrade over time in premix.

• Inventory management: You need adequate premix storage and stock rotation to avoid spoilage.

• Diet inflexibility: Changing premix formulations requires using up old inventory.

While valid, these potential downsides can be avoided with careful premix selection, storage, and management. Work closely with your nutritionist and feed mill to get the most value from your premix.

Choosing a Poultry Premix Supplier

With so many premix products on the market, it’s crucial to choose the right supplier. Here are some tips:

• Reputation and experience: Look for an established company with years of poultry expertise.

• Quality focus: The supplier should use high-grade ingredients and rigorous quality control.

• Custom capabilities: Can they formulate premixes tailored to your precise requirements?

• R&D resources: Do they invest in ongoing research on poultry nutrition?

• Inventory and distribution: Make sure they can deliver premix reliably without stockouts.

• Technical support: Choose a company that provides nutritional advice and support.

• Competitive pricing: Compare pricing between a few potential suppliers for the best deal.

By partnering with a premier premix company, you gain access to top-tier nutritional expertise and products specially formulated for your flock.

Inclusion Rates for Poultry Premix

Poultry premix is added to feed at low inclusion rates, typically ranging from:

• 0.25% to 0.5% for broiler diets
• 0.2% to 0.4% for layer diets
• 0.2% to 0.5% for breeder diets

Inclusion rates vary based on factors like diet type, bird age, desired nutrition density and cost targets. Your nutritionist will determine the optimal inclusion rate.

Use scales, micro-weighers and strict inventory controls to precisely measure premix inclusion. Consistency is key—any errors get magnified when using such