Significance of maintenance energy requirement in breeders

Most of our breeder feed is used to meet maintenance requirements and, as such, some 70% of the overall feed cost gives no tangible return. However, failure to meet this critical maintenance need will invariably be at the expense of reduced egg production. Broiler breeders are usually fed around 160 g/bird/day at peak production to meet an energy requirement of around 450-475 kcal/day. The actual quantity of feed allocated will obviously vary with diet energy level, although this is usually w