Jump to main content.


Nutrition

Feed Conversions per Pound
Research and Innovation Have Led to Dramatic Progress in Typical Broiler Performance

Comparison Weight in 1939 and 1993

Improvement in diet have resulted in dramatic improvements in growth
Source: J. Sell, Iowa State University

Poultry in the U.S. are fed diets which are primarily ground corn to supply heat and energy and soybean meal to provide protein. Vitamins and minerals are also added in their feed. It takes only 11.4 pounds of feed to rear a broiler to a 6 pound market weight. This same broiler would drink about 3 gallons of water during this time (approximately 7 weeks). Part of the poultry industry's increase in productiveness has largely been attributed to the efficiency of conversion of feed to gain -or- egg production. This increased efficiency can be largely attributed to improvements in genetics and nutrition.

Back to Poultry Menu

This page is sponsored by EPA's Ag Center. Ag Center logo


Local Navigation


Jump to main content.