Energy Requirement Unit for Poultry

Correct Answer: ME (Metabolizable Energy)

Energy requirement of poultry is expressed in terms of Metabolizable Energy (ME), measured in kcal/kg of feed.

Why ME for Poultry?

• Poultry excrete both urine and faeces together through the cloaca as urine-faecal mix — making it impossible to measure faecal and urinary energy losses separately.
• ME = GE − (Faecal energy + Urinary energy)
• Since faecal + urinary are excreted together in poultry, ME is the most practical energy measure.

Energy Measures for Different Species

ME Values from BIS 2007 (Poultry Feed)

• Broiler prestarter: 3000 kcal/kg
• Broiler starter: 3100 kcal/kg
• Broiler finisher: 3200 kcal/kg
• Layer Phase I: 2600 kcal/kg; Layer Phase II: 2400 kcal/kg