Alternative protein sources for laying hens

Protein sources are the second largest component of practical poultry diets. A limitednumber of ingredients are used by the mainstream commercial poultry industry tosupply protein; these are limited in distribution and are also generally more expensivethan energy sources. Soybean seed is the premier protein source used by the poultryindustry. Rapeseed or canola seed is probably the second most important proteinsource. Both seeds are rarely fed as whole seed meals but rather the residue left overafter oil extraction is the main ingredient used by the poultry industry. Both soybean andrapeseed are cultivated in only a few places in the world. Soybeans are predominantly2 Alternative sources of protein for poultry nutrition© Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited, 2017. All rights reserved.produced in the United States, Brazil and Argentina, while the leading producers ofrapeseed/canola are Canada, some parts of Europe and China. The key producers ofsoybean meal export the product to several countries around the world, to the extentthat it would seem that it is produced all over the world. A large amount of canola seedmeal is now also exported but not to the same extent as soybean meal (SBM). Owing tothe limited number of producers and demand, the prices of SBM and canola meal arehigh and tend to fluctuate with changes in climatic conditions and social situations in thecountries where they are produced. These are the drivers of change, and many countrieswhich do not produce soybeans or canola explore alternative sources of protein tosupport their industries.The range of ingredients that can supply protein for poultry is wide. Many animalscontain high levels of protein, and if these are not used for human food, they can bedirectly processed into poultry feed. The animal industries, including the poultry industry,yield by-products that are also useful sources of protein. A few examples include blood,feathers and meat-on-bones. Among plant sources, different ingredients commanddifferent levels of importance. Some alternative sources are of such local importancethat the poultry industry in those areas relies almost entirely on them rather than SBMor canola meal. Good examples of such ingredients are peanut meal or groundnut cakeand sunflower seed meal, with substantial production outputs globally. Many other plantprotein sources are truly marginal in scope and their potential to replace soybean isnegligible. Regardless of the volume of production of an alternative protein source, anyshift in use of ingredients other than SBM and canola will greatly reduce the pressure onthese key protein sources. Such a shift would also help promote the development of thepoultry industry in many areas of the world. This chapter examines the range of alternativeingredients that are available to the poultry industry, their sustainability and means todevelop them to prominence as protein sources.