Poultry feedstuff management and feed formulation utilizing big data

Description

A feed formulation program is used to determine a compound feed that meets all of its nutritional requirements and is at the lowest possible cost (least cost). This chapter addresses current challenges facing feed formulation programs, including the need to account for sustainability issues as well as the increasing range and volume of high-quality data on feedstuff composition and effects on poultry growth. The chapter discusses solutions such as tools for importing new data into the formulation database, developing linear and non-linear optimizers to handle a greater range and volume of data and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in future feed formulation.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Definitions
• 3 Current feed formulation software
• 4 Optimizing a formula using Microsoft Solver
• 5 Formulating feeds to address sustainability and other non-nutritive goals
• 6 Data exchange with the feed formulation database
• 7 How will big data change the way we formulate feeds?
• 8 Using a callable optimizer to improve data input and analysis
• 9 Adding a nutrient/element to the formulation database
• 10 Using Excel Solver to generate the least cost
• 11 The high cost of margins of safety in animal feed