Crude protein in poultry: the myth we still haven’t killed

Today’s tools make it easier than ever to move past crude numbers and feed for digestible amino acid balance instead of total nitrogen.

Chicken Feed Pile
Olga Salt | BigStock.com

We still talk about “protein levels” in feed as if it’s 1985. Ask most producers what they’re feeding and you’ll hear “a 20% protein grower” or “an 18% layer mash.” We’ve built entire diets around a single number that tells us almost nothing useful. Crude protein doesn’t grow animals — amino acids do.

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