Strategic Nutrition Management for Optimum Egg Production in Commercial Layer Farms in Kano State

This study examines strategic nutrition management practices and their effect on production efficiency in commercial layer farms in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Commercial egg production in Kano State has expanded significantly driven by urban population growth, but feed cost management and nutritional precision remain inadequate in many operations, constraining profitability. This study uses a combination of field survey and controlled feeding trial approaches. A survey of 40 commercial layer farms in Kano Municipal, Gwarzo, and Ungogo local government areas documents current feed formulation practices, ingredient sourcing, nutrient testing, and production performance outcomes. A controlled feeding trial at Bayero University Kano poultry unit compares three nutritional management strategies: standard fixed-formula diet, phase feeding adjusted to production stage, and computer-optimised least-cost diet. One hundred and eight Isa Brown hens in groups of 36 per treatment are followed over 16 production weeks. Hen-day egg production, egg weight, feed conversion efficiency, feed cost per dozen eggs, and blood albumin concentration are measured. Findings from the survey reveal that 72 percent of sampled farms use single-phase fixed diets throughout the production cycle, failing to account for the declining nutritional demands of ageing hens. The feeding trial demonstrates that phase feeding reduces feed cost per dozen eggs by 14 percent while maintaining statistically equivalent egg production, by reducing protein and energy levels in the mid and late production phases. The study recommends a phase feeding programme as the priority nutritional management improvement for Kano State commercial layer operations.

Keywords: layer nutrition, phase feeding, egg production, Kano State, feed cost management.