Copra and Coconut Cake in Poultry Rations

What copra and coconut cake actually are

Copra is the dried white kernel of the coconut. Once the nuts are split and dried, the copra is the raw material for coconut oil. When the oil is pressed out, what remains is coconut cake, sometimes called copra meal. It comes as lumps or flakes, usually pale to light brown, with a sweet, nutty smell when fresh. Depending on how hard the oil was pressed, the cake still holds a fair amount of fat, and that fat is where many of the problems start.

On a Ghanaian farm the cake may be bought as a single ingredient from a feed mill, a local oil processor or a trader, or it may arrive inside a ready-mixed feed. In both cases the question is the same: what does it contribute to the ration, and what does it cost in return? Answering that needs the right numbers, and the rest of this article explains which numbers matter and how to get them from the supplier.

The nutrition on paper, and what it means for the bird

Coconut cake is a useful source of energy, but it is less energy-dense than maize, and the exact figure depends on how much oil is left in it. Crude protein usually sits in the low twenties per cent, but the protein is not of the same quality as soya. Lysine and methionine are both low, so the protein does not balance well with a cereal-based diet without help from a formulator. In practice, that means you cannot simply swap coconut cake for soya and expect the same growth or lay.

Compare the cake on the basis of usable energy and digestible amino acids, not crude protein alone. A high crude protein figure can hide a lot of fibre, and fibre does not behave like protein in the bird. Ask the supplier for the full analysis, and ask a feed formulator to work the figures into your ration before the cake goes in. The poultry feed calculator helps you estimate how much of each ingredient a flock needs per week, which is the starting point for that conversation.

Fibre, dilution and what it does to the gut

Fibre is the main reason coconut cake has to be used with care. Birds digest fibre poorly, and a high-fibre feed passes through the gut faster, taking some nutrients with it. A bird eating a fibrous ration may eat more to get the same energy, and the gut and the droppings both change. Some farmers notice larger, wetter droppings after a switch to a high-fibre feed, and wet droppings can make the litter wet.

Fibre also dilutes the energy of the whole ration. A small share of coconut cake is usually manageable. A large share can leave birds short of energy even when they clear a full feeder, and that shows up as slower growth or lower lay. Feed intake and bird condition are the clues. A flock that looks full but thin is telling you the ration is not doing its job, however good the bag looked on the day you bought it.

Mannans and why enzymes come into the story

Coconut cake contains a group of carbohydrates called mannans, which the bird cannot break down on its own. Mannans thicken the contents of the gut, slow the uptake of nutrients and can make birds less efficient at turning feed into weight or eggs. This is one reason coconut cake performs worse than its analysis might suggest. It is also why some feed mills add an enzyme designed to break mannans down.

The enzyme helps in many cases, but it is not a cure-all. The benefit depends on the level of coconut cake, the enzyme product, the age of the birds and the rest of the ration. Do not assume that an enzyme will let you raise the inclusion rate freely. Ask the mill whether the feed has been treated, and if you mix your own, ask a formulator whether an enzyme is needed and how to use it.

Rancidity: the smell that tells you value is being lost

Residual oil in coconut cake can oxidise. When it does, the cake takes on a sharp, stale or paint-like smell and may look darker or greasy. Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, which resist oxidation better than the oils in soya or maize, but a cake that still holds oil and has sat in heat or humidity will go off in time. Rancid fat is less digestible, can destroy some of the fat-soluble vitamins in the feed, and can make birds eat and drink less.

Feed mills often add an antioxidant to slow this, and it is worth asking whether one has been used. Check the production date as well as the date of purchase. A batch that has sat in a shed through the rains is a different product from one bought fresh. Whatever you buy, keep it out of the sun and away from damp, and use the oldest stock first.

Mould and aflatoxin: the risk you cannot smell

Mould is the more serious concern. Coconut products are sensitive to damp, and if copra or the cake has been dried or stored badly, moulds can grow and produce mycotoxins, including aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is toxic to poultry and can cause poor growth, poor lay, weaker immunity and liver damage, sometimes at levels that do not look alarming. A bad batch may show no clear smell or colour, so your nose alone is not enough.

Ask the supplier for the analysis sheet and, where the batch is large or the risk is high, ask for a mycotoxin test from an accredited laboratory. Reject any batch with visible mould, a musty smell or damp patches. Keep stock dry, off the floor and clear of walls, and never mix wet cake into the feed. If you suspect a mycotoxin problem, speak to a vet, because the signs can look like many other conditions and the diagnosis matters.

Sensible inclusion limits by bird and age

There is no single safe level for every ration, because the right figure depends on the fibre and oil in the cake, the other ingredients, and the age and purpose of the birds. The ranges below are levels that many feed formulators treat as a reasonable starting point. They are not targets. Start low, watch the birds, and let performance tell you whether to go higher.

Chicks and young birds

Keep coconut cake out of starter feed, or use it only at very low levels when a formulator has specified it. Young birds need highly digestible energy and protein to grow, and high-fibre, high-fat by-products are a poor match for their gut. Use a tested starter feed from a reputable mill for the first weeks.

Growers and broilers

Many formulators keep coconut cake to a few per cent of a grower or finisher ration, adjusting for fibre and oil. Higher levels can work in some rations, but they need careful formulation and close watching of weight gain and feed conversion. If weight gain falls after a change, go back to the last level that worked.

Layers

In layer rations a modest share is often used, commonly up to around 5 to 10 per cent at most, depending on the rest of the diet. Egg size, body weight and feed intake all need watching. A change in egg size or a drop in lay after the change is a clear message to reduce the level or reconsider the cake. Breeding flocks should stay on a tightly controlled ration with a formulator involved.

Buying and checking each delivery

The table below sets out the checks to make on each delivery. Ask for the analysis sheet with every batch and compare it with the last one. A change in colour, smell or analysis without a clear reason is a warning sign.

Buy from suppliers who can say where the copra came from, how it was dried and how the cake was stored. If a supplier cannot answer simple questions about the product, treat that as a reason to look elsewhere. The frequently asked questions cover general sourcing points that apply here too.

Mixing it in: a change that birds accept

Birds take time to accept a new ingredient. Introduce coconut cake in steps over several days, rather than switching the whole ration in one go. Start with a small share, mix thoroughly so that every mouthful carries the same amount, and watch the feeders. If birds leave the cake and eat only the other ingredients, they are sorting the ration, and the nutrition they get is no longer what you planned. Good mixing and a particle size that suits the birds matter more than most farmers expect.

Record the change. Note the date, the level, the feed intake, the weight or lay, and the litter condition for the next two to three weeks. Those records make it easy to judge whether the cake is paying its way, and they help a formulator adjust the ration if you need to change it again.

Storing coconut cake on the farm

Store coconut cake in a dry, cool and well-ventilated space, raised off the floor on pallets or racks and kept away from walls where condensation forms. Keep bags closed and use the oldest stock first. Rodents and insects find coconut products attractive, so keep the store shut and check it regularly. Do not store cake beside fertiliser, chemicals or fuel, and never let it get wet from a leak or a flood, because a wet bag is a bad bag even after it has dried on the outside.

In the rainy season, check the store more often and keep a smaller stock rather than a large one. A smaller stock turns over faster and spends less time in damp conditions. Harmattan dust can get into bags and mixing equipment, so cover stored feed and keep the work area clean. A tidy store protects the whole ration, not just the coconut cake.

When copra is the wrong feed

Coconut cake is not right for every flock or every situation. Avoid it for chicks, for breeders on a tightly controlled ration, and for any flock with diarrhoea, low appetite or poor growth where the feed has not been ruled out. Do not use it in a ration that has been mixed without a formulation. Do not use a batch that smells rancid, looks mouldy or has been stored wet. And do not use it to save money if the cost per unit of usable energy and protein is worse than the alternatives.

When birds are sick, the feed is only one part of the picture. If you see deaths, bloody droppings, nervous signs or a sudden drop in intake, call a vet before you change the feed again. Changing several things at once makes the problem harder to read, and the vet needs to know what was fed, when, and in what amount.

Working out whether it pays

The test is simple in principle. Work out the cost of each ingredient per unit of usable energy and per unit of usable protein, then compare the cake with maize, soya and any other option on that basis. Price per bag tells you little. A cheaper bag that is low in usable energy can cost more per unit of growth or lay than a dearer one. Add the cost of extra mixing, any enzyme, storage space and the risk of losing a batch to mould.

Once you have the figures, run them through your own flock. The broiler profit calculator shows how feed cost changes the margin on a batch, and the layer egg profit calculator does the same for a laying flock. If you are buying birds to suit a new ration, the broiler chick listings and the layer chick listings show the breeds available. For the wider picture of running a flock in Ghana, the overview of poultry farming in Ghana is a good place to start, and the poultry calculators help with the rest of the sums. Further reading on flock management is in the Halaal Farms blog.

Questions farmers ask