Diet formulation provides for a balanced mixture of ingredients which support all biological functions such as maintenance, growth, reproduction and health at an acceptable cost (Chiba, 2009).
Further general considerations (appropriate physical characteristics, palatability, avoiding antinutritional factors, meeting nutritional requirements, etc.) have to be taken into account when formulating feed for common carp. Feed formulas for dry pelleted feeds have been widely developed as fixed formulations, least-cost formulations or a combination of the two:
- Fixed formulations are set formulations of ingredients without taking their price into consideration.
- Least-cost formulated feeds are also very popular where feeds are produced from the different ingredients that collectively meet minimum nutritional requirements. In Table 6.3 an example is shown for a combined method, which is also widely applied.
There are numerous recipes (some of these are presented in Table 6.1 and Table 6.2) which can be followed during the formulation of feeds for common carp reared in ponds, tanks or cages. In the case where farm-made compounded feeds are used, the needed vitamins and minerals are easy to include by the adding of premixes (Table 9.1 and Table 9.2).
If the availability or price of the ingredients of formulated feeds does not allow the use of farm-made feeds, the application of commercial feeds (Table 7) may be a feasible option to be considered, even in the case of common carp.
Feed processing has two main methods: pelletizing and extrusion, both of which are applied in carp feed production. Extrusion produces a much better feed quality compared to pelletizing. Although extruded feed is more expensive to produce than pelletized feeds, its characteristics of flotation and better water stability are advantages which justify the spread of this technology.
Feed processing has two main methods: pelletizing and extrusion, both of which are applied in carp feed production. Extrusion produces a much better feed quality compared to pelletizing. Although extruded feed is more expensive than pelletized, floating and better water stability are the advantages which justify the spread of this technology.
