Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Feed raw materials
Rice bran and broken rice
Rice gives two products that are useful for poultry: broken rice, an energy cereal close to maize, and rice bran, rich in oil but quick to go rancid, whose quality depends on how much husk it contains. Rice husk itself does not feed.
Key facts
- Broken rice
- Energy, low protein, does not colour
- Rice bran
- Rich in oil, often more than 10%
- Protein in bran
- Moderate, often around 12 to 14%
- Main drawback of bran
- Goes rancid quickly in the heat
- Rice husk
- No nutritional value (bedding only)
What they are
Harvested rice (paddy) goes through a huller and then, often, a whitening machine. This gives white rice, but also three by-products: the husk (the hard outer shell), the bran (the thin brown layer under the husk, with the germ) and the broken rice (cracked grains).
For poultry, broken rice and bran can go into the feed. Husk is used as bedding, not as feed.
Their role in the ration
Broken rice is mostly starch: it is a good, well-digested energy cereal that can replace part of the maize. Like sorghum, it contains no pigments: the egg yolk and the skin are paler.
Rice bran provides energy thanks to its oil, a moderate amount of protein, fibre and B vitamins. As with wheat bran, its phosphorus is largely poorly usable by poultry.
The limits
The oil in rice bran goes rancid quickly, especially in the heat: within a few days to a few weeks, fresh bran takes on a strong, sharp smell. Rancid bran is poorly eaten, loses its vitamins and can upset digestion. Some brans are "stabilised" by heating, which slows this rancidity.
Above all, the quality of the bran depends on how much husk it contains. Bran mixed with husk, common from small village hullers, is poor, very fibrous and irritating to the gut. Its fibre and variable energy mean bran has to be used in moderation, especially for broilers.
Quality, storage and availability
Good rice bran is fine, soft to the touch, without hard, shiny flakes (the husk), and without a rancid or mouldy smell. A handful rubbed between the fingers is often enough to feel the husk. It is bought fresh, stored dry and in the shade, and used quickly. Broken rice is checked like any grain: dry, clean, free of insects and moulds.
Rice is grown and hulled in many regions of Côte d’Ivoire, and a lot of rice is also imported. Bran and broken rice are therefore fairly easy to find, but their quality varies widely depending on the huller and how fresh the product is.
Common mistakes
Buying "bran" that is actually mostly husk, or stockpiling bran for several weeks in the hot season: it goes rancid in the store.
Replacing a raw material with rice bran without redoing the formula, or putting a lot of it into a starter feed. The place of bran and broken rice in the feed is decided with the nutritionist or the feed manufacturer.