Divisional activities include conducting research on basic and applied aspects of avian nutrition, imparting post-graduate teaching and guidance and rendering services viz. advisory, consultancy, feed analysis & quality assurance and training. Divisional facilities include well equipped laboratories with modern equipments including Near infrared spectroscopy, Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, Amino acid analyser, Nitrogen analyser, Fibre analyser, Bomb caloriemeter and UV Spectrophotometer, etc. Some of the services offered by the division include contract research, specialized short term training, analysis of feeds and feedstuffs, consultancy services, least cost feed formulation, computer software “MakeFeed”, etc.

Nutrient requirements and dietary inter-relationships of energy, protein and amino acids, calcium, phosphorous, manganese, zinc, selenium,  lysine, folic acid, biotin, vitamins A, E and D etc. for different classes and ages of poultry under tropical conditions have been established. Comparative efficacy of DL-methionine and methionine hydroxyl analogue(MHA) has been evaluated in the diet of broiler chickens and quails. The nutrient requirements for broilers and growing and laying quails have been successfully partitioned for developing feeding standards. These recommendations are being used by poultry farmers, feed manufacturers, researchers and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

The database of nutritive/ feeding value and safe inclusion levels of alternate feed resources such as sunflower seed meal, maize gluten meal, rapeseed/mustard oil meal, rice bran, wheat bran, guar meal, cotton seed meal, tapioca, sunflower cake, niger meal, millets, molasses, apple pomace, broken rice, neem seed kernel, guar meal, meat meal, liver meal, slaughter house and hatchery wastes, poultry droppings, etc have been developed. Besides this, low cost feed formulae have successfully been developed for various poultry by incorporating alternate feed resources such as nutritious coarse cereals and agro-industrial by-products. Several ingredients in the category of nutritious cereals such as sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, small millets and rice kani and residues such as rapeseed meal, cotton seed meal, sesame meal, groundnut meal, sunflower seed meal, safflower seed meal, toasted guar meal and niger meal etc. have been tested alone or in combination for their effective utilization in poultry rations.

The nutritive value of feedstuffs has been augmented through  various physical, chemical and biological treatments like water washing, wet processing (reconstitution with or without enzymes), dry processing (acidified sodium chlorite treatment for feed hygiene), roasting, autoclaving, alkali and acid treatments, fungal treatment and fermentation of the feed ingredients. Addition of microbial phytase in diets of broiler chicks, egg type chickens, guinea fowl and quails improved phosphorus utilization significantly that provided scope to reduce costlier di-calcium phosphate supplementation.

The safety aspects and feeding value of various genetically modified crops (Bt cotton, Bt brinjal Bt corn and quality protein maize) have also been assessed. A thin layer of chromatography procedure for determination of aflatoxin (B1) content in feeds and feedstuffs was developed. The Bureau of Indian Standards on the recommendations of the Livestock Feed Sectional Committee has adopted this method. The tolerance level of dietary aflatoxin in various domesticated avian species has been established. Efforts were made to alleviate detrimental effects of mycotoxins and pesticides through dietary modifications. Aflatoxins in the feed stuffs procurred by the Institute is regularly monitored.

Developed low cholesterol chicken eggs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids through dietary interventions including supplimentation of copper sulphate, herbs, spirulina, statin, chromium and fish oil.