Effects of Gradual Feed Dilution With Inert or Less Nutritive Materials on Growth Performance, Feed Cost and Meat Organoleptic Properties of Broiler Chicken

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of the gradual dilution of broiler finisher diets with inert or less nutritive materials on growth performance, feed cost, and meat organoleptic properties. Broiler chicks (n=147) were allocated into 49 pens and fed a mash broiler finisher diet (control) or the control diet diluted either with cassava leaf meal (CLM), gliricidia leaf meal (GLM), grass meal (GM), rice bran (RB), sand (SND), or sawdust (SD). For a given diluent, six diets were prepared by mixing the control diet with the respective diluents (w/w) at 0% (fed from 27-28d),2% (fed from 29-30d), 4% (fed from 31-32d), 6% (fed from 33-34d), 8% (fed from 35-36d) and 10% (fed from 37-40d). SD, RB, GLM and GM significantly reduced the diluent-adjusted feed intake (total feed intake-diluent intake). Except for GLM and SD, other diluents resulted in similar weight gains as the control diet. The dietary dilution with rice bran reported the best feed conversion ratio (FCR) (1.91). The total feed cost of the birds fed control and sand diluted diet was higher (p<0.001) than those fed other diets. Compared with the control diet, the gradual dilution of feed with RB and SND reduced the feed cost per kg of live weight gain by 12 and 10 Rs, respectively. Meat organoleptic properties of the birds fed RB diluted diet were similar to those of the control birds. It was concluded that gradual feed dilution with inert or less nutritive materials could be used as an alternative to conventional phase feeding. Among the tested materials, rice bran was identified as the best candidate for such gradual feed dilution programs.

Responses of broiler chicken to different oil levels within constant energy levels from 20 to 40 days of age under hot weather conditions

“…This decrease is independent of the inclusion of dietary sand levels in the diet. Sand level in broilers and laying hens diets up to 10% did not adversely affect performance (Sahraei and Shariatmad 2007;van der Meulen et al 2008;Atapattu and Silva 2016). Sand can improve the digestibility of nutrients due to improving grinding and mechanical digestion of coarse components in the gizzard and increasing the surface exposed to enzymes in the small intestinal (Sahraei and Shariatmad 2007;van der Meulen et al 2008;Atapattu and Silva 2016).…”

BRAZILIAN TABLES FOR POULTRY AND SWINE - Composition of Feedstuffs and Nutritional Requirements

“…Physiological changes resulting from the castration process alter protein deposition rates and feed intake of immuno-castrated males after 100 kg. Given this fact, for this category, a specific equation was established to estimate SID Lys requirements per kg of weight gain, using results from research conducted by Aymerich et al (2020), Lima (2023), andBarcellos (2023), as presented in Table 5.21. Performance data of barrows, gilts, entire males, immuno-castrated males, and mixed-sex herds of high and standard performance are shown as an example of the variation in lysine nutritional requirements, where the equations were used to estimate daily SID Lys requirements according to the Gompertz equations in Tables 5.01, 5.09, and 5.17.…”