Effects of Nutritional Levels on Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Nutrient Digestibility of Sexed Broilers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary nutrient levels on performance, carcass yield, commercial cuts, digestibility and economical viability of broilers from 1 to 42 days of age. During the experiment, 180 COBB 500™ chicks were housed in metal batteries and subjected to a completely randomized design in a 2x3 factorial arrangement, of two sexes and three diets (male, female and mixed), totaling 6 treatments and 6 repetitions of 5 birds each. Data were subjected to statistical analysis and the means were compared using the Tukey test, at 5% probability. The results indicate the effect of sex on performance and commercial cuts, except for breast and thigh fillets, in which males and females showed similar results when given the mixed diet. The influence of the nutritional levels on performance, digestibility and commercial cuts was observed, in which the female diet showed the highest results for feed intake, body weight and weight gain, in addition to greater retention of protein and crude energy. For drumstick and abdominal fat yield, the highest values were obtained using the mixed diet and the female diet, and the lowest values were obtained using the male diet. Regarding economic viability, the female diet showed the highest return per unit of Real (R$) spent on feed. Therefore, these data prove that the female diet had a positive effect when provided to both sexes, and it may be a promising alternative for its application at the production level.

Diet matrix of stored proprietary feeds: Implications on growth response, health status and carcass yield of broiler chickens

“…Broilers fed feed P stored in dark room had higher dry matter, crude fat and fibre retention whereas higher crude protein and ash retention were recorded in broilers fed feed Q and S stored in dark room, respectively. The results in this study differed from those obtained by Lopez et al (2007), Sakomura and Rostagno (2016) and Muñoz et al (2018) who reported higher dry matter and lower crude protein digestibility in broilers chickens fed corn-soybean meal based diets. Differences in the digestibility of various feed brands employed in this study are in consonance with the reports of Uchegbu et al (2009).…”

“…Higher dressed yield percentage in broilers fed feed S stored in lit room further established the fact that availability of essential nutrients including amino acids (lysine, methionine and threonine), trace vitamins and minerals in adequate quantity are necessary for muscle tissue build-up and body maintenance (Alabi et al, 2017). Non-variation in carcass traits among broilers fed different feed brands agreed with the findings of Tavernari et al (2014) and Muñoz et al (2018) who reported that carcass yield was not influenced by the nutritional levels of the diets. In previous studies, Kamran et al (2008) reported no significant different in all carcass yield and relative organs weights in broilers fed low-protein diets with constant energy-to-protein ratio.…”

“…In this present study, significant variation in broiler performance agrees with the reports of Orheruata et al (2006) and Uchegbu et al (2009) in finisher broilers fed different commercial feed brands. In addition, Tavernari et al 2014and Muñoz et al (2018) observed differences in weight gain and production index of broilers with respect to nutrients levels of the feed and sex. Digestion of feed and absorption of inherent nutrients are the essential role of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of broiler chickens.…”

“…However, the production performance is greatly influenced by the quality, in terms of digestibility and bioavailability of nutrients, and not just the nutritional profile of feed offered to broilers (Yegany et al 2002;Alabi et al 2018). Muñoz et al (2018) had noted that the levels of nutritional imbalance in terms of nutrient deficiency or excess, could interfere with feed intake, growth rate and energy expenditure in broiler chickens. The types and inclusion level of additives (such as enzymes, growth-enhancers, immune boosters, toxin binders, antioxidants, etc.)…”

“…Mortality was noted as it occurred to determine livability. Feed conversion ratio was computed as the ratio of feed consumed to weight gain, and corrected for mortality (Muñoz et al, 2018;Craig et al, 2019). A metabolic trial was conducted for 4 days (38 -42d) in order to determine nutrient digestibility (Akit et al, 2019;Craig et al 2019).…”