Effects of feed form and feed particle size on growth performance, carcass characteristics and digestive tract development of broilers

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feed form (mash and crumble-pellet) and feed particle size (fine, medium and coarse) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and digestive tract development of broilers. A total of 1,152 one day-old Ross 308 mixed-sex broilers were used in a factorial arrangement (2 × 3) based on a completely randomized design with six replicates of 32 birds each. Higher average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were observed (P < 0.01) for birds fed the crumble-pellet diets (CPD) than for those fed the mash diets (MD) during starter, grower and the entire experiment period. From d 1 to 40, birds fed CPD had a higher (P < 0.01) body weight (BW) than those fed MD. Birds fed CPD had a lower (P < 0.01) feed:gain ratio (F:G) during the starter phase than those fed MD. Medium or coarse particle size increased (P < 0.01) ADG and ADFI during the starter phase, but birds fed fine particle size diets had lower (P < 0.01) F:G during the grower phase. In MD, medium and coarse particle sizes resulted in higher (P < 0.05) BW, ADG and ADFI than fine particle size during the whole experiment. In CPD, particle size had no significant effect on growth performance, as indicated by a feed form × particle size interaction (P < 0.05). At 41 days of age, ten birds per treatment were randomly selected and killed for slaughter yields and digestive tract characteristics determination. It was shown that particle size and feed form alone had no significant effect on slaughter yields, so changes was the feed form × particle size interaction. The relative empty weight of the gizzard was greater (P < 0.01) and the relative length of the ileum was longer (P < 0.05) in birds fed MD than in those fed CPD. Overall, CPD improved growth performance during the entire period of the study with effects being less evident during the finisher phase than during the starter and grower phases, and the effect of feed particle size varied depending on feed form.

The Impact of Different Dietary Forms (Mash, Crumble and Pellets) on Some Growth Traits and Carcass Characteristics of Broilers

“…Jahan et al (2006) reported that crumble form of feed is better than mash and pellet form for the production of the commercial broiler for the age duration of 21 to 56 days. These results were confirmed by Ommati et al (2013) and Lv et al (2015). On the other hand, Lal and Atapattu (2007) and Ahmed and Abbas (2012) concluded that the growth traits of broiler did not affect significantly by the inclusion of different forms of diets.…”

“…April 2016 | Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Page 34 several researchers (Amerah et al, 2007;Zang et al, 2009;Dozier et al, 2010;Zohair et al, 2012;Lv et al, 2015). The advantage of crumble and pellet may result from an increase in appetite and diet density and a decrease in feed waste ( Jensen, 2000).…”

Modeling and analysis of pelletization process based on a multi-hole pelletizing device

“…As the primary feed form for poultry rearing, pellets have been used extensively in the world [3][4][5] . Compared with the mash feeds, pelleted animal feeds have the following advantages: more consistent size and higher bulk density, better flow property and thus improved ease of handling and transportation, decreased ingredient segregation and less dust formation during processing and thus less feed wastage, improved palatability and animal performance [4][5][6][7][8] . However, there are several problems with pelleted animal feeds, including high energy consumption and unstable product quality during the feed pelletization process.…”

Meat quality and color of breast during storage in ducks fed diet supplemented with different forms of <i>Houttuynia cordata</i> with fermented red koji

“…Feeds without antibiotics are increasingly used in poultry nutrition to improve growth performance and meat quality. Consequently, this has led to adaptation in At present, pelleting of feed is the most common processing method employed by feed manufacturers to improve animal performance and meat quality (Lv et al, 2015). Also, according to several reports, pelleted diets in broiler increased body weight and improved feed conversion compared to mash feeds (Amerah, Ravindran, Lentle, & Thomas, 2008;Chewning, Stark, & Brake, 2012).…”