Responses of adult broiler breeders to feeding time

Abstract

Feeding time has the potential to influence the performance of adult broiler breeder flocks and is thus of great importance. A literature review is presented concerning the responses of adult broiler breeders to feeding time.It appears that there is no benefit in feeding broiler breeders later in the day with regard to egg numbers or egg weight. There is a potential improvement in shell quality that results from feeding later in the day or from splitting the daily feed allocation across more frequent feeding periods throughout the day. However, anticipated improvements in shell quality due to delayed feeding times may not be realised, particularly when birds are housed on litter floors. Furthermore, improvements in shell quality may not be translated into improvements in hatchability due to increases in shell thickness adversely affecting the water vapour conductance of the eggshell. Broiler hatching egg producers should be aware that later feeding times may delay the time of oviposition, which may demand changes in farm procedures. Furthermore, delayed feeding times may result in feeding activity coinciding with other important periods of activity, such as mating and oviposition, resulting in a reduction in fertility and an increase in the production of eggs with abnormal shells. The current commercial practice of feeding adult broiler breeders early in the day, at, or near, lights-on, is justified, as feeding at this time has positive consequences for other aspects of hatching egg production. However, afternoon feeding is not necessarily detrimental and may be an option to consider in cases where improvements in shell quality are required, although this may not be the solution for hatchability problems. If a change in feeding time is under consideration, environmental conditions, particularly the photoperiod and ambient temperature, must be taken into account, and any changes should be made gradually, as broiler breeders may be sensitive to abrupt changes in feeding time. Furthermore, changes in the feeding schedule should be accompanied by close monitoring of performance parameters, including the number of settable, abnormal and floor eggs, percentage of fertile eggs, and hatch of fertiles. BRILLARD, J.P., GALUT, O. and NYS, Y. (1987) Possible causes of subfertility in hens following insemination near the time of oviposition. British Poultry Science 28: 307-318. CAVE, N.A. (1981) Effect of diurnal programs of nutrient intake on the performance of broiler breeder hens. Poultry Science 60: 1287-1292. CRAIG, J.V. and BHAGWAT, A.L. (1974) Agonistic and mating behaviour of adult chickens modified by social and physical environments. Applied Animal Ethology 1: 57-65. DANIEL, M. and BALNAVE, D. (1981) Responses of cross-bred layers fed at specific meal times. British Poultry Science 22: 347-354. Interrelationships between diet and elevated temperatures (cyclic and constant) on egg production and shell quality. Poultry Science 56: 1178-1188. DE AVILA, V.S., PENZ JR., A.M., DE BRUM, P.A.R., ROSA, P.S., GUIDONI, A.L. an...

The effect of different feeding schedules on egg quality, blood, and bone parameters in broiler breeders

“…It normally begins in the afternoon or evening, and the utilization of dietary Ca in morning-fed broiler breeders is poor due to the inability of these hens to maintain Ca from the crop to the lower digestive tract at a uniform rate (Farmer et al, 1983a). Feeding broiler breeders later in the day supplies dietary Ca at times that correspond more closely to periods of shell deposition (Farmer et al, 1983a), resulting in a better Ca utilization (Farmer et al 1983b;Roland and Farmer, 1984), which is usually manifested as an increase in egg specific gravity, eggshell weight and shell thickness (Backhouse and Gous, 2006). In this study, the highest egg specific gravity was observed in hens fed at 3:00 PM (Table 3).…”

The effect of different feeding schedules on egg quality, blood, and bone parameters in broiler breeders

“…It normally begins in the afternoon or evening, and the utilization of dietary Ca in morning-fed broiler breeders is poor due to the inability of these hens to maintain Ca from the crop to the lower digestive tract at a uniform rate (Farmer et al, 1983a). Feeding broiler breeders later in the day supplies dietary Ca at times that correspond more closely to periods of shell deposition (Farmer et al, 1983a), resulting in a better Ca utilization (Farmer et al 1983b;Roland and Farmer, 1984), which is usually manifested as an increase in egg specific gravity, eggshell weight and shell thickness (Backhouse and Gous, 2006). In this study, the highest egg specific gravity was observed in hens fed at 3:00 PM (Table 3).…”

Effect of time, amount and frequency of feeding on total egg production, fertility and hatchability in broiler breeders

“…Feeding time seems to have the potential to influence the performance of adult broiler breeder flocks and it is thus of great importance (Backhouse & Gous 2006). Formerly, feeding breeders in the late afternoon was a standard procedure, but latter studies show that choice of feeding time for adult breeders can influence the production of settable eggs, egg shell quality, fertility and hatchability (Leeson & Summers 2009).…”