Restricted Feeding and Compensatory Growth for Broilers

Abstract

Two experiments were undertaken to study the influence of early nutrient restriction on body weight, feed utilization, and abdominal fat for broilers at market age. In the first experiment, males and females restricted in feed intake from 7 to 14 days were significantly lighter at 41 days than the birds fed for ad libitum intake or birds fed the control diet from 7 to 14 days diluted with 15\\% of alpha floc. No significant difference in abdominal fat was noted between treatments at 41 days of age. In the second experiment, male broilers were either restricted in nutrient intake from 7 to 14 days of age or fed higher levels of dietary protein during the last week on test No significant difference in 42-day body weights was noted between ad libitum-fed birds and birds either restricted in feed intake or fed diluted diets between 7 and 14 days or between ad libitum-fed birds and birds fed higher levels of dietary protein between 36 and 42 days of age. Although absolute abdominal fat weight was significantly lower for birds fed the restricted diet than for birds fed the control diet, this difference only amounted to approximately 5 g per bird. Increasing the level of dietary protein by 2\\% during the last 7 days of the test significantly reduced abdominal carcass fat. However, on an absolute basis, the reduction in abdominal fat only amounted to 10 g per bird.