Modeling daily feed intake of four strains of broiler chicks

Abstract

Fast growth rate is one of the main characteristics of broiler chicks which emanate from their high appetite. Probably it is right to say that broilers appetite depends on energy concentration of the diet but the optimum energy concentration of the diet is still highly disputable. Therefore taking into the account chick's real energy requirements, considering physiological and environmental changes relative to the values exhibited in chick's requirements tables seems to be a viable strategy for optimizing the production costs. Poultry nutritionists have been trying to make an accurate estimation of bird's energy requirements using statistical models. Energy models estimate energy considering different influential factors on bird's energy requirements. But since these estimative models express energy requirements as kcal day-1, it seems essential to know the amount of chick daily feed intake in different stages of growth which can help to formulate diets with optimum energy levels. Also, FI models can be applied in quantitative and qualitative feed restriction programs in order to assign optimum feed allocation. Considering the importance of an accurate estimation of birds daily feed intake and its impact on making these estimative models more practical, this study aimed at using four quadric regression models estimating daily feed intake relative to chick's daily body weight according to the data provided by Ross 308, Cobb 500, Arbor Acres and Lohmannn performance tables. The results led to the definition of four quadric regression models with a high coefficient of determination (R2). Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a high correlation between daily feed intake and daily body weight changes in the foregoing strains of broiler chicks. © Medwell Journals, 2011.