The beneficial effect of early feed restriction on growth, body composition and fat accumulation in broiler chickens: a review

Urip Santoso
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bengkulu University, Bengkulu Indonesia

Abstract. The present review discusses the beneficial effect of early feed restriction program on improving feed efficiency, and lowering mortalities, metabolic diseases and fat accumulation in broiler chickens. This program reduced several metabolic disorders such as ascites, sudden death syndrome, heat stress mortality and leg abnormality. This program may improve drug metabolism and may change immune system in broiler chickens. The factors influencing the success of early feed restriction program included sex, method of feed restriction, strain, feed intake during refeeding, duration of feed restriction, initial age at which animlas were restricted, length of time allowed for refeeding, type of refeeding diet, type of houses and the severity of feed restriction. The application of early feed restriction in the farm condition resulted in better profit for the farmers. The early feed restriction could be used as a tool in improving feed efficiency, lowering mortalities and fat accumulation in broiler chickens (J. Indon. Trop. Anim. Agric., 28 (1): 39-48, 2003.

Effect of early feed restriction and high-fat realimentation diet on growth and fat accumulation in broiler chicks

Urip Santoso
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bengkulu University, Bengkulu Indonesia

Abstract (Media Veteriner. 2001, 8 (1): 19-23). The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of early feed restriction and high-fat realimentation diet on growth and fat accumulation in broiler chicks. Forty female broilers were obtained from a commercial hatchery (Chunky strain) and raised on cage pens. All chicks were allowed free access to feed from 1 to 7 days of age. At 7 days of age, all chicks were weighed individually, and divided into four groups as follows. The control group was fed ad libitum and the other three experimental groups were fed restrictly for 10 days at level of 55% ad libitum. At 18 days of age, broiler chicks were fed with diet containing 1, 1, 2.5, or 5.4% soybean oil for ad libitum group and other three treatment groups, respectively. As expected, the body weight and feed intake decreased in restricted chicks, regardless of a dietary fat level. Metabolizable energy, N utilization and feed efficiency were increased by feed restriction. It was evident that dietary fat improved these parameters further. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity was decreased by an early feed restriction, whereas fatty acid synthetase activity was not significantly decreased. The high-fat realimentation diet decreased fatty acid synthetase activity but not acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. Protein gain was significantly higher in restricted chicks as compared with the control. In conclusion, high-fat realimentation diet did not induce catch-up growth in broiler chicks. High-fat realimentation diet improved metabolizable energy and N utilization and feed efficiency. One factor that induced catch-up growth was the higher of protein gain during realimentation period.

Key words: early feed restriction, high-fat realimentation diet, fat accumulation, growth

Early skip-a-day feeding of female broiler chicks fed high-protein realimentation diets. Performance and body composition

U. Santoso1, K. Tanaka2 and S. Ohtani
1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bengkulu University, Bengkulu Indonesia
2Department of Animal Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Gifu University, Gifu 501-11 Japan

Abstract. The effect of an early skip-a-day feeding program on performance and body composition of broiler chicks fed high-protein realimentation diets was studied. One-day-old female broiler chicks were withheld from feed for 2 d (0 to 2 d of age), and at 7 d of age three pens of 15 chicks each were randomly assigned to one of five treatments. One treatment (as the control) involved ad libitum access to feed, and other four treatments were subjected to a skip-a-day regimen from 7 to 13 d of age. From 14 to 20 d of age, chicks of the five treatment groups were fed diets containing 21, 21, 25, 30, or 35% protein. Thereafter, chicks were fed a commercial finisher mash diet (18% CP and 3,160 kcal/kg ME) until 56 d of age. Restricted chicks exhibited compensatory growth during the refeeding period, but the 35% CP realimentation diet impaired this phenomenon as indicated by lower recovery index. Chicks of the skip-a-day program, regardless of dietary protein level, had less abdominal fat, as compared with chicks that ate ad libitum. Incomparison with the control, less body fat and ash and greater protein contents were observed in chicks fed the 35% CP realimentation diet. Greater or less triglyceride content was observed in chicks fed 21% CP, or the 30 and 35% CP realimentation diet, respectively, whereas, less carcass triglyceride content was found in chicks fed 21 or 35% CP realimentation diet, as compared with the control group. In conclusion, data of current study show that female broilers subjected to skip-a-day feeding from 7 to 13 d of age fully recovered in body weight at 56 d, irrespective of dietary protein fed during the first 7 d after skip-a-day feeding. Skip-a-day feeding also resulted in reduced 56-d abdominal fat, irrespective of dietary protein fed from 14 to 20 d. Treatment effects on lipid components of livers and carcass varied, especially with respect to dietary protein concentration fed during early realimentation (Poultry Science, 74:494-501, 1995).

Key words: skip-a-day feeding, compensatory growth, abdominal fat, body fat, triglyceride.

Effect Of House Type And Early Feed Restriction On Performance And Fat Deposition In Unsexed Broilers.

Urip Santoso
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bengkulu University, Bengkulu Indonesia

Abtract: The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of house type and early feed restriction on performance and fat deposition of unsexed broilers. Four hundreds seven-day-old unsexed broilers (Arbor Acres CP 707) were distributed into eight treatment groups. Each treatment group was represented by five replicates of ten broilers each. Two types of house (cage vs litter) and four levels of feeding (ad libitum, 75% ad libitum, 50% ad libitum and 25% ad libitum) were tested as treatment factors.Broilers were feed-restricted for 6 days from 7 to 13 days of age and thereafter they were fed ad libitum. Feed intake of restricted broilers during restriction period was calculated from feed consumed by ad libitum group in the previous day. Results showed that unsexed broilers raised in litter had higher body weight (P<).05), lower abdominal fat and higher triglyceride concentration at 42 days of age (P<0.05), and lower liver fat and higher carcass percentage at 56 days of age (P<0.05). Early feed restriction reduced body weight of 42-days old unsexed broilers except for broilers fed 75% ad libitum. At 56 days of age, restricted broilers had similar body weight to those fed ad libitum. At 56 days of age, broilers fed 25% ad libitum had lower FCR (P<0.0%0, lower abdominal fat (P<0.05) and lower triglyceride concentration (P<0.05). In conclusion, unsexed broilers fed 25% ad libitum showed compensatory growth with better FCR and lower fat accumulation at 56 days of age. Broilers raised in litter had higher body weight and lower abdominal fat and liver fat deposition. (JITV, 7 (2): 84-89.

Key words: house type, early feed restriction, fat deposition, unsexed broilers