Sequential feeding can increase activity and improve gait score in meat-type chickens

Abstract

This study investigated the short- and long-term effects of sequential feeding by alternating low-and high-lysine diets during the day on growth, gait score (GS), and behavior in broilers. From Days 2 to 12, 6 pens of 10 birds were assigned to control treatment and fed a standard normal lysine diet (NL) (ME = 3,250 kcal/kg, CP = 23%, Lys = 1.19%) and six pens of 10 birds were assigned to the sequential treatment and fed a low-lysine diet (LL) (Lys = 0.85%) for half of the day and NL for the other half of the day. From Days 13 to 21, all groups were fed NL, and from Days 21 to 42, they were fed a grower diet. Sequential (S) chicks were lighter than Control chicks at Days 13 (304 +/- 6 vs. 378 +/- 7 g) and 42 (2,588 +/- 31 vs. 2,714 +/- 10 g) and had better leg condition at Day 42 (mean GS = 1.6 +/- 0.1 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.1, P < or = 0.05). During a day of S feeding, S birds ate less and wasted more LL than NL. Sequential birds spent less time standing and more time lying idle when fed LL than when fed NL. Sequential birds spent more time eating than Control birds, and they gradually increased the number of pecks in the litter during a sequential feeding day. The results suggest a major effect of food composition on behavior. Sequential feeding could be a means of decreasing leg problems in broilers.

Bone mineralization in male commercial broilers and its relationship to gait score

“…Because the broilers of the current study with a gait score of 3 (poorer walking ability) were heavier than those with a gait score of 0 or 1 (good walking ability), our conclusion is that BW was the main factor that contributed to the association between BMD and gait score. Other studies have reported that gait scores are not related to bone strength, ash, radiographic density, and bone size traits of weight, length, and width (Yalcin et al, 1998;Bizeray et al, 2002;Venalainen et al, 2006). Because there was a stronger correlation between gait score and BW for all 4 commercial crosses of broilers (r = 0.38, P < 0.0001; Table 3), it is believed that the low association between gait score and bone mineralization for cross D was mainly due to BW.…”

Effects of meal-time feeding and protein restriction on walking ability and some bone and carcass properties in broilers

“…Similar results were published by Bahtiyarca and Konca (1996), who reported that LP and amino acid (methionine and lysine) did not affect bone dry weight, length, diameter and ash but decreased bonebreaking strength in quails. On the other hand, Bizeray et al (2002b) stated that sequential feeding with lysine decreased tibia length and weight and but also had no effect on bone proximal-diaphysis and distal-end ash.…”

Plans of feeding broiler chickens

“…'Feeding time period' and 'phase feeding' are two different types of presentation that are claimed to have some merit. Planners of these new methods argue that their program benefits both the environment, by reducing the nitrogen excretion, and the birds (Roush et al, 2004), by reducing some of metabolic disorders, such as sudden death syndrome (SDS), ascites, leg weakness and other problems (Bizeray et al, 2002). It is also claimed that 'some of the non-NRC feeding plans could be more beneficial to birds kept at high environmental temperature' .…”

“…However, the sequential use of feeds of different nutritional values is only practiced in Europe when, for example, whole grain wheat is successfully alternated with a complementary protein-rich feed (Noirot et al, 1999). This feeding plan proved to be effective in reducing mortality under acute heat challenge during the finishing period (De Basilio et al, 2001) and to reduce gait score and increase activity of young broiler chickens (Bizeray et al, 2002).…”