The effect of intermittent feeding and cold water on performance and carcass traits of broilers reared under daily heat stress

Abstract

The effect of intermittent feeding and cold water on performance and carcass traits of broilers reared under daily heat stress ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of intermittent feeding and cold water on performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens between 4 to 6 wk of age with daily high temperature. Methods: Broilers were assigned to four treatment groups according to a 2x2 factorial design between 22 to 42 d of age (80 broilers per treatment, 4 replications). Broilers were divided into two main groups as feeding type (ad-libitum (AL) and intermittent (IF) for 6 h daily) and subgroups as water temperature (normal (NW): 24.9 o C and cold (CW): 16.4 o C). Heat treatment was applied between 11.00 to 17.00 h daily between 22 to 42 d of age. Results: Live weight at 6th wk was not affected by feeding type and water temperature, but the live weight was significantly higher in IF chickens at the 5th wk (p <0.05). Average weekly gain of IF broiler chickens were higher compared to AL group at 4, 5, and 6 wk of age (p <0.05). Although feeding type did not affect feed intake in 4 and 5th wk, feed intake was higher in IF chickens at 6th wk (p <0.01). In addition, feeding type and water temperature did not affect feed conversion ratio and interactions were not significant (p >0.05). Water temperature had no significant effect on heart, liver, gizzard, and abdominal fat percentages (p >0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that IF increased the average weekly gain in chickens reared under daily heat stress for 6 h between 22 to 42 d of age. IF in hot environmental conditions slightly increased performance without adversely affecting health, welfare, and physiological traits, whereas CW implementation had no significant effect on performance. It can also be said that IF suppresses a sudden increase in body temperature depending on age and live weight.

The Effects of Intermittent Feeding And Cold Water On Welfare Status And Meat Quality In Broiler Chickens Reared Under Daily Heat Stress

“…In the previous study we conducted on the same chicken materials (Erensoy et al, 2020a), it is known that IF and CW does not affect water consumption, so we speculated that the difference in water consumption does not cause the deterioration in the litter quality. However, chickens consuming CW showed more panting behavior at 4, 5, and 6 weeks of age (see Fig.…”

“…The accompanying heat stress to excessive live weight makes it challenging to manage in modern broilers, which are already vulnerable in many aspects such as physiological, welfare and health. In our previous study (Erensoy et al, 2020a) had already demonstrated the effects of feeding type and water temperature on performance and carcass traits. We hypothesized that these management tools could also improve some welfare and meat quality traits under heat stress conditions.…”

“…This study was carried out in the experimental farm of Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Agriculture, between June and August 2019. The chicken and feed material in this study were the same as in Erensoy et al (2020a).…”

“…Birds are under great challenge at high environmental temperatures due to the absence of sweat glands and the well-insulated feather coverage (Lara and Rostagno, 2013;Noubandiguim et al, 2021). High ambient temperatures in broiler production can cause detrimental effects on physiological, immunity, welfare, health, performance, meat quality, and serious economic losses (Hristov et al, 2018;Erensoy et al, 2020a). Numerous studies have been conducted on the sustainability of better growth and feed e ciency traits by reducing body heat production and providing better heat dissipation in hot environmental conditions (Cahaner et al, 1993;Sahraei, 2012;Park et al, 2013;Erensoy et al, 2020a).…”

Effects of varying group sizes on performance, body defects, and productivity in broiler chickens

“…Body defects include footpad dermatitis (FPD), hock burn (HB), and the breast burn-redness (BB) level of 150 animals (75 male and 75 female) randomly from each group. FPD, HB, and BB levels were determined using a visual scoring system between 0-3 scale (Erensoy et al 2020b;de Jong et al 2014;Welfare Quality 2009). Litter moisture content was determined after the chickens were slaughtered.…”