EFFECT OF FEED RESTRICTION ON BOILER PERFORMANCE: CONFORMATION TRAITS AND ISOMETRY OF GROWN

The effect of quantitative feed restriction on broiler conformation traits, namely breast width, keel length, thigh width and shank length, and on growth of these linear body structures relative to overall body growth was investigated using two hundred and forty Cobb broiler chicks. Three levels of restriction, namely 5, 10 and 15% of ad libitum intake, were randomly imposed on different groups. Birds restricted-fed in the starter phase of growth were full-fed in the finisher phase, and vice versa. Conformation traits, particularly breast width, keel length- and thigh diameter, were generally more adversely affected by feed restriction in the starter than in the finisher phase. However, there was evidence of compensatory growth for all parameters, except the breast. Feed restriction did not significantly affect the relative growth pattern of the breast, keel and thigh, which was positively allometric, Relative growth of the shank was, however, affected by different levels of restriction.