Open AccessOBSERVATIONS ON THE COMPARATIVE GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF NIGHT FED AND NIGHT FASTED BROILER FINISHERS
Author(s) -
E. A. O. Laseinde,
F. A. Igbasan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nigerian journal of animal production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0331-2062
DOI - 10.51791/njap.v21i1.1157
Subject(s) - broiler , zoology , body weight , litter , deep litter , significant difference , biology , weight gain , medicine , endocrinology , ecology
Four-week old broiler finishers were raised in 8 deep litter pens under two treatments, night feeding and night fasting. The birds were fed ad libitum during the day and equally exposed to all necessary management practices. The trial was conducted to observe the comparative body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (F.1) and feed utilization (F.U) between the birds under the two treatments, as well as the body weight shrinkage arising from the night fasting by the night fasted birds. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in BWG between birds in the two treatments except at week 5. An equivalent of 62% of the day time BWG was lost to fasting by the night fasted birds. The loss was, however, adequately compensated during the day time feeding. Body weight shrinkage due to the night fast increased with age and was most pronounced between 9 -10 weeks of age. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in F.1. between the night fed and night fasted birds. For the former, F.I. was higher during the day from ages 5 to 8 weeks and higher during the night at ages 9 and 10 weeks. night fasted birds utilised feed averagely better than the night fed ones. Results from this study show that there is no significant advantage in feeding broiler finishers at night.