Performance and intestinal development of chicks submitted to different rations and different types of incubation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of two types of incubation and two types of feeding on the performance of chickens and intestinal development of chicks during the pre-starter phase (1 to 7 days of age). One-year-old male Ross® chicks were used. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design, in a 2x2 factorial design, with two types of feed processing (bran and micropelleted) and two types of incubation machines (single and multiple stage), totaling four treatments, with four treatment repetitions each. Twelve birds per experimental unit were used, totaling 192 animals. Performance evaluations were conducted, such as mean weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, bowel weight and size, and percentage of intestine in relation to live weight. Histomorphometric tests on the height of the villi and depth of the duodenal crypts were also performed. The two incubation machines did not influence any of the analyzed variables. Even though both had the same composition, the micropelleted feed resulted in positive gains for the performance variables: average weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion when compared to the meal, but was unable to significantly influence the morphometric measurements of the duodenum of chicks in the pre-starter phase

Efeitos do tipo de incubação e da forma física da ração pré-inicial sobre o desenvolvimento intestinal de pintos de corte

A cadeia produtiva agroindustrial brasileira é respeitada no mundo todo, pois é altamente competitiva, eficiente e possui altos índices de produtividade, havendo necessidade de aprimoramento pelo setor, o qual é possível por meio da relação entre pesquisadores e indústrias. O aumento dessa produção está relacionado diretamente aos aspectos nutricionais.  O correto balanceamento alimentar para frangos de corte, com quantidade equilibrada de energia e aminoácidos é de fundamental importância. O manejo nutricional pode ser um fator limitante de produção, correspondendo por cerca de 70% de todos os gastos da cadeia produtiva, logo tem despertado interesse de empresas e pesquisadores. A fase de incubação dos ovos tem como objetivo, manter a produção em quantidade e qualidade satisfatórias, produzindo aves livres de micro-organismos patogênicos, com preço reduzido e com o intuito principal de aumentar e melhorar os resultados finais da produção industrial. O objetivo desta revisão é o de buscar e copilar trabalhos voltados para produção avícola, em especial, no que tange a nutrição e incubação de frangos de corte

Desempenho de frangos de corte consumindo rações contendo sorgo e gérmen integral de milho

Avaliou-se a substituição do sorgo pelo gérmen integral de milho em rações para frangos de corte. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro níveis de substituição do sorgo pelo gérmen integral de milho (0; 33,3; 66,7 e 100%) como concentrado energético em rações com ingredientes de origem vegetal (experimento 1) ou de origem animal (experimento 2), cada um com quatro repetições. Avaliaram-se o desempenho (ganho de peso, consumo de ração e conversão alimentar) e o rendimento de carcaça e de cortes, em peso absoluto, em porcentagem do peso vivo e em porcentagem do peso da carcaça depenada e eviscerada. No experimento 1, os níveis de substituição tiveram efeito quadrático no peso final e no ganho de peso, que foram melhores nos níveis de 21,03 a 21,68% de substituição do sorgo pelo gérmen integral de milho. No experimento 2, verificou-se efeito quadrático para ganho de peso e conversão alimentar, que foram melhores nos níveis de 35,02 e 15,75% de substituição do sorgo pelo gérmen integral de milho. A substituição do sorgo pelo gérmen integral de milho não afetou os rendimentos de carcaça e dos cortes obtidos no experimento 1. No experimento 2, houve efeito quadrático para os pesos de carcaça, peito e asas. Em rações com ingredientes de origem vegetal, o sorgo pode ser substituído pelo gérmen integral de milho em níveis de 21,03 a 21,68% e, em rações com ingredientes de origem animal, de 15,75 a 35,02%

Feather and blood meal at different processing degrees in broiler prestarter and starter diets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of feather and blood meal (FBM) in broiler pre-starter and starter diets according to the processing method used. Performance, digestibility, and intestinal morphometry of broilers fed diets containing FBM were evaluated in two experiments, in the pre-starter (1-7 d) and starter (8-21 d) phases in a randomized block design with four treatments and five replicates of 12 birds, totaling 20 experimental units per trial. The criteria used for block formation was the battery floor. The meal was processed under different degrees of hydrolysis pressure (2.0 kgf/cm2 for 40 min; 2.5 kgf/cm2 for 30 min; and 3.0 kgf/cm2 for 20 min) and added at 9% to the pre-starter (Experiment I) and starter (Experiment II) diets. In each experiment, 480 male Cobb 500® chicks were allocated to batteries. The following variables were measured: live weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and digestibility and retention of dry matter, nitrogen, and ether extract. Performance was not influenced by the dietary inclusion of the ingredient. However, FBM subjected to the highest hydrolysis pressure resulted in the worst overall nutritional balances. The chickens were more susceptible to FBM processing in the prestarter phase, when the hydrolysis pressure of 2.5 kgf/m2 for 30 min provided the best results. In the starter diet, FBM processed at a hydrolysis pressure of 2.0 kgf/m2 for 40 min provided the best performance results up to 14 days of age, without changing nutrient metabolism. Up to 9% feather and blood meal can be included in broiler prestarter and starter diets as long as the ingredient processing method is well-know

Poultry viscera and bone meal in broiler pre-starter and starter diets

The use of viscera and bone meal in poultry pre-starter and starter diets and its effects on performance, digestive organ development and digestibility and nutrient retention were evaluated. In the first assay, 280-day-old Avian Cobb® chicks were allotted in four experimental groups with five replicates of 14 birds each, in the pre-starter phase; in the second assay, 280 eight-day-old Avian Cobb 48® chicks were allotted in four experimental groups with five replicates of 12 birds each. The experimental diet consisted of increasing levels of viscera and bone meal: 0% (control diet), 3%, 6% and 9% in pre-starter (Assay 1) and starter (Assay 2) diets, to meet nutritional requirements and feed composition proposed by the Brazilian Tables, all of them isonutritive and isoenergetic. A metabolic assay was developed and the total excreta collection was performed from the 4th to the 7th days in Assay 1 and from the 14th to the 17th days in Assay 2. On these days, one chick per experimental unit, representing the mean body weight of the parcel, was euthanized to perform digestive organ morphometry. Mean body weight was 45.4±0.4 on the 1st day in Assay 1 and 179.5±0.8 at 8 days of age in Assay 2. In Assay 1, a negative linear effect was observed for weight gain. Levels of viscera and bone meal influenced quadratically nitrogen digestibility index (Y = 66.0101 + 0.482425X - 0.0481086X²) and linearly the digestibility of dry matter (Y = 71.7775 - 0.615792X) and ether extract (Y = 78.3678 - 0.309136X). Morphometric measures of digestive organs were not influenced by viscera and bone meal levels. For Assay 2, negative and linear effect was observed for viscera and bone meal levels on weight gain (Y = 551.667 - 5.08341X) and feed intake (Y = 955.961 - 7.48435X). Quadratic effect was observed for ether extract digestibility (Y = 82.557 + 1.12021X - 0.150117X²) and maximum point was obtained at 3.7% viscera and bone meal inclusion for ether extract retention. Mortality was not affected by treatments in either of the assays. Viscera and bone meal can be used at 3 or 4% inclusion in broiler pre-starter and starter diets