Free-choice feeding of broilers at high temperatures.
Broilers fed complete diets to 21 but not 44 d of age grew faster with a better efficiency of food utilisation than broilers given a free-choice selection of the cereal and protein components. When finisher diets, varying in metabolisable energy (ME) and amino acid:ME ratios, were fed at high ambient temperatures (25 to 35 degrees C) broilers on the free-choice system selected similar amino acid:ME intake ratios, which were lower than the ratios contained in the complete diets. Differences in broiler performance between 22 and 44 d of age reflected variations in ME rather than amino acid intake.
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male