title: The effect of photoperiod and nutrition on ascites incidence in broilers.
abstract: Light restriction was used to restrict growth of male broilers up to 41 days of age. Dietary energy and lysine were also investigated for their interaction with slowed growth rate. A total of 1440 male broilers was used in each of two trials. Light restriction significantly reduced body weights at 22 days (P < or = 0.05) but not at 52 days. Restricting early growth by photoperiod for the 3-to-41-day period reduced deaths due to ascites. Neither dietary energy nor lysine affected mortality from ascites. These results suggest that manipulation of photoperiod for young broilers is a useful way to limit early growth and subsequent ascites mortality.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, South Central Poultry Research Laboratory, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lott
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Branton
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: May
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001201:Ascites / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015994:Incidence; D008029:Lighting; D008239:Lysine / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D017440:Photoperiod; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D008239:Lysine