Impact of phase feeding on growth and economic efficiency of broilers as per NRC feeding regime
SHASHI PAL AND RANJIT SINGH
Deptt. of Livestock Production & Management
COVS, P.A.U., Ludhiana
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The experiment was conducted on 120, day-old broilers chicks to evaluate the efficacy of two phase feeding treatments as per NRC feeding regime. The day-old broiler chicks were fed on a standard starter ration of NRC (1994) upto three weeks of age and thereafter equally divided into three treatments viz., T N (Control), fed standard NRC (1994) ration containing 20% and 18% protein respectively during growing (4-6 wk) and finishing phase (7-8 wks); T PF1 (phase feeding treatment), in which protein percent of ration was lowered by one percent each week during growing and finisher phase. Thus in T PF1 treatment, 20, 19, 18, 18 and 17 percent protein rations were fed during 4 th, 5 th, 6 th, 7 th and 8 th weeks of age respectively. In T PF2, another phase feeding treatment, the protein percent of ration was lowered by one percent each week continuously from 4 th week onward to 8 th week of age, i.e. 20, 19, 18, 17 and 16 percent protein rations were fed during 4 th, 5 th, 6 th, 7 th and 8 th week of age, respectively. The weekly data were recorded on body weight, weight gain, feed intake, FCR, PER and feed cost. While carcass parameters were recorded at 6 th & 8 th week of age.
The results indicated no significant differences in body weight, feed intake and FCR among T N, T PF1 and T PF2. No differences were observed in carcass, breast, wing or leg yield but abdominal fat was significantly more in T PF1 and T PF2 as compared to T N. Economic analysis indicated that cost of feed consumed per bird was Rs. 58.92, 57.23 and 57.78 in T N, T PF1 and T PF2 treatments, respectively. The returns over feed cost were Rs. 31.49, 32.69 and 33.00, respectively in T N, T PF1 and T PF2. The cost benefit-analysis revealed that phase feeding treatments T PF2 and T PF1 had 4.79% (Rs. 1.51) and 3.84% (Rs. 1.20) higher return over feed cost than control (T N). It was concluded that phase feeding may result in lowering the feed cost without sacrificing growth performance and thus better returns.
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