Early‐life food restriction of broiler chickens i. methods of application, amino acid supplementation and the age at which restrictions should commence

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
1. Three experiments were performed to examine practical methods of early‐life food restrictions and to examine the influence of increased dietary lysine or methionine on bodyweight recovery during re‐alimentation in broiler chickens. 2. Food intake of broiler chicks was restricted quantitatively or by dietary dilution at 3 ages and the birds slaughtered at 49 d of age. The success of each food restriction was measured in terms of bodyweight recovery and body fat content. 3. Discontinuous food restriction and restriction by dietary dilution produced similar effects to a previously established food restriction regime. Bodyweight recovery was complete and fat contents depressed. FCR was inconsistently affected. 4. Supplementation of the finisher diet with lysine and/or methionine produced no conclusive results when this diet was fed to broilers previously subjected to early‐life food restriction.