Influence of Mechanical Alteration of Dietary Density on Energy Available for Chick Growth

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Abstract
The effect of mechanically altering the density of a chick diet on its metabolizable and productive energy content was investigated. Metabolizable energy was not affected, but the pelleted diet had approximately 30% more calories of productive energy than the unpelleted diet. A growth depression obtained by diluting a diet with high levels of cellulose (10 to 20%) was prevented by pelleting the diet. It is suggested that the differences in growth rate and carcass composition of birds resulting from differences in diet density were caused by differences in energy expended during the act of eating.