Free‐choice feeding of broilers at high temperatures

Abstract
1. 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. 2. When finisher diets, varying in metabolisable energy (ME) and amino acid:ME ratios, were fed at high ambient temperatures (25 to 35 °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. 3. Differences in broiler performance between 22 and 44 d of age reflected variations in ME rather than amino acid intake.