THE EFFECT OF DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH TOWER AND/OR CANDLE RAPESEED MEALS ON PERFORMANCE OF MEAT CHICKEN BREEDERS

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Abstract
The performance of four commercial meat-type parental genotypes and their progeny was significantly different when they were fed breeder diets supplemented with Brassica napus 'Tower' or B. campestris 'Candle' rapeseed meals (RSM), or both, compared with a commonly used commercial breeder diet supplemented with soybean meal (SM). The egg production of birds on the RSM diets was equal to or better than that of birds fed the diets supplemented with SM, and, although eggs from birds on RSM diets were significantly smaller in size than those from birds fed SM diets, the number of eggs weighing 47 g or more was not significantly different. There were also significantly more broiler chicks from breeders on the RSM diets than from those on SM diets. There were significant differences among genotypes for several performance traits, but mortality, age at sexual maturity, feed efficiency, specific gravity of eggs, fertility and hatchability were not affected by the dietary treatments. Although mortality among male broiler progeny from parent stocks on RSM breeder diets was higher than normal, monetary returns per bird started was greater than that from progeny of breeders on SM diets. Key words: Rapeseed meal, soybean meal, meat chicken breeders, canola