The Effects of different feed form in hyline layers growth performance

Author

Mashanda, Reginald

Title

The Effects of different feed form in hyline layers growth performance

Abstract

The feed particle size is one of the most critical aspects that determines chicken feed usage. Although it is widely assumed that pellet feeds promote chicken growth, other studies have found no difference in performance between pellet and mash diets (Clavijo and Flórez, 2018). From the 19th week of age, this study was undertaken to investigate the impacts of feed form on hyline layers growth performance. This study was undertaken in Murombedzi, Zvimba district located in Mashonaland west, Zimbabwe. A total of 250 19-week-old hyline brown hens from Irvine’s Zimbabwe were chosen for the experiment and only healthy and vaccinated birds were chosen which did not show any signs of defects. The birds were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: mash or pellet diets, each with five replications (25 birds in each replication). Every week, production performance was reported on a daily basis. When compared to mash diets, pellet diets improved the laying rate (p< 0.05), average daily feed intake (ADFI), egg weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in hyline brown layers. The results of this experiment give an impression that feeding pellets yields better FCR, final weight gain, a higher feed intake and better egg quality than feeding mashes for the entire laying period.

Date

June 2024

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

Layer production

Egg production

Animal feed

Animal nutrition

Supervisor

Mr M. Dhliwayo