Examining the relationships between pellet quality, broiler performance, and bird sex

Abstract

SUMMARY Pelleted feed increases BW gain and FE in broilers when compared with mash feed. However, the improvement in broiler performance may rely on pellet quality. At the West Virginia University pilot feed mill and broiler housing facilities, 2 experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, pellets were produced through varying pelleting techniques to create 5 diets unique in feed form. These diets were fed to male Cobb 500 broilers for performance evaluation. The expected broiler performance was not observed, perhaps because the nutrient availability of the diets was affected by altering the pelleting technique. Experiment 2 was designed to explain variations in feed form on broilers of varying sex categories, with consistent nutrient availability among treatments. Treatments consisted of the following pellet-to-fine ratios: 90:10 (high pellet quality), 60:40 (medium pellet quality), 30:70 (low pellet quality), and 0:100 (ground pellets). Males had improved feed conversion and were larger than females, and those in the group with an equal male:female ratio were intermediate. Whole pellets in the diet improved FCR compared with ground pellets. Broilers fed high-quality pellets exhibited the greatest carcass weight. An economic model based on intake, 2 scenarios of feed costs, and carcass weight was created using the data obtained from experiment 2.