Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of nocturnal light pulses (NLPs) on the feed intake and metabolic rate in geese. Fourteen adult Chinese geese were penned individually, and randomly assigned to either the C (control) or NLP group. The C group was exposed to a 12L:12D photoperiod (12 h light and 12 h darkness per day), whereas the NLP group was exposed to a 12L:12D photoperiod inserted by 15-min lighting at 2-h intervals in the scotophase. The weight of the feed was automatically recorded at 1-min intervals for 1 wk. The fasting carbon dioxide production rate (CO2 PR) was recorded at 1-min intervals for 1 d. The results revealed that neither the daily feed intake nor the feed intakes during both the daytime and nighttime were affected by photoperiodic regimen, and the feed intake during the daytime did not differ from that during the nighttime. The photoperiodic treatment did not affect the time distribution of feed intake. However, NLPs lowered (p<0.05) the mean and minimal CO2 PR during both the daytime and nighttime. Both the mean and minimal CO2 PR during the daytime were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those during the nighttime. We concluded that NLPs lowered metabolic rate of the geese, but did not affect the feed intake; both the mean and minimal CO2 PR were higher during the daytime than during the nighttime.
Highlights
Geese have much lower feed efficiency than broilers, especially in the fattening period (Chen et al, 2003)
A high feed intake results in a high weight gain and feed efficiency, because tissue accretion occurs only when the ingested nutrients exceed the requirements for maintenance
The feeding behavior of geese in both groups was evenly distributed throughout a day, and the feed intake during the day was not different from that during the night
Summary
Geese have much lower feed efficiency than broilers, especially in the fattening period (Chen et al, 2003). It is desirable to increase the feed efficiencies of geese during both growing and fattening periods. A high feed intake results in a high weight gain and feed efficiency, because tissue accretion occurs only when the ingested nutrients exceed the requirements for maintenance. Increasing feed intake is a potential method for increasing both weight gain and feed efficiency in geese. To maximize feed intake and growth rate broiler chickens are usually kept on a continuous or nearly continuous lighting schedule. Intermittent lighting has been shown to result in some benefits, including increased feed efficiency (Weaver et al, 1982; Ketelaars et al, 1986; Apeldoorn et al, 1999) and increased weight gain
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