The Response of Male Indigenous Venda Chickens to Diet Energy to Protein Ratios Fed from Seven up to 13 Weeks of Age

Abstract

An experiment was conducted with the objective of determining the response of male indigenous Venda chickens to varying energy to protein ratio fed from seven upto 13 weeks of age. The experimental design was completely randomized and a quadratic type equation was used to determine ratios for optimum production variables. The results indicate that a single dietary ener gy to protein ratio of 66 MJ ME/ kg protein supported optimum growth rate, live weight, carcass weight and fat pad weight. Dietary ener gy to protein ratios of 74, 65, 73, 71 and 62 MJ ME/ kg protein supported optimum feed intake, Feed feed conversion ratio, metabolisable ener gy intake, nitrogen retention and breast meat yield respectively., in indigenous male Venda. However, no single dietary energy to protein ratio optimized all the production variables under study. This may imply that the nutrient requirements of male indigenous Venda chickens are dependent on the particular production variable in question.