Deprivation of Feed for Better Broiler Performance: A Review

Somaia Mohamed Alkhair

For many years, broilers were genetically selected and fed to gain more weight in a shorter time with better feed conversion. This led to increased mortality due to ascites and skeletal abnormalities and increased feed conversion ratio. The fast growth rate found to be not suitable for the chick’s age because the development of some internal organs like the heart and lungs does not follow the speed of gaining more weight which led to heart and lung failure. This also happens to the long bones, these bones cannot hold the heavy small chick, which causes long bone deformities. Consequently, controlling broilers’ feed consumption idea arises as a suggested method to decrease mortality due to ascites, sudden death syndrome and skeletal deformities. Hence, early feed restriction becomes a new paradigm in broiler nutrition for more than thirty years. Feed restriction is also claimed as a strategy to reduce feed costs. The main focus herein is to review early feed restriction; its definitions and methods, its effects on broiler chickens performance and its suggested effects on the economy of broiler production.

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