Effects of starter feeding time on body growth and viscera development of newly hatched chicks

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of starter feeding time on body growth and viscera development of newly hatched chicks. A total of 1080 Yangzhou chicks with similar weight derived from 1800 eggs were selected in this experiment. These chicks were randomly assigned to six groups (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) according to six feeding schedules (fasting for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 hours posthatch), with 3 replicates per group and 60 chicks (30 males and 30 females) per replicate. After fasting, all birds were fed a crumbled starter feedstuff ad libitum until 6 days of age. At 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6d posthatch, eight chicks (4 males and 4 females) per replicate of each experimental group were randomly selected and individually weighed. Yolk sac, liver, heart, pancreas, bursal and small intestine of each chick were taken out and weighed; the length of small intestine, moreover, was measured. Results showed that food deprivation reduced body weight (BW) of experimental chicks; furthermore BW decreased more and more with a prolonged fasting time. At 6 d of age, the BW of the former five groups was higher than that of the Group 6 (P<0.05). At the same time, the growth of viscera apparatuses was influenced by different starter feeding times. There was a significant effect of fasting for 72h posthatch on BW, small intestine weight and length, liver, heart, pancreas and bursal weight. The viscera weights of the former three groups (fasting for 12-36h) were, respectively, more than that of latter three groups (fasting for 48-72h) in different ages (P<0.05). Results of the present study demonstrated that the feasible starter feeding time should be within 36h posthatch, and the maximum fasting period could not exceed 60h posthatch.