Protein requirement for chickens in a tropical environment: Protein level for chicks
1971
Agudu, E.W., Animal Research Institute, P.O. Box 20, Achimota, Ghana
Results of feeding trials, in which 240 NH x RIR replacement chicks were fed on five protein diets (24%, 22%, 20%, 18% and 16%) to 6 weeks of age, showed growth and feed efficiency response to increasing protein level. The ambient temperature did not seem to have affected seriously the performance of chicks on the higher protein diets. Sexual maturity, egg weight and grade, feed efficiency and mortality were used as criteria to evaluate the effect of starter diets on egg production. Generally, no definite starter diet effect on laying performance was observed, even though sexual maturity and egg number tended to increase with protein level. The higher protein diets, which did not seem to have major advantageous effects during the laying period, could be reduced to 18% or 16% without a deleterious effect on laying performance.
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