Response of Black and White Plumage Strains of Commercial Cocks to Feed Restriction at Different Ages raised on Deep Litter System

Abstract

The ever-increasing feed cost and the need to produce quality chicken meat with minimal cost has necessitated the adoption of feed restriction which is cost-effective and practical. The present study aimed at investigating the response of two strains of commercial cocks to different feed restriction regimens. They are black plumage and white feathered commercial cocks reared principally for meat production. A total number of 180 day-old cockerels of two strains comprising Black and White plumage (90 chicks each) were procured to examine and compare their growth characteristics. At 6th week of age, the birds were distributed into four treatments with three replicates for each strain. The treatments are, T1 : control (ad libitum), T2 : feed restricted (6th-7th week), T3 : feed restricted (8th-9th week) and T4 : feed restricted (10th -11th week). Analyzed results showed that there was significant (P<0.01) effect of strain on body weight at 6th and 12th week of age, while the two strains recorded similar mean values at 9th and 16th week. The black plumage cocks were superior (P<0.01) to white plumage cocks in terms of body weight at 6th and 12th week. This indicates differences in genetic make-up of the cocks. With regards to the feed restriction effect on birds, the cocks restricted at 6th week of age regardless of strain were better (P<0.01) with superior mean values when compared with those restricted at 8th and 10th week of age. It was observed that the cocks restricted at 10th week recorded the least mean values. The result reveal that birds restricted at younger age performed better in terms of body weight than those restricted at older age. Therefore, black feathered cocks could be raised by farmers to enhance good quality meat production and increased returns on investment. It is also suggested that for profitable, economical and cost effective rearing of cocks, feed restriction strategy could be practised at younger age.