Influence of Short-Term Starvation on Growth Performance and Biochemical Parameters of Indigenous Chicken in Kenya

The demand for indigenous chicken is higher due to its better taste and nutritional value than broilers. However, production is low owing to many factors that include: a high mortality rate caused by the incidence of metabolic diseases, skeletal disorders, and other diseases. Short-term starvation followed by re-feeding has been shown to improve daily gain and reduce the occurrence of metabolic diseases in broiler chicken. This study was designed to determine the influence of short-term starvation on growth performance and biochemical parameters of the indigenous chicken in Kenya. A randomized experimental design consisting of three groups of indigenous chicken was adopted. The first group, the control, was fed on growers’ chicken feed for 60 hours before they were sacrificed and dissected. The second group was starved for 60 hours, sacrificed, and dissected. The third group was starved for 60 hours and then given growers' chicken feed for five days, after which they were sacrificed and dissected to remove the gastrointestinal tract. For each group, weight in grams was taken after every 12 hours. Data were analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a 95% confidence level using SPSS version 26. Results on the size of organs showed that the volume of the stomach, pancreas, and small intestines was highest in group 3, followed by group 1, and lowest in group 2. The glucose, lipids, and cholesterol concentrations were highest in group 1, followed by group 3, and lowest in group 2. Protein was highest in Group 2, followed by Group I, and the lowest in Group 3, and the concentration of alkaline phosphatase in Group 3 was the highest, followed by Group 1, and the lowest in Group 2. Re-feeding of Group 3 resulted in an increase of 0.1925 g in females and 0.1197 g in males. It is concluded that short-term starvation and re-feeding increase the size of the stomach and pancreas and decrease glucose, lipid, and cholesterol concentration in the blood. Short-term starvation and re-feeding improve feed efficiency. The research recommends farmers rearing indigenous chicken to practice 60 hours of fasting due to the compensatory growth phenomenon.