Effect of feed form, energy level, and conditioning temperature on broiler performance, feed wastage, and nutrient digestibility from 1 to 21 days-of-age

This experiment evaluated the effect of metabolizable energy ( ME ) and feed form on broiler performance, feed wastage ( FW ), and nutrient digestibility from 1 to 21 days-of-age. A total of 648 YPM x Ross 708 male broilers were randomly distributed in 72 cages (9 birds/cage) and assigned to 6 treatments (12 replicates/treatment). Starter diets were formulated to contain 2 ME levels (2,875 [ E2875 ] or 2,979 kcal/kg [ E2979 ]). Both diets were fed as mash or crumbles conditioned to 85°C or 90°C. Body weight gain ( BWG ), feed intake ( FI ), and FCR were determined at 10 and 21 days-of-age. On d 10, 15, and 18, the feed spilled was collected from trays placed under each cage to calculate FW. Ileal digesta (7 birds/cage) was collected for nutrient digestibility analysis on d 21. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS and means separated using Tukey’s test. Broilers fed E2979 diets had higher ( P < 0.05) BWG and lower ( P < 0.05) FCR from 1-21 d compared to broilers fed E2875 diets. Additionally, broilers fed mash diets had lower (P < 0.05) FI and higher (P < 0.05) FCR and FW from 1-21 d compared to broilers fed crumbles conditioned to either 85 or 90°C. Starch digestibility was lower (P < 0.05) in broilers fed crumbles conditioned to 90°C compared to broilers fed crumbles conditioned to 85°C and mash. Overall, broiler response was more influenced by variations in dietary ME and feed form than by changes in conditioning temperatures.