Volume: 56 Issue: 2
Year: 2025, Page: 213-219, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2025.56.2.213-219
Received: Sept. 24, 2024 Accepted: Nov. 18, 2024 Published: June 30, 2025
The study was carried out at Avian Research Station of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University to determine the optimal protein and energy levels for White Leghorn male chicks reared for meat production from 1 to 7 weeks of age. A total of 192 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in a 2x2 factorial design, with two levels of crude protein (CP) at 22 and 20 per cent, and two levels of metabolisable energy (ME) at 3100 kcal/kg and 2800 kcal/kg. The treatments included: T1 (22% CP + 3100 kcal/kg ME), T2 (20% CP + 3100 kcal/kg ME), T3 (22% CP + 2800 kcal/kg ME) and T4 (20% CP + 2800 kcal/kg ME). Chicks fed with 22 per cent CP showed significantly (p<0.01) higher cumulative body weight gain compared to those fed with 20 per cent CP, while the ME levels did not have a significant effect on weight gain. Feed intake was also significantly (p<0.01) higher in chicks which received 22 per cent CP, though feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained unaffected by the dietary treatments. Livability rates were consistently high across all groups, showing no significant differences. Carcass yield was significantly (p<0.05) higher in chicks fed with 22 per cent CP, and abdominal fat was notably higher (p<0.01) in birds fed with 3100 kcal/kg ME. The highest net profit per bird was achieved with the T3 diet (22% CP + 2800 kcal/kg ME). To conclude, a diet consisting of 22 per cent CP and 2800 kcal/kg ME provided the best growth performance and economic return for White Leghorn male chicks raised for meat.
Keywords: Crude protein, metabolisable energy, growth performance, economics
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Navya, M.S., Harikrishnan, S., Binoj Chacko, Stella Cyriac, Suja, C. S. and Irshad, A. 2024. The effect of different levels of crude protein and metabolisable energy on the growth performance of White Leghorn male chicks. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 56 (2):213-219