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Proportion of insoluble fibre in the diet affects behaviour and hunger in broiler breeders growing at similar rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2011

B. L. Nielsen ,
K. Thodberg ,
J. Malmkvist  and
S. Steenfeldt
B. L. Nielsen*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark INRA, Département Physiologie Animale et Systèmes d'Élevage, UR1197 Neurobiologie de l'Olfaction et Modélisation en Imagerie, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
K. Thodberg
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
J. Malmkvist
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
S. Steenfeldt
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
*
†E-mail: birte.nielsen@jouy.inra.fr
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Abstract

With a view to alleviate the feeling of hunger in broiler breeders, different types of fibre sources were used in high-fibre diets to increase feed quantity while limiting growth to industry recommended levels. Using scatter feeding, three diets (C1: commercial control diet, 1 × fibre content, 80% insoluble fibre (ISF); H2: 2 × fibre content, 89% ISF; and L2: 2 × fibre content, 71% ISF) were each fed to 10 groups of 16 broiler breeder chickens. Similar growth rates were obtained on different quantities of food with all birds reaching commercial target weight at 15 weeks of age. In a hunger test, birds fed C1 ate significantly faster and showed a higher compensatory feed intake than birds on diets H2 and L2, indicating that the two high-fibre diets did reduce the level of hunger experienced by the birds. Behavioural observations carried out at 14 weeks of age showed high levels of tail pecking in birds fed C1 and almost none in birds fed L2, whereas birds fed H2 were intermediate. Stereotypic pecking at fixtures was seen twice as frequently in birds fed C1. Birds on diet L2 displayed behavioural signs indicative of discomfort, and the high water usage on this diet created problems with litter quality. Birds on diet H2 continued to show foraging behaviour throughout the day, and were more frequently engaged in dust bathing and other comfort behaviour. This experiment indicates that high-fibre diets can alleviate the feeling of hunger currently experienced by broiler breeders, and a high ratio of ISF may improve the well-being of the birds.

Keywords

poultryfibre dietsscatter feedingsatietystereotypies
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 8 , August 2011 , pp. 1247 - 1258
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

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