Organic Chicken Feed Archive of Compiled Research on Chicken Feed Methods
Pellet Feeds vs. Mash Feeds
A study conducted in 1992, the Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Sana`a University, Republic of Yemen and Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Abstract: In this study, a total of 11,000 broiler chicks, in 4 groups (2750 chicks) each were fed on mash or pellet diet from the 1 to 28 day of age to compare their performance according to different diet. The chicken groups were reared on deep litter in open poultry farm at about 2450 meter altitude above sea. The chicks were fed on Mash from koudijus, and Pellet from koudijus. The results showed that feeding on Pelleted ration improved the weight gain, feed intake and feed /gain compared to mash diets. The highest body weight throughout all of the 4 weeks was observed in Pellet fed chickens, while the lowest body weight were observed in chickens feed Mash. During the whole period it was observed that pelleting increased the feed intake compared to mash feed. The highest FCR (food conversion ratio) value was observed in mash group, which indicated low feed conversion efficiency. The mash feed given only for the first four weeks significantly reduced the subsequent incidence of ascites. The mortality with ascites in birds receiving pelleted feed was consistently the greatest and was the lowest in birds fed on mash.
Excerpt: Successful broiler development is dependent on optimal feed intake throughout the growing period. Optimal feed intake is dependent on a number of factors such as environmental temperature and diet nutrient density and physical feed quality is considered to have a very significant impact on broiler growth reared at all altitudes. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the current association between BW (broiler weight), feed conversion and BW gain and ascites incidence in broiler chickens reared under commercial settings.
Generally, the results show that optimal performance was achieved on the pelleted feed. Feed intake and live weight were reduced and FCR increased, on Mash chickens relative to pellets. Pelleting improved the weight gain, feed intake and feed /gain compared to mash diets these results confirm the superiority of pelleted diets over mash diets in improving broiler performance.
It is obvious that birds receiving pelleted feed showed greater mortalities than birds receiving mash feed The effect of type of feed on mortality was marked. This finding is consistent with researches those demonstrated birds in the mash feed groups had a significantly lower mortality rate than birds in the pellet feed groups. Observeding a 50% increase in mortality of birds fed pellets vs mash. It is tempting to speculate that the lower mortality seen with mash-fed birds is simply a result of reduced growth rate, while the increased growth rate resulting from pellet feeding may increase mortality due to ascites.
Ascites is a cardiovascular metabolic disorder characterized by fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity. It is a common cause of economic losses due to mortality and downgrades in fast-growing broiler strains.
Our results showed that although improved broiler performance is an advantage for pellet feeding, some disadvantages seem to be connected to this feeding method. With respect to animal health, a correlation between pellet feeding and the occurrence of certain metabolic diseases cannot be ignored. The increased growth rate resulting from pellet feeding may increase mortality due to ascites especially in male birds.
