Early nutrition of broiler chicks

Abstract

Due to the earliness and the large weight gain capacity of broiler chick quality has become a very important parameter. Low quality chicks (scrap) tend to gain less weight and get worse feed conversion, generating damage to poultry farmers. Among the many factors that impact the quality of broiler chicks, the post-hatching fasting is responsible for significant initial losses of performance, and these often not compensated in the future. During embryonic life, the broilers already have their active digestive enzymes, as well as nutrient uptake mechanisms in the gut, but both enzymes as the intestinal ability are not in their working apex. After hatching, due to lack of food, shortage of food-borne carbohydrates leads to chick need to provide glucose via protein source gluconeogenesis, a process that can take the chick to ketosis and also reducing the availability of metabolic water and all that table exacerbated the longer the time that the bird to fast after birth. The pre-accommodation fasting can generate numerous negative impacts on bird performance: in muscle development, visceral growth and intestinal microbiota. Providing a feed immediately after hatching in the hatchery-farm path shown an alternative to reduce the harm occurred because the post- hatching fasting, however is required before an economic study, since depending on the time of fasting between birth and the housing of birds this practice may not be feasible.