Influence of Early Qualitative Feed Restriction and Barrier Perch Access on Some Meat Quality Traits, Growth Performance, and Diet Cost Analysis in Broiler Chickens

In this trial, the effects of early qualitative feed restriction and barrier perch access on some meat quality traits, growth performance, and diet cost analysis of broiler chickens were investigated. A total of 504 1-d-old male chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to four treatments (qualitative feed restriction − QFR; absence-/presence+ and barrier perch − BP; absence-/presence+) with three replicate pens in a completely randomised design involving a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Broiler chickens in the treatment of QFR- were fed with a corn-soybean meal diet containing protein and energy at the level specified in the commercial hybrid catalogue during d 0−42. The treatment of QFR+ was fed with a corn-soybean meal diet containing lower energy (10%) and protein (20%) for the first 21 d, and then between d 22 and 42, they were fed with a diet specified in the commercial hybrid catalogue. In the treatment of BP+, the barrier perch was placed between the feeder and the drinker. Meat quality traits (pH, lightness − L*, redness − a*, yellowness − b*, chroma, hue angle, and cooking loss − CL), growth performance (body weight − BW, body weight gain − BWG, feed intake − FI, and feed conversion ratio − FCR), and diet cost analysis (total diet cost and diet cost per unit weight gain) were recorded. Except for the a* value and hue angle measured at 24-h post-slaughter, the effect of QFR treatments on meat quality traits was insignificant in all measurements. During d 0−42, in the treatments of QFR+, BW, BWG, and FI were lower (P<0.0001, and P=0.005, respectively), and FCR was worse (P=0.014). The QFR treatments did not differ significantly in dietary cost per unit weight gained during d 0−42. As a result, it can be said that early qualitative feed restriction did not significantly affect meat quality traits. The treatment of QFR+ resulted in reduced growth performance. However, diet cost per unit weight gain showed similar values in both QFR treatments (QFR+ €0.75, QFR- €0.76, P=0.511).