PESO INICIAL SOBRE O DESEMPENHO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE ÓRGÃOS DE FRANGOS

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the effect of initial weight on the performance and development of organs in the digestive system of chickens. 450 Cobb broiler chicks (males and females) were housed, distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments, five replications and eighteen birds per experimental unit. The evaluated treatments were five weight categories, as follows: 35; 38.5; 40.5; 45 and 50 g. The zootechnical performance variables evaluated were: average weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion. At fifteen days of age, five birds per treatment were euthanized for evaluation of organ development: weight of the gizzard, proventriculus, pancreas, liver, length and weight of the intestine (small and large). The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the means compared by the Tukey test at 5% with the aid of the statistical program R. There was an effect of the initial weight of the broiler chick for the performance variables. Chicks with initial 50 g showed higher live weight, higher feed intake and weight gain in the pre-starter phase. Chicks weighing 45g had higher small intestine weight at 15 days. At 21 days, final weight and feed intake showed statistical difference. The effect of the initial chick weight on the final weight of the chicken decreased with the advancing age of the birds, in which chicks with initial weights of 35 to 50 g presented similar performance in the final phase. It is concluded that the initial weight does not interfere with the performance results at the end of the production cycle.