Effects of Chick Quality and Pre-Starter Feed on Fattening Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broilers

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of chicks quality and pre-starter feeding during the first five days of the feeding period on performance and carcass characteristics. After hatching, experimental chicks were divided into sex by employing 2 by 2 factorial design chick quality (low and high) and two feeding regimes as the main effects in each sex. Thus, four treatment groups (low quality on starter feed, low quality on pre-starter+starter feed, high quality on starter feed, high quality on pre-starter+starter feed) were arranged in the study. Total of 800 chicks was used in four treatment groups including five replicates each, using 40 chicks (20 males and 20 females) per replicates. At the beginning of the experiment, initial live weight was seen to be affected by chick quality, as the mean body weights of the high-quality chick groups were 1.3 g heavier than those of the low-quality chick groups (P < 0.001). However, at the end of the experiment, the use of pre-starter feeding and chick quality did not affect body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion rate or mortality rate significantly (P > 0.05). With regard to the fatness of the carcass, a higher amount and proportion of abdominal fat were found in low-quality female chicks (P < 0.05).