Environment and Management II

Specialty poultry production is growing, including free-range, organic, and small flocks; however, feed cost is high. Choice feeding, using a high-protein feed with mineral/vitamin supplements provided separately from a grain feed, may allow birds raised in relatively open housing with largely uncontrolled environmental conditions to more precisely meet their nutritional requirements by self-selection compared with feeding a fully-formulated diet. Choice feeding may also allow producers to use feed grains produced on their own farms to reduce transportation and milling. A study was conducted to determine the impact of choice feeding on performance in organic meat chickens. Pens of medium-growing chickens (20 birds per pen) were randomly assigned to one of 2 treatments: fully formulated diet (F) or choice (C) diet. There were 4 replications of these treatments. Birds were raised in floor pens in a naturally ventilated house; popholes provided access to grassy yards during the day. During the starter period (0–27 d), the C treatment received formulated feed as well as high-protein feed and grain, but during the grower/finisher period (28–64 d), only high-protein feed and grain. Birds were commercially processed at 64 d. The organic formulated diet had 21% CP, while the choice diet selected by birds from 28 to 34 d had 13.2% CP and the choice diet at 57–64 d was 12% CP. Performance data were subjected to a t-test. There was no difference between treatments in weight gain during the grower/finisher period, but overall weight gain was higher for F birds (P < 0.05). However, feed intake was higher and feed efficiency was inferior for F birds compared with C (P < 0.05). Although carcass weights and breast fillet weights were heavier in F birds, there was no difference in yields (carcass, breast, wing, or leg) between treatments (P > 0.05). The Choice diet was less expensive than the Fully Formulated diet ($0.58/kg based on the diet selected the last week of production vs. $0.66/kg). These data indicate that while F birds gained more weight than C, feed efficiency was poor and the opportunity for organic chickens to self-select feeds may be more efficient and save costs.