The effect of using whole wheat grain in the diet of game pheasants on their body weight, dimensions and development of some internal organs.

The supplementation of game pheasant diet from 5 weeks of age with 30% whole wheat grain instead of feed mixture did not significantly affect their body weight nor most body dimensions. Female and male pheasants fed a diet containing wheat grain had smaller body and trunk lengths, greater chest circumference and greater length of breastbone, and lower thigh and shank size. Female pheasants were characterized by higher indices of compactness and long-leggedness, whereas male pheasants had higher indices of massiveness, compactness and long-leggedness than pheasants fed only feed mixtures. Cock pheasants receiving the wheat diet also had a statistically shorter trunk, however, hens possessed a statistically longer lower thigh. Length of intestine (174.2 cm) and individual parts of the intestine (small intestine 119.9 cm; caeca 43 cm; rectum 11.3 cm) was greater in cocks fed whole wheat grain compared to cocks receiving only feed mixtures (156.1; 107.6; 38.8; 9.7 cm, respectively). An opposite cocks was found in hens. Supplementation of whole wheat grain in the diets significantly (P < or = 0.05) increased liver weight and percentage in females and significantly decreased testicular weight and percentage in males. It was also found that females of both feed-treatment groups had significantly lower weights ofheart, liver and spleen, and hens fed only feed mixtures were also characterized by a significantly lower weight of the proventriculus.