Effects of Fasting Period and Enzyme Supplementation on Performance and Some Physiological Responses of Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fasting period with or without enzyme supplementation on body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio; carcass traits and blood parameters of broilers. One hundred sixty eight, one day old, Cobb broiler chicks were randomly distributed into eight treatments. Each treatment included three replicates each with 7 birds. Birds were distributed into two basal diet groups. The first diet group was subdivided into 4 treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4) which were supplemented with enzymatic growth promoters VETA –ZYME PLUS A 250 g/ton. The second diet group was also subdivided into 4 treatment groups (T5, T6, T7 and T8) without supplementation. In the first or the second group, the feed was offered to the birds as following: T1, T5: birds were fed ad libitum, T2 and T6 (feed removed from 12:00 to 18:00 am during a day), T3 and T7 (feed removed from 23.00 to 7:00 during a day) and T4 and T8 (removed feed from 23:00 to 9:00 during a day). The results indicated that feed restriction systems with or without enzyme supplementation did significantly affect feed intake, live body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion at starter, grower and whole periods. Feed restriction did not significantly affected carcass traits and blood parameters during the whole periods.