Effect of conditioning temperature on pellet quality, performance, nutrient digestibility, and processing yield of broilers
Martha Rueda, A.A. Rubio, Charles Starkey, F.J. Mussini, Wilmer J. Pacheco
Abstract
The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effect of conditioning temperature on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, and processing yield from 15 to 49 d of age. A total of 1,120 Ross 708 broilers were randomly distributed among 4 treatments with 10 replicate pens and 28 birds/pen. Treatments consisted of diets subjected to one of 4 conditioning temperatures (71, 77, 82, and 88°C). A common starter was fed as crumbles from 1 to 14 d of age, whereas experimental grower and finisher feeds were fed as whole pellets from 15 to 49 d of age. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was added as an indigestible marker (0.5%) during the grower phase (15–28 d) to determine nutrient digestibility. Feed intake (FI), BW gain, and FCR were determined at 14, 28, and 49 d of age. At 50 d, 10 birds/pen were randomly selected and processed for yield determination. Data were analyzed using ANOVA procedure and means were separated by Tukey HSD test. Increasing conditioning temperature from 71 to 88°C improved (P < 0.05) pellet durability and reduced percentage of fines by 9.73 and 8.78%, respectively. Conditioning temperature did not influence growth performance parameters. Increasing conditioning temperature from 71 to 82°C reduced (P < 0.05) crude protein digestibility and ileal digestible energy (IDE) by 6.41%, and 90 kcal/kg, respectively. Growth performance parameters of broilers were unaffected by conditioning temperatures notwithstanding its effect on feed quality and nutrient digestibility.