Development of digestive organs of female broilers under varying post-hatch fasting times

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of post-hatch fasting time on the weights of body and digestive organs of chicks. Fertile eggs from 62-week-old broiler breeders (Cobb Fast lineage) were incubated and, after hatching, female chicks were randomly divided into six treatments, which corresponded to fasting periods (0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours), with 40 chicks per treatment. At 01, 03, 06, and 10 days after hatching, measurements of body weight; residual yolk weight; relative weights of proventriculus + gizzard, intestine + pancreas and liver; and intestine total length were made. At 6 days of age, the chicks submitted to post-hatch fasting, for up to 12 hours, demonstrated greater development, with body weights higher than the other birds. Yet, when fed, no compensatory gain was observed and, at 10 days of age, the birds submitted to 48- and 72-h fasting remained with a lower body development. Intestine growth was also compromised by post-hatch fasting, being reduced in both weight and length. A post-hatching fasting of up to 24 hours did not interfere with the weights of body and digestive organs of 10-day-old female broiler chickens. However, 48- and 72-h post-hatch fastings affected adversely the weight and growth of digestive organs in the birds.