Production responses of layer strain hens to food restriction during rearing

Abstract

Production responses of laying hens to food restriction during rearing were measured in two trials. Food was restricted by two methods: time restriction (TR, food continuously available for 24 to 30 h each 72 h) and proportion restriction (PR, daily allocations of about 60 to 70% of that consumed by ad libitum fed birds (F]. The rearing treatments were applied from 42 to 162 d and from 56 to 168 d of age in experiments 1 and 2 respectively. All birds were fed ad libitum in the laying period to 437 d and 476 d of age in experiments 1 and 2 respectively. Body weight was reduced significantly in both experiments by both methods of restriction, but more so by TR. Marked compensatory growth accompanied the high food intake following the end of food restriction. There was a significant increase in average egg weight concommitant with a change in the relationship between egg weight and age. Possibly this is due to an altered pattern of food intake at onset of lay.