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Effect of Environment on Growth and Feed and Water Consumption of Chickens

II. The Effect of Temperature and Humidity of Environment during the First Eighteen Days after Hatch

Two Figures

Animal Husbandry Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland¹

Chickens were housed in a controlled environment without a hover for the first 18 days after hatch, to determine the optimum temperature for growth and efficiency of feed utilization. Thirty chickens were used for each experiment and a total of 53 experiments were performed. Equipment, feed formulas and routine of procedure were the same as for work reported in a pevious paper by the present authors ('47).

The temperature during the first 9 days was kept at the optimum as reported in the first paper: i.e., 94°–95°F., at the start, and then dropped uniformly to 87°–88°F. on the 9th day. For the period from the 9th to the 18th days the temperature was varied with different lots of chickens from a temperature of 87°–88°F. on the 9th day to temperatures ranging from 86°–70°F. on the 18th day.

Maximum growth over the period from the 9th to the 18th day was found when the temperature dropped uniformly from 87°F. on the 9th day to 80°F. on the 18th day. The growth under these conditions equaled a 130% increase in weight over the weight on the 9th day.

The efficiency of feed utilization rose from a value of 0.43 on the 9th day to 0.49 on the 18th day. Both growth and efficiency became less as the temperature was varied either way from the range noted for maximum growth, and the greater the variation the greater the difference.

The amount of feed consumed increased approximately 1 gm per day per chick. On the 18th day after hatch the chicks consumed approximately 2.02 gm of feed for each gram gain in weight and drank approximately 1.55 gm of water for each gram of feed eaten.

Humidity seems to make little if any difference in growth within the range here reported.

Manuscript received 23 July 1948.