Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Hamedan, Iran.

2 Department of Animal Science, Bu-Ali Sina university, Faculty of Agriculture

3 Animal Science Research Institute, Karaj, Iran.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of the feed form on characteristics of litter, quality characteristics of foot and breast and tibia bone indices in broilers. A total of 936 broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to 3 treatments (mash, pellet and extrude) with 12 replicates and 26 day-old chicks in each pen that were reared for 6 weeks. Litter quality (PH, Moisture, Total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and nitrogen retention) values, the counts of the microbial populations (bacterial and fungi), foot and carcass lesions (lameness, footpad lesions, hock burns and breast blisters), calcium and phosphorus content of tibia bone and tibia bone characteristics (length, diameter, weight, weight percent, strength of fragility) were determined at 42 days of age and mortality was recorded daily.
The results have shown that the greater percentage of the moisture, TVN, nitrogen and the lower counts of the spore bacteria and fungi of litter were found by extrude diet form. There is no significant difference on footpad dermatitis, breast blister, calcium and phosphorus of bone and tibia bone characteristics, but the higher rate of hock burns, lameness and percentage of the mortality were observed by pellet and extrude diet form compared with mash diet form in broiler chicken. So pellet and extrude diet form have shown negative effects on values of the moisture, TVN, nitrogen of litter and percentage of mortality and increased incidence of hock burn and lameness in broilers compared with mash diet form.

Keywords

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