Nutrient Utilization in Mewari Chicks Fed Different Levels of Metabolizable Energy under Intensive System

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the dietary energy requirements of Mewari chicks reared under an intensive system in Southern Rajasthan. A total of 510 one-day-old, single-hatched Mewari chicks were randomly distributed into 5 dietary treatment groups. Each treatment group received a diet formulated to provide different levels of metabolizable energy 2600 (T1), 2700 (T2), 2800 (T3), 2900 (T4), and 3000 (T5) kcal ME/kg, while maintaining a constant crude protein level of 20%. Each treatment was replicated 6 times with 17 chicks per replicate. The chicks were housed in deep litter cages of dimension 5 ft × 3 ft × 2.5 ft and reared for a duration of 8 weeks under uniform management conditions. Significant higher digestible intake of DM, CP, EE, CF and NFE were observed in groups fed 17 and 18% CP than other groups. The digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract were significantly higher (P