Relationships between dietary protein, dietary energy, rearing environment, and nutrient utilization by broiler breeder pullets.

The relationship between dietary energy and protein and their interaction with method of restriction and environment were studied. In Experiment 1, two isocaloric diets (2750 kcal/kg) formulated to contain either 13.5% or 15.5% protein were fed to broiler breeder pullets from hatching through 21 weeks of age. There were no significant differences in body weight due to dietary protein but chicks fed the 13.5% protein ration did require a significantly greater quantity of feed to produce an equivalent body weight. Sexual maturity, peak egg production, and egg size were not affected by the level of dietary protein but total egg production was significantly decreased in pullets fed the 13.5% protein diet. In Experiment 2, 2970 kcal/kg ration containing 15.5% protein was fed to pullets that were reared under two different lighting environments, natural daylength or 24 hr light for the first 7 days and 8 hr light per day thereafter. Pullets housed in the controlled environment and reared on an every-other-day restriction program had significantly improved feed utilization compared with similarly restricted birds kept under natural light. Environmental effects on feed utilization were not as great in the every day restriction treatment. Chicks exposed to natural daylight and fed 15.5% protein diets had similar caloric efficiencies (kcal/g) at 15 weeks of age in both experiments despite dietary density differences of 220 kcal/kg. This supports a hypothesis that above some minimal level of protein intake, caloric intake has the greatest control over body weight gain in restricted pullets, particularly where every-other-day feeding is used during part of the growing period.