Effect of stocking density on performance of broiler chickens

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of stocking density on growth performance of broiler chickens reared at five stocking densities (i.e., 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 birds/m2) up to 35 days of age in an open-sided house at the University farm. A total of 180 Ross 308 broiler chicks were obtained from a commercial hatchery and raised together on deep litter for 35 days. At 2 weeks of age birds were randomly assigned to five stocking densities in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) experiment. Each treatment group of birds was replicated four times and kept in pens measuring 1 m × 1 m. Parameters studied were body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality rate. Results showed that generally BW, BWG and feed intake were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by stocking density while mortality and FCR were not affected. Higher BW, BWG and feed intake values were found for birds reared at 10 and 12 birds/m2, indicating that these stocking densities gave desirable results. These results indicate that increasing the stock density beyond 12 birds/m2has negative effects on the growth performance of commercial broiler chickens.