Efficiency of metabolisable energy utilisation by commercial broilers and indigenous chickens in Malaysia

J. B. Liang, B. Fierkens, J. J. Roch and E. A. Engku Azahan

Abstract

Growth rates and efficiencies of metabolisable energy (ME) utilisation by brown commercial broilers and indigenous chickens were estimated in a feeding trial in MARDI Research Station, Serdang, Malaysia. Daily growth rate measured from 2 to 7 weeks of age for the commercial broilers (30.0 g) was three times higher (p <0.01) than that of the indigenous chickens (10.5 g). Daily ad libitum intake measured when the animals were 6 to 7 weeks of age was 91.6 g and 41.2 g for the commercial broilers and the indigenous chickens, respectively. Feed conversion ratio calculated from the above values was 3.1 g/g gain for the commercial broilers and 3.9 g/g gain for the indigenous chickens. Efficiency (k value) of ME use for net energy retention for the commercial broilers (0.81) was 1.5 times (p <0.05) that of the indigenous chickens (0.56). The results indicate that the commercial broilers grew faster and were energetically more efficient than the indigenous chickens, presumably due to higher rate of fat deposition and lower energy maintenance requirement for the former.

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