Feed Intake Responses of Mature White Leghorn Chickens to Changes in Feed Density

Abstract

We compared feed intake responses of White Leghorn pullets to the dilution of corn-soybean meal, mash diets with cellulose (20%) to decrease feed density and with sand (20%) to increase feed density. Although isocaloric, the intakes of the cellulose-supplemented (CS) and sand-supplemented (SS) diets differed significantly. During the initial period of 24 hr after the diets were assigned, pullets fed the CS diet consumed significantly less feed than controls while those fed the SS diet ate about the same amount as the controls. These differences in feed consumption did not appear to correspond to differences in feed density. Over a period of 49 days, the pullets fed the CS diet consumed significantly more feed but fewer calories, exhibited decreased egg production, and gained less weight than the controls. The caloric intake, egg production, and body weight gain of the pullets fed the SS diet did not significantly differ from control values during this 49-day period. When the pullets fed the CS and SS diets were switched to the basal diet, those previously fed the CS diet initially increased both feed and caloric intakes while those previously fed the SS diet increased caloric intakes. About 10 days were required to compensate to the change in diet.