Effect of Replacing Dietary Corn with Broken Rice on Goose Growth Performance, Body Size and Bare Skin Color

This study investigated the effect of replacing dietary corn with broken rice (BR) on goose growth performance, body size and bare skin color. In total, 240 28-day-old healthy male Yangzhou goslings with similar body weight (BW) were randomly divided into five groups, with six replicates per group and eight geese per replicate. The control group was fed with a corn-soybean meal. The BR₂₅, BR₅₀, BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ groups had 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of corn replaced with BR, respectively (corresponding to 15.95%, 31.88%, 47.63% and 62.92% of BR in the feed, respectively), each with constant metabolizable energy (ME) to crude protein (CP) ratio (ME/CP). At 28, 42, 56 and 70 d, BW and feed intake for each pen were measured. Blood was collected, and body size and bare skin color were evaluated at 70 d. The results showed that different BR replacement proportions had no effect on BW at 42, 56 or 70 d or on average daily feed intake (ADFI) or average daily gain (ADG) from 28 to 42 d (p > 0.05) but BR₅₀ and BR₇₅ decreased the feed/gain ratio (F/G) from 28 to 42 d (p < 0.05). From 42 to 56 d, BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ geese had a lower ADFI than the control geese (p < 0.05), and BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ geese had a lower F/G than the BR₂₅ geese (p < 0.05). Group BR₅₀, BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ geese had a lower ADFI from 56 to 70 d than the control geese (p < 0.05). From 28 to 70 d, BR₅₀, BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ groups had a lower ADFI (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the control and BR₂₅ groups had a higher flipper score than the BR₅₀, BR₇₅ and BR₁₀₀ groups (p < 0.05), and the control group had a higher flipper score than the BR₂₅ group (p < 0.05). All BR groups reduced the bill scoring (p < 0.05). Different BR replacement proportions did not negatively affect serum biochemical variable at 70 d (p > 0.05). Overall, under these conditions, BR can totally replace corn in goose diets, and we recommend 75% replacement of corn with BR from 28 to 70 d.