Energy cost of physical activities in growing broilers.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Physiology
• Poultry Science

Background:

• The time-energy budget method is vital for estimating energy expenditure in animals.
• Accurate energy cost data for specific physical activities (PA) in broilers is lacking.
• This gap hinders precise energy budget calculations for growing broiler chickens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the energy cost of specific physical activities (PA) in growing broilers.
• To provide foundational data for refining the time-energy budget method in poultry.

Main Methods:

• An indirect calorimetry system was developed to measure oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production in individual birds.
• Five broilers (1.5–2.5 kg body weight) were used in a replicated trial.
• Heat production (HP) was measured during resting and specific PAs (feeding, drinking, standing), with PA duration recorded via video analysis.

Main Results:

• Energy costs were determined for eating (0.607 cal/kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵/s), drinking (0.352 cal/kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵/s), and standing (0.938 cal/kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵/s).
• These values represent the increase in heat production above resting metabolic rate due to specific activities.
• The Brouwer equation was utilized to calculate heat production from gas exchange data.

Conclusions:

• This study successfully estimated the energy costs associated with key physical activities in growing broilers.
• The quantified energy expenditure data can enhance the accuracy of time-energy budget models for poultry.
• Findings contribute to a better understanding of broiler energy metabolism and nutritional management.