Grower diets and bird density effects on growth and cannibalism in ring-necked pheasants

The effects of bird density and dietary protein and energy level on growth rate and feather pecking in Ring-Necked pheasants were investigated in two experiments. After brooding, pheasants in Experiment 1 were housed at densities of .19, .38, or .74 m2/bird and fed grower diets containing 16, 19, or 22% protein. Experiment 2 pheasants were housed at .4 m2/bird and fed diets containing 16 or 22% protein with energy levels of 2530, 2750, 2970, or 3190 kcal/kg. Body weight was not affected by bird density differences, but feather pecking was significantly reduced by increasing floor space per bird. Body weight, cannibalism, and feed conversion were poorer in groups fed the 16% protein diet than those fed the 19 or 22% protein diets. Body weight gains, feed efficiency, and feather pecking scores improved as the energy content of grower diets increased. Significant interactions existed between dietary protein and bird density and between dietary protein and energy for feather picking in pheasants. Total performance was best for groups fed a grower diet of 22% protein and 2970 kcal/kg metabolizable energy level with a floor space of .38 m2 or greater per bird.