Impaired nutrient utilization associated with pale bird syndrome in broiler chicks

Energy utilization and lipid absorption were studied in chickens having the symptoms of the pale bird syndrome (PBS). Chicks with PBS and also ones that appeared "normal" were taken from a commercial farm and compared to control chicks raised at the University of Georgia (UGA). The PBS chicks utilized dietary energy and absorbed lipids substantially less than the normal birds from the commercial farm. Differences in lipid absorption alone did not account for the discrepancy in metabolizable energy between the two groups, suggesting that absorption of non-lipid dietary components was also affected. Both of the commercial groups of chicks showed a lesser ability to utilize dietary energy and absorb lipid than the UGA control chicks, indicating that the normal chicks may also have been affected by the disease.