The relative energy requirement of male vs female broilers and turkeys

Three models to estimate energy requirement as a function of growth curve pattern were applied to controlled experimental data of male vs female of broilers and turkeys. The share of maintenance out of total feed requirement was 55% for the average of the three models with major divergence due to age. Comparison of the ratio between actual and estimated feed consumption reveals that the relative energy requirement was always lower in females than in males in the range of 5 to 10% for the three models, with an average of 7.7%. It appears, therefore, that in estimating the energy requirement for use in practical feeding, specific models should be assigned for males and females in both broilers and turkeys.