An experiment was conducted with 1120 Hubbard broiler to study the use of feed restriction on the performance and the carcass characteristics of the broiler chickens. Four levels of feed restriction (0.0, 15.0, 30.0 and 45%), two sex, and two periods (from 8 to 14 and from 8 to 17 days of age) were tested. A completely randomized design with four replicates and 20 birds per experimental unit was used. Body weight, weight gain, diet intake, non-edible viscera, abdominal fat, carcass yield, legs and breast yield reduced in the higher levels of feed restriction, however there was improvement in the feed:gain ratio. The edible viscera increased up to level of 22.29%of feed restriction and the breast meat reduced only in the higher levels of feed restriction, which indicates the small viability of the application of the feed restriction programs.
carcass characteristics; performance; broiler chick; feed restriction
