Effect of feeding frequency on dietary nutrient utilization and growth of Hepu geese

ObjectiveThe objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of feeding frequency on dietary nutrient utilization and growth performance of geese.MethodThirty-six 21-day-old Hepu geese with similar body weight were randomly divided into 2 groups with 3 replicates.Each replicate had 6 geese (3 male and 3 female) and fed in a pen for a feeding trial for 42 days after an adaptive period of a week.The geese in control group were fed 6times daily at 8:00,10:00,12:00,14:30,17:00 and 21:00,but geese in treatment group were just fed 3 times daily at 8:00,14:30 and 21:00.All the geese were provided ad libitum access to the water and feed.The determinations of apparent digestibility of dietary nutrients,serum biochemical parameters and slaughter traits of geese were also conducted in late period of the trial.ResultThe results showed that no difference was found in average daily feed intake,average daily gain and ratio of feed/gain in early period and late period of the trial (P >0.05 ).The apparent digestibility of NDF and hemicelluloses in diet for treatment group was significantly better than that in diet for control group (P<0.05).The other nutrients in treatment geese also showed a tendency of higher apparent digestibility than control diet,but no significant difference was found between the two diets through statistical analysis (P>0.05).The serum biochemical parameters and slaughter traits of geese between the two groups had no significant difference either (P>0.05).ConclusionFeeding the geese 3 times a day is feasible after geese age of 28 d in practical geese feeding industry.