Effect of Feed Restriction on the Economics of Broiler Production

Despite that the financial efficiency of boiler feed restriction is not deeply studied, feed restriction could be a promising strategy to enhance the economic and financial performance of broiler production in the long turn. Restricted feeding has been used to alleviate the negative effects of ad libitum feeding of fast-growing modern broiler strains. Feed restriction is also claimed to improve feed efficiency, reduce abdominal fat pad deposition and reduce feed costs. Diluting diets with inter-filler in-digestible materials, providing lesser feed amounts than usual by limiting feeding time and reducing the energy and/or protein levels in the diets could also be useful strategies to reduce the feed costs of commercial diets. The objective of the present paper is to give a brief review of boiler nutrition, feed restriction methods and feed restriction as means to improve the economic performance of broiler chicks. The review is based on the original articles that dealt with adopting feed restrictions during the starter and the finisher periods. It is concluded that early and late age feed restriction programs could be effective strategies to improve the financial feasibility of the broiler production sector.