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Force Feeding Methodology and Equipment for Poultry1
Force Feeding Methodology and Equipment for Poultry1 R. G. TEETER, M. 0 . SMITH, and E. MURRAY Animal Science Department H. HALL Physics and Chemistry Instrument Shop, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078 (Received for publication June 6, 1983)
1984 Poultry Science 63:573-575 INTRODUCTION Feed c o n s u m p t i o n b y broiler chicks is highly correlated with b o d y weight gain (Nir and Shapira, 1 9 7 4 ) . Many factors such as genetic background (Bordas and Merat, 1 9 8 1 ) , caloric density (Dale and Fuller, 1 9 7 9 ; Smith et al., 1 9 8 2 ) , a m i n o acid balance (Waldroup et al, 1976), and e n v i r o n m e n t a l t e m p e r a t u r e (Adams et al, 1 9 6 2 ) are k n o w n t o impact feed intake. However, feed intake m u s t be controlled to study metabolic p a r a m e t e r s , t o d e t e r m i n e metabolizable energy values of feed, a n d t o evaluate ceilings on broiler productivity imposed b y feed c o n s u m p t i o n . Broiler chicks are frequently either pair fed o r force fed to control feed intake. With traditional pair feeding, birds are restricted t o t h e feed cons u m p t i o n of t h e animal consuming t h e least a m o u n t ; however, because feed intake and feeding p a t t e r n are correlated with productivity, and e x p e r i m e n t a l treatments may influence feed intake, artifically reducing feed intake could lead t o e r r o n e o u s conclusions. F o r c e feeding t e c h n i q u e s enable studies t o be c o n d u c t e d at c o n s u m p t i o n levels at, above, or
'Journal Article No. 4331 of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater, OK. 2 MSDAGVET, Division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065. 3 Devcon Corporation, Danver, MD 01923.
below voluntary intake. Historically, force feeding has b e e n accomplished b y inserting a glass t u b e c o n n e c t e d to a funnel into t h e bird's crop a n d inserting pellets (Sibbald, 1 9 7 6 ) or pouring solutions (Wehner et al., 1980) into t h e crop. Such t e c h n i q u e s are laborious, t i m e consuming (3 t o 13 m i n per b i r d ; Wehner and Harrold, 1 9 8 2 ) , and n o t conducive t o routine e x p e r i m e n t a l use. MATERIALS AND METHODS A force feeding gun (Fig. 1) was c o n s t r u c t e d from a medigun trigger assembly, 2 n y l o n plunger plus 0 ring, threaded a l u m i n u m pipe, lucite t u b e insert, lucite t h r e a d e d female insert, thinwall funnel, stainless steel insert, and t y g o n t u b e in t h e following steps: 1) t h e stock m e t a l plunger was replaced with a n y l o n plunger plus 0 ring t o snugly fit t h e lucite t u b e ; 2) a 28.5 X 4 8 m m d i a m e t e r a l u m i n u m pipe was m a c h i n e d t o screw into t h e medigun assembly and accept t h e lucite t u b e insert; 3) a 230.5 X 5 8 . 0 m m lucite t u b e insert was machined at t h e p r o x i m a l end to accept a lucite t h r e a d e d female insert; 4) a thinwall 30.0 m m d i a m e t e r funnel w a s m a c h i n e d t o a fit female t h r e a d e d insert; 5) a thinwall 4 0 X 8 m m stainless steel t u b e insert was pressed into t h e funnel. 6) all inserts were glued with d e v c o n 3 e p o x y ; and 7) a 203 m m S-50-HL t y g o n t u b e was a t t a c h e d t o t h e stainless steel insert with a hose clamp. F o r c e feeding is accomplished by taring t h e g u n o n an
573
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
ABSTRACT Methodology and equipment for rapidly force feeding poultry meals of a specific size has been developed and tested in vivo. The force feeding method utilizes a feeding gun constructed from readily available materials and ground poultry feed combined with water. At the proper feed to water ratio, feed administered by the gun is free flowing and of constant dry matter content. To test the procedure, 5-week-old broiler chicks were force fed three times per day for 14 days quantum sufficient to simulate consumption by birds receiving feed ad libitum. The two groups had similar (P>.1) body weight gains, percent dry matter and starch digestibility, feed efficiency, digesta passage rate, and dressing percentage. Each bird could be fed in less than 30 sec. (Key words: force feading methods, force feeding equipment)
TEETER ETAL.
574
H\
TABLE 1. Ration
Ingredient G r o u n d corn grain Soybean meal (44%) Corn oil Meat and b o n e meal Corn gluten meal Polyethylene Dicalcium p h o s p h a t e Calcium c a r b o n a t e Vitamin mix NaCl DL-Methionine Chromic oxide 1
composition
Numerical 1 name 4-02-931 5-04-604 4-07-822 5-00-388 5-02-900 6-01-080 6-01-069 6-14-013
(%) 41.0 33 10 5 5 3 1 .9 .5 .3 .2 .1
National Academy of Sciences (1971).
T h e composition of t h e basal diet is presented in Table 1. Several feed t o w a t e r ratios were evaluated. A m i x t u r e of 4 5 % feed and 5 5 % H 2 0 was found to flow easily t h r o u g h the gun at c o n s t a n t dry m a t t e r delivery. The diet was formulated to be a d e q u a t e in all n u t r i e n t s . C h r o m i c oxide was included so t h a t diet and starch digestibility could be estimated with small fecal samples. Fecal samples were collected daily on Days 10 to 14 and composited for c h r o m i u m and starch analysis b y t h e
TABLE 2. Dry matter (DM) consumption, body weight gain, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, ration digestibility, starch digestibility, and digesta passage rate of birds fed ad libitum and by the force feeding technique1 Feeding technique Ad libitum Daily dry matter consumption/body weight, g/day Body weight gain, g/day Feed DiM/gain Dressing percentage Diet DM digestibility, % Starch digestibility, % Digesta passage rate, min ' Each value is mean ± the standard error of the mean.
.088 58.7 .55 68.5 73.5 99 263
± + +
± +
± ±
Force fed .007 .9 .02 .7 1.6 .4 11.2
.088 59.1 .56 67.7 75.0 99 231
± ± ± ± t ± ±
.001 1.2 .02 1.0 1.9 .2 9.8
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
FIG. 1, Force feeding gun components: (A) medigun trigger, (B) nylon plunger plus 0 ring, (C) threaded aluminum pipe, (D) lucite tube insert, (E) lucite threaded female insert, (F) thinwall funnel, (G) stainless steel insert, (H) tygon tube.
electronic scale, inserting t h e t y g o n t u b e into t h e bird's crop, delivering t h e a p p r o x i m a t e q u a n t i t y of feed, reweighing the gun (negative value o n scale represents t h e a m o u n t of feed delivered), and repeating t h e process if necessary. A r b o r Acres x L a n c e t chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal starter diet during t h e first 4 weeks posthatching. On t h e 1st day of the 4 t h week posthatching, following an overnight fast, 24 chicks were weighed and allotted to two e x p e r i m e n t a l groups at r a n d o m . Birds were individually placed in 305 X 381 m m wire cages housed in a thermostatically controlled r o o m m a i n t a i n e d at 2 4 C with a 12-hr light-dark schedule. Water was provided ad libitum t h r o u g h o u t t h e assay period. Feed c o n s u m p t i o n by birds consuming feed ad libitum ( G r o u p 1) was m o n i t o r e d daily and coupled with b o d y weight to c o m p u t e c o n s u m p t i o n / b o d y weight. Force-fed birds were weighed and fed accordingly an a m o u n t of feed equal t o one-third c o n s u m p t i o n per b o d y weight of t h e ad libitum g r o u p a t 1. 5, and 9 h r of t h e light cycle.
RESEARCH NOTE Stevenson ( 1 9 6 2 ) and t h e Macrae and Armstrong ( 1 9 6 8 ) procedures, respectively. R a t e of digesta passage was e s t i m a t e d b y force feeding birds 2 0 g feed containing 1% ferric oxide and recording t h e t i m e of first ferric oxide appearance in feces p o s t d o s e . RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In vivo d a t a are displayed in Table 2. Equal intakes were attained for t h e experimental period. Body weight gains, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, diet dry m a t t e r digestibility, and starch digestibility were similar ( P > . 1 ) for t h e two sets of birds. R a t e of digesta passage did n o t differ b e t w e e n t r e a t m e n t s , although it was 12% faster ( P < . 1 ) for birds fed by t h e new t e c h n i q u e . T h e average t i m e required for t w o people t o force feed each bird was less t h a n 30 sec p e r meal. F o r c e fed birds exhibited n o signs of discomfort during or after feeding and did n o t regurgitate food. T h e simplicity of this p r o c e d u r e should simplify feed intake e x p e r i m e n t s in t h e future.
REFERENCES Adams, R. C , F. N. Andrews, E. E. Garner, W. E. Fontaine, and C. W. Carrick, 1962. The effects of environmental temperature on the growth and nutritional requirements of the chick. Poultry Sci. 41:1801-1806. Bordas, A., and P. Merat, 1981. Genetic variation and phenotypic correlations of food consumption of laying hens corrected for body weight and production. Br. Poult. Sci. 2 2 : 2 5 - 3 3 . Dale, N. M., and H. L. Fuller, 1979. Effect of diet composition on feed intake and growth of chicks under heat stress. I. Dietary fat levels. Poultry Sci. 58:1529-1534. Macrae, J. C , and D. G. Armstrong, 1968. Enzyme method for determination of alpha-linked glucose polymers in biological methods. J. Sci. Food Agric. 19:578-581. National Academy of Sciences, 1971. Atlas of Nutritional Data on United States and Canadian Feeds., Washington, DC. Nir, I., and N. Shapira, 1974. Force-feeding effects on growth, carcass and blood composition in the young chick. Br. J. Nutr. 32:229-239. Sibbald, H. R., 1976. A bioassay for true metabolizable energy in feedstuffs. Poultry Sci. 55: 303-308. Smith, M. O., S. R. Rust, and R. G. Teeter, 1982. Influence of age and fat level upon rate of digesta passage in poultry. Poultry Sci. 61:1548. (Abstr.) Stevenson, A. E., 1962. Measurements of feed intake by grazing cattle and sheep. VIII. Some observations on the accuracy of the chromic oxide technique for the estimation of feces output of dairy cattle. N.Z.J. Agric. Res. 5:339-347. Waldroup, P. W., R. J. Mitchell, J. R. Payne, and K. R. Hazen, 1976. Performance of chicks fed diets formulated to minimize excess levels of essential amino acids. Poultry Sci. 55:243—253. Wehner, G. R., R. L. Harrold, and M. Wanapat, 1980. True metabolizable energy of sprouted wheat. North Dakota Farm Res. Bull. 47. Wehner, G. R., and R. L. Harrold, 1982. The effect of feeding techniques on the true metabolizable energy value of yellow corn. Poultry Sci. 6 1 : 595-597.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
T h e force feeding a p p a r a t u s was found to deliver a constant feed t o water ratio througho u t t h e delivery of t h e g u n c o n t e n t s . Feed particle size and dry m a t t e r c o n t e n t of t h e diet t o be force fed should be designed t o p e r m i t t h e resultant m i x t u r e t o be fed h o m o g e n o u s l y . Large particles m a y b e c o m e e n t r a p p e d at t h e n e c k of t h e gun, which will increase t h e pressure needed t o force feed o u t of t h e gun. Dry m a t t e r c o n t e n t s over 50% increase t h e pressure required for feeding while excess w a t e r permits feed-water separation. Because feed particle size and diet water binding capacity m a y vary with e x p e r i m e n t a l rations, diets need t o be individually tested for o p t i m a l feed/water ratios.
575
1984 Poultry Science 63:573-575 INTRODUCTION Feed c o n s u m p t i o n b y broiler chicks is highly correlated with b o d y weight gain (Nir and Shapira, 1 9 7 4 ) . Many factors such as genetic background (Bordas and Merat, 1 9 8 1 ) , caloric density (Dale and Fuller, 1 9 7 9 ; Smith et al., 1 9 8 2 ) , a m i n o acid balance (Waldroup et al, 1976), and e n v i r o n m e n t a l t e m p e r a t u r e (Adams et al, 1 9 6 2 ) are k n o w n t o impact feed intake. However, feed intake m u s t be controlled to study metabolic p a r a m e t e r s , t o d e t e r m i n e metabolizable energy values of feed, a n d t o evaluate ceilings on broiler productivity imposed b y feed c o n s u m p t i o n . Broiler chicks are frequently either pair fed o r force fed to control feed intake. With traditional pair feeding, birds are restricted t o t h e feed cons u m p t i o n of t h e animal consuming t h e least a m o u n t ; however, because feed intake and feeding p a t t e r n are correlated with productivity, and e x p e r i m e n t a l treatments may influence feed intake, artifically reducing feed intake could lead t o e r r o n e o u s conclusions. F o r c e feeding t e c h n i q u e s enable studies t o be c o n d u c t e d at c o n s u m p t i o n levels at, above, or
'Journal Article No. 4331 of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater, OK. 2 MSDAGVET, Division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065. 3 Devcon Corporation, Danver, MD 01923.
below voluntary intake. Historically, force feeding has b e e n accomplished b y inserting a glass t u b e c o n n e c t e d to a funnel into t h e bird's crop a n d inserting pellets (Sibbald, 1 9 7 6 ) or pouring solutions (Wehner et al., 1980) into t h e crop. Such t e c h n i q u e s are laborious, t i m e consuming (3 t o 13 m i n per b i r d ; Wehner and Harrold, 1 9 8 2 ) , and n o t conducive t o routine e x p e r i m e n t a l use. MATERIALS AND METHODS A force feeding gun (Fig. 1) was c o n s t r u c t e d from a medigun trigger assembly, 2 n y l o n plunger plus 0 ring, threaded a l u m i n u m pipe, lucite t u b e insert, lucite t h r e a d e d female insert, thinwall funnel, stainless steel insert, and t y g o n t u b e in t h e following steps: 1) t h e stock m e t a l plunger was replaced with a n y l o n plunger plus 0 ring t o snugly fit t h e lucite t u b e ; 2) a 28.5 X 4 8 m m d i a m e t e r a l u m i n u m pipe was m a c h i n e d t o screw into t h e medigun assembly and accept t h e lucite t u b e insert; 3) a 230.5 X 5 8 . 0 m m lucite t u b e insert was machined at t h e p r o x i m a l end to accept a lucite t h r e a d e d female insert; 4) a thinwall 30.0 m m d i a m e t e r funnel w a s m a c h i n e d t o a fit female t h r e a d e d insert; 5) a thinwall 4 0 X 8 m m stainless steel t u b e insert was pressed into t h e funnel. 6) all inserts were glued with d e v c o n 3 e p o x y ; and 7) a 203 m m S-50-HL t y g o n t u b e was a t t a c h e d t o t h e stainless steel insert with a hose clamp. F o r c e feeding is accomplished by taring t h e g u n o n an
573
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
ABSTRACT Methodology and equipment for rapidly force feeding poultry meals of a specific size has been developed and tested in vivo. The force feeding method utilizes a feeding gun constructed from readily available materials and ground poultry feed combined with water. At the proper feed to water ratio, feed administered by the gun is free flowing and of constant dry matter content. To test the procedure, 5-week-old broiler chicks were force fed three times per day for 14 days quantum sufficient to simulate consumption by birds receiving feed ad libitum. The two groups had similar (P>.1) body weight gains, percent dry matter and starch digestibility, feed efficiency, digesta passage rate, and dressing percentage. Each bird could be fed in less than 30 sec. (Key words: force feading methods, force feeding equipment)
TEETER ETAL.
574
H\
TABLE 1. Ration
Ingredient G r o u n d corn grain Soybean meal (44%) Corn oil Meat and b o n e meal Corn gluten meal Polyethylene Dicalcium p h o s p h a t e Calcium c a r b o n a t e Vitamin mix NaCl DL-Methionine Chromic oxide 1
composition
Numerical 1 name 4-02-931 5-04-604 4-07-822 5-00-388 5-02-900 6-01-080 6-01-069 6-14-013
(%) 41.0 33 10 5 5 3 1 .9 .5 .3 .2 .1
National Academy of Sciences (1971).
T h e composition of t h e basal diet is presented in Table 1. Several feed t o w a t e r ratios were evaluated. A m i x t u r e of 4 5 % feed and 5 5 % H 2 0 was found to flow easily t h r o u g h the gun at c o n s t a n t dry m a t t e r delivery. The diet was formulated to be a d e q u a t e in all n u t r i e n t s . C h r o m i c oxide was included so t h a t diet and starch digestibility could be estimated with small fecal samples. Fecal samples were collected daily on Days 10 to 14 and composited for c h r o m i u m and starch analysis b y t h e
TABLE 2. Dry matter (DM) consumption, body weight gain, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, ration digestibility, starch digestibility, and digesta passage rate of birds fed ad libitum and by the force feeding technique1 Feeding technique Ad libitum Daily dry matter consumption/body weight, g/day Body weight gain, g/day Feed DiM/gain Dressing percentage Diet DM digestibility, % Starch digestibility, % Digesta passage rate, min ' Each value is mean ± the standard error of the mean.
.088 58.7 .55 68.5 73.5 99 263
± + +
± +
± ±
Force fed .007 .9 .02 .7 1.6 .4 11.2
.088 59.1 .56 67.7 75.0 99 231
± ± ± ± t ± ±
.001 1.2 .02 1.0 1.9 .2 9.8
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
FIG. 1, Force feeding gun components: (A) medigun trigger, (B) nylon plunger plus 0 ring, (C) threaded aluminum pipe, (D) lucite tube insert, (E) lucite threaded female insert, (F) thinwall funnel, (G) stainless steel insert, (H) tygon tube.
electronic scale, inserting t h e t y g o n t u b e into t h e bird's crop, delivering t h e a p p r o x i m a t e q u a n t i t y of feed, reweighing the gun (negative value o n scale represents t h e a m o u n t of feed delivered), and repeating t h e process if necessary. A r b o r Acres x L a n c e t chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal starter diet during t h e first 4 weeks posthatching. On t h e 1st day of the 4 t h week posthatching, following an overnight fast, 24 chicks were weighed and allotted to two e x p e r i m e n t a l groups at r a n d o m . Birds were individually placed in 305 X 381 m m wire cages housed in a thermostatically controlled r o o m m a i n t a i n e d at 2 4 C with a 12-hr light-dark schedule. Water was provided ad libitum t h r o u g h o u t t h e assay period. Feed c o n s u m p t i o n by birds consuming feed ad libitum ( G r o u p 1) was m o n i t o r e d daily and coupled with b o d y weight to c o m p u t e c o n s u m p t i o n / b o d y weight. Force-fed birds were weighed and fed accordingly an a m o u n t of feed equal t o one-third c o n s u m p t i o n per b o d y weight of t h e ad libitum g r o u p a t 1. 5, and 9 h r of t h e light cycle.
RESEARCH NOTE Stevenson ( 1 9 6 2 ) and t h e Macrae and Armstrong ( 1 9 6 8 ) procedures, respectively. R a t e of digesta passage was e s t i m a t e d b y force feeding birds 2 0 g feed containing 1% ferric oxide and recording t h e t i m e of first ferric oxide appearance in feces p o s t d o s e . RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In vivo d a t a are displayed in Table 2. Equal intakes were attained for t h e experimental period. Body weight gains, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, diet dry m a t t e r digestibility, and starch digestibility were similar ( P > . 1 ) for t h e two sets of birds. R a t e of digesta passage did n o t differ b e t w e e n t r e a t m e n t s , although it was 12% faster ( P < . 1 ) for birds fed by t h e new t e c h n i q u e . T h e average t i m e required for t w o people t o force feed each bird was less t h a n 30 sec p e r meal. F o r c e fed birds exhibited n o signs of discomfort during or after feeding and did n o t regurgitate food. T h e simplicity of this p r o c e d u r e should simplify feed intake e x p e r i m e n t s in t h e future.
REFERENCES Adams, R. C , F. N. Andrews, E. E. Garner, W. E. Fontaine, and C. W. Carrick, 1962. The effects of environmental temperature on the growth and nutritional requirements of the chick. Poultry Sci. 41:1801-1806. Bordas, A., and P. Merat, 1981. Genetic variation and phenotypic correlations of food consumption of laying hens corrected for body weight and production. Br. Poult. Sci. 2 2 : 2 5 - 3 3 . Dale, N. M., and H. L. Fuller, 1979. Effect of diet composition on feed intake and growth of chicks under heat stress. I. Dietary fat levels. Poultry Sci. 58:1529-1534. Macrae, J. C , and D. G. Armstrong, 1968. Enzyme method for determination of alpha-linked glucose polymers in biological methods. J. Sci. Food Agric. 19:578-581. National Academy of Sciences, 1971. Atlas of Nutritional Data on United States and Canadian Feeds., Washington, DC. Nir, I., and N. Shapira, 1974. Force-feeding effects on growth, carcass and blood composition in the young chick. Br. J. Nutr. 32:229-239. Sibbald, H. R., 1976. A bioassay for true metabolizable energy in feedstuffs. Poultry Sci. 55: 303-308. Smith, M. O., S. R. Rust, and R. G. Teeter, 1982. Influence of age and fat level upon rate of digesta passage in poultry. Poultry Sci. 61:1548. (Abstr.) Stevenson, A. E., 1962. Measurements of feed intake by grazing cattle and sheep. VIII. Some observations on the accuracy of the chromic oxide technique for the estimation of feces output of dairy cattle. N.Z.J. Agric. Res. 5:339-347. Waldroup, P. W., R. J. Mitchell, J. R. Payne, and K. R. Hazen, 1976. Performance of chicks fed diets formulated to minimize excess levels of essential amino acids. Poultry Sci. 55:243—253. Wehner, G. R., R. L. Harrold, and M. Wanapat, 1980. True metabolizable energy of sprouted wheat. North Dakota Farm Res. Bull. 47. Wehner, G. R., and R. L. Harrold, 1982. The effect of feeding techniques on the true metabolizable energy value of yellow corn. Poultry Sci. 6 1 : 595-597.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Melbourne on September 12, 2014
T h e force feeding a p p a r a t u s was found to deliver a constant feed t o water ratio througho u t t h e delivery of t h e g u n c o n t e n t s . Feed particle size and dry m a t t e r c o n t e n t of t h e diet t o be force fed should be designed t o p e r m i t t h e resultant m i x t u r e t o be fed h o m o g e n o u s l y . Large particles m a y b e c o m e e n t r a p p e d at t h e n e c k of t h e gun, which will increase t h e pressure needed t o force feed o u t of t h e gun. Dry m a t t e r c o n t e n t s over 50% increase t h e pressure required for feeding while excess w a t e r permits feed-water separation. Because feed particle size and diet water binding capacity m a y vary with e x p e r i m e n t a l rations, diets need t o be individually tested for o p t i m a l feed/water ratios.
575