Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
J. Anim. Plant Sci. [ISSN 2071 - 7024]
Volume 4 (3): 399 - 405. Published October 18, 2009.
Effects of starter feeding time on yolk sac absorption of new hatched goslings
H. M. Yang, Z. Y. Wang*, X. H. Zhu, J. Lu and J. M. Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, 225009 P. R. China
*Corresponding author email: dkwzy@263.net
SUMMARY
An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of starter feeding time on yolk sac absorption of newly hatched Yangzhou gosling. A total of 480 Yangzhou geese with an similar average weight of 92.3 g were selected and randomly assigned to four groups according to four feeding schedules (fasting for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h posthatch), designated respectively as group T12, T24, T36 and T48. Each group of 120 birds comprised of four replicate subgroups with 30 geese per group comprising of 15 males and 15 females. After fasting, all birds were provided with feedstuff ad libitum until 156 h of age. At 12, 36, 60, 108, and 156h posthatch, two geese (1 male and 1 female) per replicate of each experimental group were randomly selected and individually weighed. The yolk sac of each gosling was then taken out and the content of water, crude protein and crude fat in the yolk sac was determined. Results showed that the initial food deprivation reduced body weight (BW) of experimental geese, with less BW realized as the fasting period was prolonged. BW of the group T12 was significantly higher than that of the group T48 (fasted for 48h) at 36 h of weighing posthatch P<0.05. BW of group T24 was more than that of T48 from 60 to 156 h of age（P<0.05). The yolk sac weight of group T48 was more than the other three groups at all the designated times, though the difference was not significant (P>0.05). At the same time, the content of crude protein and crude fat in yolk sac of group T48 was the highest, however the content of water was the lowest. Results of the present study demonstrated that the maximum fasting period with no significantly negative effect on final performance of the bird was at 36 h posthatch. Therefore, to ensure good performance, Yangzhou geese should be fed from 12 to 36 h posthatch.
Key words
Geese, starter feeding time, growth performance, yolk sac
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