The effect of early feeding on growth and small intestinal development in the post hatch poult. Poult. Sci

ABSTRACT Poults with early access to feed in the hatchery or turkey house grew more than those reared under standard commercial practice. During 48 h post-hatch, fed poults utilized yolk and exogenous feed to increase BW by 11 g. The small intestine increased from 3.8 % of BW at hatch to 8.9 % after 48 h. In contrast, BW in feed-deprived poults decreased by 10 g, whereas the small intestine increased slightly in weight and composed 4.5 % of BW after 48 h. The number of cells per villus and the villus surface area increased dramatically posthatch in the duodenum but more slowly in the jejunum and ileum. Enterocyte width changed little, but length in-creased more than twofold in the duodenum and by ap-proximately 50 % in the jejunum and ileum by 6 d post-hatch. Lack of access to feed depressed the rate of growth of villi and enterocyte length in all intestinal segments until 6 d posthatch