Factors affecting broiler breeder performance. 3. Relationship of body weight during fasting to postmolt performance. Poult. Sci

ABSTRACT Five feeding regimens, using four restriction levels and full feed, were tested to determine the effects of feed restriction on reproductive performance of broiler breeders. At 31, 39, and 52 weeks of age, females were artificially inseminated on two consecutive days with.05 cc semen from males of the same age, and eggs were collected for 9 days and incubated at each production period. In general, females that received the higher levels of feed exhibited lower egg production, lower fertility, and hatchability, heavier body and egg weights, and poorer shell quality. Fertility, shell quality, and production were not influenced by feeding regimens at 31 weeks of age; whereas, feeding regimens significantly affected these traits at 39 and 52 weeks of age. (Keywords: broiler breeders, feeding programs, fertility, hatchability, shell quality, egg production) 1981 Poultry Science 60:307-31