A growth study of broiler and layer chicks reared in single‐strain and mixed‐strain groups

Abstract

1. The growth rate, food intake and behaviour of broiler and layer chicks were compared during their main growing period.

2. The broilers ate more and grew twice as fast as the layers. They also converted their food more efficiently, partly because they digested their food slightly better than the layers did, but also because their total energy expenditure was probably considerably less than that of the layers. They were very inactive and spent less time feeding, so presumably they could devote proportionately more food energy to growth than the layers could.

3. In the same experiment broiler and layer chicks were reared together in mixed groups, and it was found that each strain affected the other's growth and behaviour slightly. The broilers grew slightly faster in the mixed groups than in the single‐strain groups, whereas the layers grew slightly slower.