Economic Returns of Raising Crossbred Native-Rhode Island Red Under Different Diets and Durations

Abstract

The number of 640 crossbred Native-Rhode Island Red chicks were used for this twenty weeks study, On the first 4 weeks all chicks were fed with complete layer diet (CP 19%). At 4 weeks, the chicks were randomed into 4 treatments with 4 replications based on a completely randomized design. The chicks were fed ad libitum with 4 different diets : complete broiler diet (CP 19%, T1); complete layer diets (CP 19%, T2); complete broiler diet : rice bran = 50:50 (T3) and rice bran : corn = 50:50 (T4). The results indicated that body weight at 8 weeks of T1 and T2 were higher (P<0.01) than T3, and T3 was better than T4. Body weights of 12 and 16 weeks at T1 were the highest, followed by T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Weight of chickens from T1 and T2 at 20 weeks of age were not different (P>0.05) but both of them were higher than that from T3 and T4. Daily gains of chickens from 0-8, 0-12 and 0-16 weeks were higher in T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively.

There was a trend that chickens fed with higher levels of protein and good nutrient balance diets had better feed intake and feed efficiency. Mortality rate of T1, T2 and T3 were not significantly different but T4 was higher than T1 (P>0.05). Selling the live crossbred chickens fed with complete layer diet at 12 weeks of age gave the highest profit (10.49 Baht/chicken), followed by those fed with complete broiler diet mixed with rice bran (50:50) and sell at 12 and 16 weeks (8.14 and 7.12 Baht/ chicken), respectively.