EFFECT OF TIME OF FEEDING ON OVIPOSITION TIME AND PRODUCTION PARAMETERS IN BROILER BREEDERS

In Experiment 1, four pens of 90 Ross dwarf broiler breeder hens and 9 cocks each were assigned to feeding times of 0830, 1130, and 1430 h. Eggs were collected hourly from 0800 to 1600 h, 5 days/wk for 4 wk. In Experiment 2, five pens of 30 Arbor Acres hens and 3 cocks each were assigned to feeding times of 0830, 1130, 1430, and 1730 h. Eggs were collected hourly from 0700 to 1600 for Days 6 through 10 of a 10-day treatment period. Feeding time did not significantly change oviposition time in dwarf broiler breeders, except for an increase in oviposition at 1600 h for hens fed at 1130 and 1430 h. Peak oviposition times were 1000 and 1100 h with distribution of ovipositions throughout the day. Egg weight, shell thickness, and egg production were not significantly affected by feeding time. In the standard-sized strain, afternoon feeding times significantly increased the proportion of afternoon ovipositions. The incidence of floor, dirty, cracked, and abnormal eggs was not significantly changed by feeding time in either experiment.