Young chickens like coarse porridge more than pellets!
For young chickens, the first week after hatch are critical for their development and survival. The dietary change from the yolk to solid pellets causes large metabolic and physiological transitions, mainly in the digestive system. An adequate feed and water intake may hamper as a result of post-hatch stress and dehydration could be the result.
Though chickens eat naturally a combination of both cereal kernels and insects (‘dry feed’), it was shown in a series of experiments that a porridge made of coarsely ground ingredients improved the birds’ feed intake, foregut development and subsequent performance. Additionally, the chickens that received the porridge consumed more total water (mixed with the feed + free water) than the ‘dry’ fed chickens, which may help them to overcome problems with heat stress under tropical conditions.
Conclusions of the thesis of the Vietnamese PhD-student Mai Anh Khoa, entitled: Wet and coarse diets in broiler nutrition: development of the GI tract and performance; he will defend his thesis on Friday June, 22, 2007.