THE IMPACT OF POPULATION DENSITY AND SEEDS OF CHICKEN ON THE PRODUCTION PARAMETERS OF BROILER CHICKEN

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the influence of population density on production parameters in fattening chickens of Cobb 500 hybrids. Based on theoretical and experimental studies, the influence of population density, floor surface per chicken, chickens mortality, chickens weekly growth, final body chicken weight, food consumption (in kg) per kg of food intake or conversion, and other production parameters. The study was carried out on 225 day-old chickens-Cobb 500, which were placed in 3-square-foot boxed cubicles with five different population density. The control group (K₀) was populated in a density of 15 chickens / m² which is a technological standard, and the experimental groups K₁ , K₂ , K₃ and K₄ were populated with density of 13 chickens / m², 14 chickens / m², 16 chickens / m² and 17 chickens / m² of floor pads. When choosing chickens, it was considered that the chickens of the experimental groups were approximately the same mass. Selected chicken specimens of the same gender ratio 50:50 (ten male and ten female) are marked with rings, with the number of records attached to their legs. The rings are made of modified plastic resistant to water and high temperature, avoiding the possibility of damaging numbers and the determination of the number of sample chickens. Nutrition and environmental conditions were the same for all chickens. For the purpose of the research production parameters after a completed 42-day fattening period, 10 male and 10 female chicks of each sample group were selected by the random sample method. By Individual weighing of chickens the body mass was determined, the weekly increase in body mass per group, and the final body mass at the end of each week. In addition, in all sample groups, mortality of chickens, consumption and food conversion was monitored. The data were analyzed by statistical program SPSS 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Based on the results of the researches it was shown that population density in the sample groups did not affect the mortality of chickens and that the daily and physical growth rates were highest in the K₂ group with population density of 14 individuals / m² and the smallest in group K₁ with density of population of 13 units / m². Also, the lowest average body mass of chickens was obtained in the K₁ group with a population density of 13 units / m². There was no statistically significant difference (p> 0.001) of population density impact on the final body mass of chickens in the sample groups.