The Influence of Restricted Feed Intake of Confinement-Reared Pullets on Their Performance During the Laying Period

Two experiments were conducted to measure some of the effects of varying the length and the degree of feed restriction of confinement-reared pullets on laying-house performance. In general, increases in the length of time of restriction were followed by an increase in the number of days required to reach 50 per cent production, an increase in the initial egg size (first 8000 eggs), and a decrease in body weight at either 21 or 22 weeks of age. Feed restriction, in most cases, changed the pattern of egg production so that the birds came into production later than full-fed birds but subsequently "peaked" at a higher rate of production and maintained a higher rate of production for the remainder of the experimental period. Restricting the feed intake of the growing pullets resulted in a substantial feed saving during the growing period, but had no measurable effect on feed consumption during the laying period.