Effects of Feed Restriction on Physiological and Behavioural Responses in Broiler Chickens

Christinah, Maake Mmatlou and Collins, Mokgalaka Neo and Grace, Manyelo Tlou and Masibonge, Gxasheka and Busisiwe, Gunya (2026) Effects of Feed Restriction on Physiological and Behavioural Responses in Broiler Chickens. Journal of World's Poultry Research. 1 - 8. ISSN 2322455X

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Abstract

The rapid growth of broiler chickens can sometimes lead to metabolic disorders, skeletal issues, and excessive fat deposition, all of which affect chicken welfare and production efficiency. Feed restriction is a questionable management method used during various growth periods to improve economic efficiency, optimise gut development, and reduce the prevalence of metabolic and skeletal issues. This study aimed to ascertain the effect of feed restrictions on physiological and behavioural responses in broiler chickens. A total of 240 day-old broiler chickens, with an average body weight of 45 ± 3g, were randomly allocated into three treatment groups. All chicks were fed ad libitum during the starter phase to promote uniform growth and health during this critical early stage of development. Upon reaching the grower phase (21 days), they were allocated to one of three experimental groups (n=80), including an untreated group with no feed restriction (FR0), a mild restriction (FR1) group with feed withheld for every other days, and a moderate feed restriction (FR2) group with feed withheld for every two days. Welfare indicators, including feather condition, pecking behaviour, footpad and skin health, eye, beak, and comb conditions, gait score, body condition, vent pasting, and respiratory function, were evaluated at 42 days. Significant differences were observed across the feed restriction groups in feather condition, pecking behaviour, footpad and skin health, gait score, and body condition compared to FR0. However, respiratory function, condition of the eye, beak, and comb were not affected. Chickens in the FR0 group exhibited superior welfare outcomes, including the highest feather condition score, lowest aggression levels, healthiest footpads, and optimal body condition. In contrast, the FR2 group experienced lowest welfare outcomes including lowest feather wear score, higher aggression, and poor body condition. The present study demonstrated that broiler welfare indicators, such as feather condition, pecking behaviour, body condition score, gait score, and footpad and skin condition, are significantly impacted by feed restriction. CC BY. Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2026

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Broiler chicken; Feather condition; Feed efficiency; Feed restriction; Welfare indicator
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	Journal of World's Poultry Research (JWPR)
Page Range:	1 - 8
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of World's Poultry Research
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	1
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.36380/jwpr.2026.1
ISSN:	2322455X
Depositing User:	Dr. Daryoush Babazadeh
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1765

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