Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding regimens and dietary methionine (Met) levels on the growth performance and feather growth of Cherry Valley ducks from 29 to 49 days of age. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was employed, consisting of two feeding regimens (ad libitum or “5+2”...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Weicheng Shu Qiufeng Zeng Shiping Bai Jianping Wang Xuemei Ding Yue Xuan Keying Zhang |
| author_facet | Weicheng Shu Qiufeng Zeng Shiping Bai Jianping Wang Xuemei Ding Yue Xuan Keying Zhang |
| author_sort | Weicheng Shu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding regimens and dietary methionine (Met) levels on the growth performance and feather growth of Cherry Valley ducks from 29 to 49 days of age. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was employed, consisting of two feeding regimens (ad libitum or “5+2” feed restriction: 5 days ad libitum + 2 days of fasting) and three levels of dietary Met (0.32%, 0.40%, or 0.48%). A total of 600 29-day-old male Cherry Valley ducks (initial body weight: 2.18 ± 0.12 kg) were randomly assigned to six treatment groups, with 10 replicates of 10 ducks each. Dietary Met as a main effect did not significantly influence growth performance <i>(p</i> > 0.05). The “5+2” feed restriction regimen reduced the 49-day final body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake (days 29–49) compared with ad libitum feeding, with a concurrent increase in the feed conversion ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Body weight uniformity in the “5+2” feed restriction group was 4.33% higher than in the ad libitum group, though this difference was not statistically significant (<i>p</i> > 0.05). In addition, the feeding regimen tended to affect the feather weight and feather ratio, with the “5+2” regimen reducing the feather weight (<i>p</i> < 0.1) but increasing the feather ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.1) relative to ad libitum feeding. Higher dietary Met levels showed a tendency to improve the feather length and overall feather score <i>(p</i> < 0.1). A significant interaction was observed between the feeding regimen and Met level for wing feather length (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the “5+2” feed restriction impaired the growth performance and absolute feather yield in meat ducks. However, dietary Met levels interacted with feeding strategies to affect feather development. Specifically, under ad libitum feeding conditions, moderate-to-high Met supplementation (0.48% Met) appeared to be beneficial for feather yield, whereas lower Met levels (0.32% Met) were more effective for enhancing feather mass under restricted feeding. These findings highlight the potential to tailor Met supplementation according to feeding regimen to optimize both production and feather quality in ducks. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-8c06ca18cce642c093cd026d7e59c5642025-08-20T03:10:50ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-05-011511152810.3390/ani15111528Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of AgeWeicheng Shu0Qiufeng Zeng1Shiping Bai2Jianping Wang3Xuemei Ding4Yue Xuan5Keying Zhang6Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding regimens and dietary methionine (Met) levels on the growth performance and feather growth of Cherry Valley ducks from 29 to 49 days of age. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was employed, consisting of two feeding regimens (ad libitum or “5+2” feed restriction: 5 days ad libitum + 2 days of fasting) and three levels of dietary Met (0.32%, 0.40%, or 0.48%). A total of 600 29-day-old male Cherry Valley ducks (initial body weight: 2.18 ± 0.12 kg) were randomly assigned to six treatment groups, with 10 replicates of 10 ducks each. Dietary Met as a main effect did not significantly influence growth performance <i>(p</i> > 0.05). The “5+2” feed restriction regimen reduced the 49-day final body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake (days 29–49) compared with ad libitum feeding, with a concurrent increase in the feed conversion ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Body weight uniformity in the “5+2” feed restriction group was 4.33% higher than in the ad libitum group, though this difference was not statistically significant (<i>p</i> > 0.05). In addition, the feeding regimen tended to affect the feather weight and feather ratio, with the “5+2” regimen reducing the feather weight (<i>p</i> < 0.1) but increasing the feather ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.1) relative to ad libitum feeding. Higher dietary Met levels showed a tendency to improve the feather length and overall feather score <i>(p</i> < 0.1). A significant interaction was observed between the feeding regimen and Met level for wing feather length (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the “5+2” feed restriction impaired the growth performance and absolute feather yield in meat ducks. However, dietary Met levels interacted with feeding strategies to affect feather development. Specifically, under ad libitum feeding conditions, moderate-to-high Met supplementation (0.48% Met) appeared to be beneficial for feather yield, whereas lower Met levels (0.32% Met) were more effective for enhancing feather mass under restricted feeding. These findings highlight the potential to tailor Met supplementation according to feeding regimen to optimize both production and feather quality in ducks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/11/1528feed restrictionmethioninefeather growthgrowth performanceduck |
| spellingShingle | Weicheng Shu Qiufeng Zeng Shiping Bai Jianping Wang Xuemei Ding Yue Xuan Keying Zhang Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age Animals feed restriction methionine feather growth growth performance duck |
| title | Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age |
| title_full | Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age |
| title_short | Effects of Feeding Regimens and Dietary Methionine Level on Growth Performance and Feather Growth of Meat Ducks from 29 to 49 Days of Age |
| title_sort | effects of feeding regimens and dietary methionine level on growth performance and feather growth of meat ducks from 29 to 49 days of age |
| topic | feed restriction methionine feather growth growth performance duck |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/11/1528 |
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