Exploring the net energy for maintenance and the allometric exponent of the metabolic body weight in different categories of poultry: A meta-analysis approach.

ABSTRACT: The basal metabolic rate in poultry, expressed as net energy requirements for maintenance (NEm), is often characterized by measuring fasting heat production (FHP) under standardized conditions. This study applies meta-analysis techniques to 206 individual observations from 23 peer-reviewed papers to evaluated the allometric relationship between FHP and body weight (BW), described by the model: FHP (kJ/d)=a×BW (kg)b , where FHP is the fasting heat production, BW is the body weight, a is the NEm requirement per unit of metabolic body weight (MBW), and b is the allometric exponent. The objective of this study was to estimate b and determine the appropriate NEm for growing broiler chickens, laying hens, and roosters. We evaluated three non-linear models: Model 1, category-specific exponents; M

SUBMITTER: Lizana RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12907889 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature