The effects of feed color, odor and physical form on first week performance of broiler chicks

In this thesis, 8 experiments were conducted to determine the effect of odored, colored and different particle size feeds on live weight (LW) and feed consumption per animal (FCPA) in broiler chickens in the first week. Three of these trials were made with odored feed, 3 with colored feed and 2 with different particle size feeds. In the 1st (lavender, vanilla, thyme, vinegar, mint, orange, anise) and 2nd trial (lavender, vanilla, anise, strawberry, thyme) the chicks were given odored feeds. In the third experiment, the eggs were treated with odored water between 16-19 days of incubation. The chicks obtained after the incubation process were given odored feeds for 24 hours in a light and dark environment. Green, red and yellow feeds were used in the 4th and 6th trials, while green, red, yellow and purple feeds were used in the 5th trial. In the 7th trial, 3 different particle size feeds (control, coarse, fine) were used, and in the 8th trial, 4 different particle size feeds (control, medium, coarse, fine) were used. In the 1st and 2nd trials, it was determined that the vanilla and lavender odored feeds had a significant effect on the LW increase in the first two days (p<0.05). In the 3rd trial, the highest FCPA was found in the group that came out of the control machine and was given vanilla odored feed (p<0.05). In the 5th trial, the 2nd day LW value was yellow and red, and the LW increase value was significantly higher in the yellow color group (p<0.05), while the highest LW average and LW increase were obtained in the yellow color group in the 6th trial. In the 7th experiment, the difference between the groups was found to be significant in terms of 7th day live weight and 0-7 days LW increase, and the highest values were obtained in the control group and the lowest values in the coarse particle feed group (p<0.05). FCPA at 0-2 days was higher in the control and fine particle feed group than in the coarse particle feed group (p<0.05). In the 8th trial, while the LW was significantly higher in the fine particle size feed group on the 2nd day (p<0.05), no significant difference could be detected in terms of FCPA in the same period.