An allometric-autoregressive approach to poultry development

1. The relative rates of development in a commercial layer and a broiler strain of chicken fed 180 or 230 g crude protein/kg were investigated by the use of the allometric-autoregressive model. Development was divided into pre-pubertal (0 to 8 weeks) and pubertal phases (8 to 22 weeks). 2. Significant strain effects were observed, at all ages, in rates of gain of live (L) body mass, carcase (C) mass, non-carcase (N) mass and empty-body (EB) mass as well as C, N and EB moisture, protein and fat content. 3. Significant dietary effects were observed in C and EB fat in the pre-pubertal phase and L mass, N protein and C fat in the subsequent pubertal period.