Effects of different particle size of corn on growth performance,slaughter performance,and organ development in meat ducks
GUO Zhijie
WU Hao
GAO Xin
YANG Jiameng
LI Jing
ZHU Dan
YANG Xiaoran
HUANG Ming
Abstract：This study aimed to investigate the effects of different particle size of corn on the growth performance,slaughter performance,and development of the gizzard,proventriculus,and intestines in meat ducks.A total of 1 000 healthy 29-day-old meat ducks were randomly divided into five groups,with four replicates per group and 50 ducks per replicate.The control group was fed with pellets,and the four experimental groups were fed with 50%pellets+50%corn with different particle sizes.The grain size of corn in the fine group was 1.40～2.36 mm,and the grain size of corn in the middle group was 2.37～4.75 mm.The grain size of coarse group was 4.76～8.00 mm,and that of mixed group was 1.40～8.00 mm.The trial lasted 22 days.The results showed that the body weight of the fine group at day 14 and 22 was significantly lower than that of the control group(P<0.05),and the body weight of the other experimental groups at day 22 was significantly lower than that of the control group(P<0.05).The average daily feed intake of fine group was significantly higher than that of control group(P<0.05),the average daily feed intake of middle group was significantly higher than that of coarse and mixed groups(P<0.05),and the ratio of feed to gain of fine group was significantly higher than that of other groups(P<0.05).At day 22,breast muscle yield in all experimental groups was significantly higher than in the control group(P<0.05).The duodenal relative length and intestinal lint ratio in fine group were significantly higher than those in control group on day 14(P<0.05),and the duodenal muscle thickness in coarse and mixed groups was significantly higher than that in other groups on day 22(P<0.05).The study indicates that adding corn particles to pelleted feed improves carcass traits,enhances gizzard weight,and increases economic value in meat ducks.A pelleted diet with 3.5 mm corn particles combined with 2.37～4.75 mm corn particles is recommended for optimal performance.
Keywords：meat ducksparticle size of corngizzard developmentgrowth performanceslaughter performance
Publication Date：2025-04-28
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 40-45 )