Influences of different levels of dietary metabolisable energy and crude protein on performance and carcass characteristics of chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) during growing period (8-16 wk).

This study was conducted to determine the effects of grower diet with differing crude protein (CP) and metabolisable energy (ME) levels on the body weight (BW), live weight gain (LWG), feed consumption (FC), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and carcass characteristics of chukar partridge raised in captivity. Chukar partridges were fed on grower diets containing 3 levels of CP (14, 16 and 18%) and 3 levels of ME (2800, 3000 and 3200 kcal/kg) from 8 to 16 weeks of age. There were no significant effects of ME and CP on BW and LWG at 16 weeks of age. The FC and FCR for 8 to 16 weeks period were not affected by dietary CP levels. But the daily mean FC and FCR decreased when the ME level of grower diet increased, the lowest FC and FCR were in partridges fed on a diet containing 3200 kcal/kg ME. The carcass and breast+back weights of male partridges affected by dietary ME levels, the lowest carcass and breast + back weights of male partridges were in groups fed on a diet containing 3000 kcal/kg ME. Weights of all carcass components of the male partridges were greater than those of the carcass components of the females. There were no significant interaction between CP and ME levels on BW, LWG, FC, FCR and carcass characteristics. It was concluded that the grower diet for chukar partridge raised for meat production should contain at least 14% CP and 2800 kcal/kg ME.