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; Model 2, common exponent across categories; and Model 3, exponent fixed at the theoretically value of 0.75. Model 1 showed distinct b of 0.73, 0.65, and 0.58 for growing broilers, laying hens, and roosters, respectively, with corresponding NEm values of 450, 352, and 385 kJ per kg of MBW. Model 2, which estimated a common exponent (b = 0.64), improved model fit (root mean square prediction error (RMSPE) = 173 kJ/d, R2 = 0.76). Model 3, using the standardized b = 0.75, yielded NEm of 478 kJ/kg BW0.75 for growing chickens and 320 kJ/kg BW0.75 for adult birds (RMSPE = 184 kJ/d, R2 = 0.78), with a model performance comparable to Model 1 (RMSPE = 187 kJ/d, R2 = 0.72). Error decomposition further…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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