BODY-WEIGHT IN RELATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT IN BROILERS

The weight and length of the different regions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) as well as body weight were determined from hatching to 56 d of age in commercial broilers. Body weight was highly correlated with the weight of any part of the GIT, with the spleen, liver and rectum showing the highest values, GIT reached its maximum relative growth (32.5% gain/d) during the first 7 d post-hatching then declined. Relative daily body growth followed the same pattern reaching a peak of 20% gain/d. All organs showed a steady decrease in allometric growth after day 7. The spleen was the only organ to show an increasing allometric growth from hatching to 56 d. Estimation equations of body weight from the weight of any region of the GIT are given.