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Journals / Black Sea Journal of Agriculture / 2026 / Cilt: 9 Sayı: 5

Effects of Post-Hatch Delayed Feed Access on Growth Performance in Broiler Chickens: An Age-Stratified Meta-Analysis

Mustafa Can Yılmaz(VAN YÜZÜNCÜ YIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-8007-4944
Hasan Hüseyin İpçak(Dicle Üniversitesi)0000-0002-6807-8870
Pages
805–813
Publication Date
2026-09-15
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Overall, delayed feed access was consistently associated with reduced body weight, whereas the available evidence for FCR remained inconclusive.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The immediate post-hatch period is a critical physiological transition in broiler production, and delayed access to feed may affect early nutrient utilization and subsequent growth performance.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus identified 262 records; after deduplication, 169 unique records remained, and 58 full-text reports were assessed.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Overall, delayed feed access was consistently associated with reduced body weight, whereas the available evidence for FCR remained inconclusive.
🔬Design:Lab & Field Experiment
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Broiler chicken · Delayed feed access · Post-hatch feeding

Abstract

The immediate post-hatch period is a critical physiological transition in broiler production, and delayed access to feed may affect early nutrient utilization and subsequent growth performance. This meta-analysis evaluated experimental evidence on post-hatch delayed feed access in broiler chickens, with body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) prioritized as primary pooled outcomes. Searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus identified 262 records; after deduplication, 169 unique records remained, and 58 full-text reports were assessed. Thirty-four reports were considered quantitative extraction candidates, of which 15 studies contributed at least one primary BW/FCR effect to the final analytical dataset. Clean delayed-access versus immediate/early-access contrasts were extracted when treatment definitions, means, variation estimates, and sample sizes were available without unresolved co-intervention confounding. Mean differences (MDs) were pooled using DerSimonian–Laird random-effects models stratified by age window, with Hartung–Knapp–Sidik–Jonkman (HKSJ) confidence intervals used to assess the robustness of the statistical inference. Delayed feed access was associated with lower body weight across all age windows: 0–7 d (k = 9; MD −17.87 g; P 0.05), with both DL and HKSJ intervals crossing zero. Overall, delayed feed access was consistently associated with reduced body weight, whereas the available evidence for FCR remained inconclusive. Substantial heterogeneity highlights the need for standardized experimental designs, clearer control definitions, consistent age windows, and complete variance reporting.

Özet

The immediate post-hatch period is a critical physiological transition in broiler production, and delayed access to feed may affect early nutrient utilization and subsequent growth performance. This meta-analysis evaluated experimental evidence on post-hatch delayed feed access in broiler chickens, with body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) prioritized as primary pooled outcomes. Searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus identified 262 records; after deduplication, 169 unique records remained, and 58 full-text reports were assessed. Thirty-four reports were considered quantitative extraction candidates, of which 15 studies contributed at least one primary BW/FCR effect to the final analytical dataset. Clean delayed-access versus immediate/early-access contrasts were extracted when treatment definitions, means, variation estimates, and sample sizes were available without unresolved co-intervention confounding. Mean differences (MDs) were pooled using DerSimonian–Laird random-effects models stratified by age window, with Hartung–Knapp–Sidik–Jonkman (HKSJ) confidence intervals used to assess the robustness of the statistical inference. Delayed feed access was associated with lower body weight across all age windows: 0–7 d (k = 9; MD −17.87 g; P 0.05), with both DL and HKSJ intervals crossing zero. Overall, delayed feed access was consistently associated with reduced body weight, whereas the available evidence for FCR remained inconclusive. Substantial heterogeneity highlights the need for standardized experimental designs, clearer control definitions, consistent age windows, and complete variance reporting.

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Cite This Article

Yılmaz, M. C., İpçak, H. H. (2026). Effects of Post-Hatch Delayed Feed Access on Growth Performance in Broiler Chickens: An Age-Stratified Meta-Analysis. Black Sea Journal of Agriculture, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 5, 805–813. https://doi.org/10.47115/bsagriculture.1990293

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