Abstract
Exogenous nutrients are essential for body and skeletal muscle growth in newly hatched chicks, and delaying post-hatch feeding negatively affects body growth, meat yield, and meat quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of delayed post-hatch feeding on the metabolic profiles of broiler chickens using a combination of targeted and untargeted metabolomics. Newly hatched chicks had either immediate free access to feed (freely fed chicks) or no access to feed from 0 to 2 days of age (delayed-fed chicks); both groups were subsequently provided feed ad libitum until 13 days of age. Untargeted metabolomic analysis was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, whereas targeted metabolomic analysis of amino acids was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with ortho-phthalaldehyde derivatization. Delayed feeding increased the plasma levels of sucrose, maltose, serotonin, lactitol, gentiobiose, xylitol, threonic acid, and asparagine, and decreased the plasma levels of creatinine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. In addition, the digestibility of the nitrogen-free extract (starch and sugar) and the cecal butyric acid concentration increased in chicks subjected to delayed feeding. In contrast, delayed feeding did not affect muscle protein degradation or digestibility in chicks. Taken together, our results indicate that delaying feeding until 48 h post-hatch alters multiple metabolic pathways, which are accompanied by changes in intestinal carbohydrate digestion and cecal butyric acid content in broiler chickens.