In order to evaluate the influence of the forms of presentation of corn and the presence of granitic grit on the performance of broiler, 720 broiler 22 days old from both sexes were used. The treatments employed were: form of presentation of corn (whole, gross and fine ground), grit (absence and presence) and sex (male and female). The experimental design was an completely randomized in factorial scheme 3 x 2 x 2 (form of presentation of corn, without and with grit and sex), with four replicates and fifteen birds in each. To evaluate the performance in 3 consecutive periods (22 to 28, 29 to 35 and 36 to 42 days), those periods were considered as subplots. In the period from 22 to 42 days, the broilers that were given grit increased (P<0,05) the ration consumption with fine ground corn in relation to the ones which were not given it. However, grit did not influence the consumption of the birds fed rations of whole or gross ground corn. No effect of the grit was observed (P>0,05) with relation to the other variables of performance. Apparently, the supply of grit does not present any advantage, since it does not benefit either performance. Weight gain and feed conversion presented the highest (P<0,05) means in birds fed diets of corn ground (gross or fine). It follows that the use of the gross ground corn in the feeding of broilers from 21 days of age is feasible. Whole corn worsens performance.
broiler; grit granitic; ground corn; perfornance; whole corn
