Arginine--lysine interrelationships in the nutrition of broiler breeder pullets during the developmental period.

Abstract

Synopsis Pullets were fed on diets containing various concentrations of lysine and arginine from 7 to 18 or 20 weeks. Thereafter a conventional layers' diet was fed and egg productivity measured—in the first two experiments for ten, and the third for six 28‐d periods. Pullets were also fed on a standard growers' type diet on a “skip‐a‐day” or on a 20% restriction basis in the third study. Growth and age at sexual maturation were directly related to the lysine content of the diet and to a lesser extent to the arginine content. Pullets fed on diets with the lower concentrations of lysine and arginine required less food during the growing period and matured later than those fed on a complete diet ad libitum. They also laid more eggs and required less food to produce a dozen eggs. Higher egg production was obtained in the third experiment with low concentrations of lysine and arginine than with the “skip‐a‐day” or the restricted feeding programmes. Pullets fed on the normal grower diet ad libitum produced the smallest eggs in the first and third experiments with no difference in egg size in the second experiment. Pullets maintained on the “skip‐a‐day” or the restricted feeding programme also had a larger egg size than the control group fed on the same diet on an ad libitum basis. An ingredient effect was observed in the third experiment. Of two diets containing identical calculated values of lysine and arginine, the one containing distillers' dried grains with solubles was superior to the one with soybean meal as regards weight at 20 weeks of age, amount of food consumed during the period 6 to 18 weeks of age and percentage egg production. It is possible that the soybean meal contained a better balance of amino acids than did distillers' dried grains with solubles which resulted in a significant increase in body weight at 20 weeks of age and a subsequent lower level of egg production. These data indicate that it would be best to use ingredients with an imbalance of amino acids in the protein as sources of lysine and arginine in pullet grower diets. There were no differences in the mortality of the birds during the laying period which could be related to dietary treatment during the pullet growing period.