Abstract
ObjectiveThe study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different methionine (Met) sources on production performance, reproduction performance, egg quality and serum biochemical indices in broiler breeders.MethodsAfter receiving a basal diet (containing 0.25% Met) for a 2-wk pretreatment period, a total of 360 39-wk-old Lingnan yellow broiler breeders were randomly allocated to four treatments with six replicates each (15 birds per replicate). Breeders were fed with basal diets (control) or diets supplemented with DL-methionine (DLM), DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthio butytric calcium (MHA-Ca) and coated DL-Met (CME) respectively.ResultsThe results showed that CME supplementation promoted laying rate and decreased feed-to-egg ratio (F/E) (p<0.05), DLM and MHA-Ca supplementation decreased F/E (p<0.05) when compared with control group. The rate of fertility, hatchability and birthrate were higher (p<0.05) in DLM, MHA-Ca, and CME groups than control group. Compared with control group, CME increased the eggshell thickness (p<0.05); MHA-Ca improved the eggshell thickness, shell ratio and eggshell strength (p<0.05). Results also showed that CME elevated the concentration of total protein in serum (p<0.05); MHA-Ca improved the concentration of calcium in serum (p<0.05). The concentration of serum uric acid in DLM, MHA-Ca, and CME groups was lower than that in control group (p<0.05). Besides, CME had higher concentrations of serum taurine, cysteine and cystanthionine (p<0.05) while MHA-Ca and DLM promoted the serum taurine concentration (p<0.05) compared with control group.ConclusionBased on the results, it was concluded that Met supplementation could enhance the production and reproduction performance as well as the antioxidant status and egg quality of broiler breeders. In terms of improving the production performance, reproduction performance and antioxidant performance, CME was superior to DLM and MHA-Ca; but in regard to the enhancement of eggshell quality and serum Ca concentration, MHA-Ca was superior to DLM and CME.
Highlights
Methionine (Met) plays critical roles in methylation reaction, protein accretion [1], growth performance promotion [2,3] and immune responses enhancement [4]
coated DL-Met (CME) significantly (p0.05)
feed-to-egg ratio (F/E) was significantly (p
Summary
Methionine (Met) plays critical roles in methylation reaction, protein accretion [1], growth performance promotion [2,3] and immune responses enhancement [4]. DL-Met powder (DLM) and DL-2-hydroxy4-methylthio butanoic acid (MHA) are two major Met sources generally used in feed industry [5]. Coated DL-Met is protected with natural materials which are difficult to degrade by microorganism and sensitive to the change of pH, such as stearic acid, glyceride and gelatin. Those materials help DL-Met effectively to be used in protein synthesis by continuous release in digestive tract [11]. Chi et al [6] reported that compared with the crystalline Met, CME had higher utilization because of the reduced release rate in the intestinal tract. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different Met sources on production performance, reproduction performance, egg quality and serum biochemical indices in broiler breeders
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
