Abstract
Two inorganic (zinc sulfate and zinc oxide) and three organic (zinc acetate, zinc-methionine, and zinc-lysine) zinc sources were evaluated for their effects on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks. The birds were randomly assigned to one control (non-supplemented) and 15 treatment (supplemented) groups consisting of four replicates of 10 chicks each in a 5×3 factorial arrangement of treatments (five zinc sources and three supplemental zinc levels). Birds were kept in floor pens in a temperature-controlled room from 1 to 42 d of age and fed a non-supplemented basal diet (control) or the basal diet supplemented with 40, 80 or 120 mg/kg of Zn as mentioned sources. Dietary zinc source had considerable effect on feed intake in all experimental periods. Increasing Zn level from 80 to 120 mg/kg decreased the average feed intake in the growth stage (p<0.01) and also in the entire experimental period (p<0.001). Similarly, the average daily gain during the entire trial period was affected by the type of Zn source (p<0.001) and supplemental level (p<0.01). One degree of freedom contrast comparisons showed that the inclusion of organic zinc sources into the diets caused significant increases in feed intake and body gain when compared with inorganic counterparts. Except in wk 1, dietary supplementation with organic sources improved (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio; FCR values were not affected by dietary Zn source or supplementation level. Breast meat yield increased with supplemental levels of organic Zn sources; however, other carcass parameters were not affected by dietary Zn source. On the other hand, organic versus inorganic zinc supplementation caused a significant increase in liver, breast and carcass weight percentages. The present findings suggest that supplemental levels of organic Zn compounds had beneficial effects on broiler performance, and Zn requirements can be reduced using these feed supplements in poultry rations. (Key Words : Broiler Chicks, Organically Zn Compounds, Zinc-methionine, Zinc-lysine, Performance, Carcass Characteristics)
Highlights
Zinc is present in all cells and participates in a wide variety of metabolic processes by virtue of its diverse catalytic roles in over 200 enzymes
Randomization of experimental pens was performed in according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in which each pen replicate was repeated one time in each location
Introduction of organic zinc were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometery sources in replacing with Zn sulfate into the diets caused (Perkin Elmer, Precisely AAnalyst 200, Absorption approximately 4.4% increase in average total feed intake, spectrophotometer)
Summary
Zinc is present in all cells and participates in a wide variety of metabolic processes by virtue of its diverse catalytic roles in over 200 enzymes. Its deficiency arrests cell proliferation, while in multicellular organisms it results in abnormal differentiation and development leading to extensive teratological abnormalities. It has not been possible to account for these effects of Zn deficiency on the basis of the function(s) of any one or combination of its known metalloenzymes. Zinc must be supplemented to most diets of poultry and pigs to meet the nutritional requirements for this element, because of the poor availability of zinc in plant feed ingredients caused by the binding of Zn by phytate (Oberleas et al, 1962; O’Dell et al, 1964; Ellis et al, 1982; Fordyce et al, 1987). Much natural feeding stuffs are marginally deficient in zinc (Baker and Ammerman, 1997; Cao et al, 2002). Using weight gain as a response variable, Edwards (1959) reported that Zn from analytical grade and technical grade
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