Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of two digestible lysine levels and four digestible arginine levels on laying hens from 24 to 48 weeks of age. Three hundred and twenty Lohmann LSL laying hens were allotted in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement, with two levels of digestible lysine (700 and 900 mg/kg of diet) and four digestible arginine levels (700, 800, 900 and 1000 mg/kg of diet). Results indicated requirement of 884 and 830 mg of digestible arginine/kg of diet, considering an average feed intake of 95 g/hen/day and an average hen weight of 1.5 kg, aiming at lesser feed intake and better nutritional balance of nitrogen, respectively. High digestible lysine levels in the diet require higher digestible arginine supplementation for a better performance of hens.
Highlights
Modern hen diets have been formulated according to the requirements of crude protein, which may unbalance the levels of amino acids as well as the relation between them
Unlike the results obtained in this study, in which no difference was found for egg production and mass, regardless of the arginine:lysine ratio used, Araújo et al (2005) tested six arginine:lysine diet levels (718:716; 790:716; 718:644; 790:644; 718:788; and 790:788) in 40week old Lohmann Brown and Lohmann LSL hens, and found that these two variables were higher when using an arginine:lysine level of 718:716 mg, whereas the lowest egg weight was obtained with the 790:716 mg digestible lysine:arginine diet level
Egg weight showed to be affected, with the best results found at the lowest level of digestible lysine (710 mg) and arginine (640 mg) levels
Summary
Modern hen diets have been formulated according to the requirements of crude protein, which may unbalance the levels of amino acids as well as the relation between them. The levels of digestible arginine in diets fed to 34week old hens did not produce any changes in the nitrogen balance in grams, percentage, or per egg mass, in its intake or excretion (Table 4). Rizzo et al (2004) did not find differences in nitrogen intake, excretion and balance in the diet supplemented with 850 and 1000 mg of digestible lysine and fed to 51-week old Hisex White hens.
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