Abstract
Experiment was conducted to study the effect of Metabolizable Energy (ME) and Balanced Protein (BP) on the performance of 1- to 35-day-old male and female Hubbard x Hubbard broilers. Set in a factorial arrangement, dietary treatments involved 3 levels of ME (2650, 2750, or 2850 kcal per kg diet) and 4 levels of Balanced Protein (expressed as 8.4, 9.0, 9.6, or 10.2 g Standardized Ileal Digestible lysine per kg). Each diet was fed to 5 replicate pens of 17 chicks. Dietary ME and BP did not interact for any of the parameters studied (p>0.05). The main effect of ME was significant (p<0.05) for feed intake, body weight, and feed conversion ratio at all ages. Highest ME (2850 kcal) resulted in 35 day feed intake and feed conversion ratio that was significantly (p<0.05) low compared with those fed on lower levels of ME; while 35 day body weight was significantly (p<0.05) high at 2850 kcal compared with 2650 kcal ME. Feed intake and body weight improved linearly (p<0.05) with increasing BP from 8.4 to 10.2 g per kg, while the BP did not have any effect on feed conversion ratio. Dietary combinations of ME and BP to optimize body weight and feed conversion ratio are suggested on weekly basis.
Highlights
Broilers have a remarkable capacity to achieve certain weight gain according to age by modifying voluntary feed intake when offered an array of dietary energy contents (ME; NRC 1994; Leeson et al, 1996)
A typical broiler diet formulated with crystalline methionine, lysine, and threonine with no minimum Crude Protein (CP) often contains a balance, suggesting that the four or five most 'critical amino acids' are limiting
High Metabolizable Energy (ME) (2850 kcal) resulted in significantly lower 35-day Feed intake (FI) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) (p
Summary
Broilers have a remarkable capacity to achieve certain weight gain according to age by modifying voluntary feed intake when offered an array of dietary energy contents (ME; NRC 1994; Leeson et al, 1996). In this context, the decision regarding 'optimum' dietary level of ME seems merely a function of the price of energy sources and the premium achieved for improved Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). The response of amino acids in terms of Balanced Protein (BP) was evaluated with an idea that it conforms more closely to the commercial dietary conditions where large excess of essential and nonessential amino acids is avoided
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