Tribasic Copper Chloride Research Articles

Effects of increasing copper from tri-basic copper chloride or a copper-methionine chelate on growth performance of nursery pigs.

A total of 2,117 pigs were used in two 35-d growth experiments to determine the effects of increasing added Cu from tri-basic copper chloride (TBCC) or a Cu-methionine chelate (Cu-chelate) on nursery pig growth performance. In experiment 1, 1,452 pigs (350 barrows [DNA 200 × 400; initially 5.9 ± 0.17 kg] in group 1 and 1,102 pigs [PIC 1050 × 280; initially 6.0 ± 0.26 kg] in group 2) were weaned at approximately 21 d of age. In experiment 2, 665 pigs (350 barrows, DNA 200 × 400; initially 6.4 ± 0.19 kg, in group 3 and 315 pigs, DNA 241 × 600; initially 5.2 ± 0.49 kg, in group 4) were weaned at approximately 21 d of age. Pigs in groups 1, 2, and 3 were fed a common starter diet for 7 d and pigs in group 4 were fed a common diet for 5 d after weaning before starting experiments. On d 0 of each experiment, pens of pigs were blocked by body weight (BW) and assigned to 1 of 7 dietary treatments. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial plus one control diet, with main effects of Cu source (TBCC vs. Cu-chelate) and level. Copper levels were 50, 100, or 150 mg/kg in experiment 1 and 75, 150, or 225 mg/kg in experiment 2. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and fed in meal form in two phases (d 0 to 14 and 14 to 35). In experiment 1 from d 0 to 35, there was a Cu source × level interaction (linear, P < 0.05) for average daily gain (ADG) and d 35 BW where the magnitude of improvement with increasing Cu was greater in pigs fed Cu-chelate compared to those fed TBCC. Increasing added Cu increased (linear, P < 0.01) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed (G:F). Although Cu source did not influence G:F, pigs fed Cu from Cu-chelate had greater (P ≤ 0.01) ADG and ADFI than those fed Cu from TBCC. In experiment 2, from d 0 to 35, there were no evidence for Cu source × level interactions. Increasing Cu increased (linear, P < 0.05) ADG and final BW. The increase in ADG combined with unaffected ADFI resulted in marginally increased G:F (linear, P = 0.052). In summary, these results suggest that increasing dietary Cu from TBCC or a Cu-chelate improved overall ADG, and d 35 BW in nursery pigs and Cu source has potential to influence nursery pig performance.

Effect of standardized ileal digestible lysine and added copper on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality of finishing pigs.

Two, 120-d, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine (Lys), added Cu (tribasic copper chloride, Intellibond C; Micronutrients, Inc., Indianapolis, IN), and duration of Cu supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality in finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 1,248 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 29.0 kg) were allotted to one of six dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete-block design with 26 pigs per pen and eight replications per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial with main effects of SID Lys (85, 92.5, and 100% of the estimated requirement) and added Cu (0 or 150 mg/kg). There were no Cu × SID Lys interactions observed for growth performance or liver Cu concentrations. Increasing SID Lys increased (linear, P < 0.05) ADG, feed efficiency (G:F), final weight, and HCW. Pigs fed 150 mg/kg added Cu had marginally increased (P < 0.10) ADG, G:F, and final weight. Liver Cu concentrations were greater (P = 0.001) in pigs fed added Cu. A marginal Cu × Lys interaction (P = 0.052) was observed for jowl fat iodine value (IV) as increasing SID Lys in pigs fed added Cu increased IV, but decreased IV in pigs not fed added Cu. For Exp. 2, 1,267 pigs (PIC 337 × 1,050; initially 26.4 kg) were allotted to one of eight dietary treatments arranged in a split-plot design. Whole-plot treatments included SID Lys (92.5 or 100% of the estimated requirement) and within each Lys level, there was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with either 0 or 150 mg/kg added Cu and two feeding durations (60 or 120 d). Added Cu did not affect growth performance. Pigs fed 100% of the SID Lys requirement had increased (P < 0.05) ADG, G:F, and final weight compared with those fed 92.5%. A Cu × SID Lys interaction (P < 0.05) was observed for carcass yield and backfat depth. Pigs fed 92.5% SID Lys had increased carcass yield and decreased backfat depth with added Cu; however, pigs fed 100% SID Lys had decreased carcass yield and increased backfat depth with added Cu. Hot carcass weight was increased (P < 0.05) by feeding 100% SID Lys and was marginally (P < 0.10) increased by adding Cu to the diets. In summary, the growth response to added Cu was inconsistent between experiments; however, increasing SID Lys improved growth performance and carcass characteristics.

Effect of diet type and added copper on growth performance, carcass characteristics, energy digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs.

A total of 757 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 27.6 kg BW) were used in a 117-d experiment to determine the effects of added Cu from tribasic copper chloride and diet type on growth performance, carcass characteristics, energy digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete block design with 26 to 28 pigs per pen and 7 replications per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of diet type, a corn-soybean meal-based diet (corn-soy) or a high by-product diet (by-product) with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 15% bakery meal, and added Cu (0 or 150 mg/kg added Cu). There were no Cu × diet type interactions for growth performance. Overall, neither added Cu nor diet type influenced growth performance. However, caloric efficiency was decreased (P = 0.001) for pigs fed the by-product diet compared to the corn-soy diet. Pigs fed the by-product diet had decreased (P < 0.05) carcass yield and carcass G:F) and marginally decreased (P < 0.07) HCW and carcass ADG compared to pigs fed the corn-soy diet. A Cu × diet type interaction (P < 0.05) existed for DM and GE digestibility during the early finishing period as added Cu improved (P < 0.05) digestibility of DM and GE in the corn-soy diet, but not in the by-product diet. During the late finishing period, added Cu marginally increased (P = 0.060) DM and GE digestibility while pigs fed the by-product diet had decreased DM and GE digestibility (P = 0.001) compared to those fed the corn-soy diet. For gut morphology, pigs fed added Cu had decreased crypt depth (P = 0.017) in the distal small intestine compared to those fed no added Cu. Furthermore, relative mRNA expression of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) was decreased (P = 0.032) in pigs fed added Cu compared to those fed no added Cu. In summary, adding 150 mg/kg added Cu or including 30% DDGS and 15% bakery meal into a corn-soy diet did not influence growth performance. However, HCW ADG and HCW G:F were reduced in pigs fed the by-product diet compared to the corn-soy diet. Only minor differences in gut morphology or mRNA expression were observed from feeding diets with high levels of Cu or by-products compared to a corn-soy diet.

224 Evaluation of Elarom SES with or without Tribasic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Growth Performance.

224 Evaluation of Elarom SES with or without Tribasic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Growth Performance.

225 Effects of Zinc Oxide, Zinc Hydroxychloride, and Tribasic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Performance.

225 Effects of Zinc Oxide, Zinc Hydroxychloride, and Tribasic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Performance.

The differences between copper sulfate and tribasic copper chloride on growth performance, redox status, deposition in tissues of pigs, and excretion in feces

ObjectiveThe objective of this experiment was to compare the effects of adding 130 mg/kg Cu from either copper sulfate (CS) or tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) on growth performance, mineral deposition in tissues, and the excretion in feces of pigs as well as changes in the mineral contents in tissues and feces when the supplemental Cu level was decreased from 130 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg.MethodsA total of 72 pigs (32.6±1.2 kg) were randomly assigned to a CS diet or a TBCC diet with 6 pens per treatment. The trial lasted 102 d and included 3 phases (phase 1, 1 to 30 d; phase 2, 31 to 81 d; and phase 3, 82 to 102 d). The supplemental levels of Cu in the 2 treatments were 130 mg/kg in phase 1 and 2 and 10 mg/kg in phase 3.ResultsThe results showed that pigs fed the CS diet tended to have higher average daily gain than pigs fed the TBCC diet during d 1 to 81 (p<0.10). Compared with CS, TBCC increased the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), ceruloplasmin, and superoxide dismutase in serum on d 30 (p<0.05). The TBCC decreased the Cu level in the liver on d 81 (p<0.05) and increased the Mn level in the liver on d 102 (p<0.05). The concentration of Cu in feces sharply decreased when the supplemental Cu level in diet changed from 130 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg in both diets (p<0.05).ConclusionThe result suggested that TBCC and CS had no significant difference on growth performance but TBCC had higher activities of AST and antioxidant enzymes and lower liver Cu than CS when pigs fed diets with 130 mg Cu/kg diet.

The effects of copper source and concentration on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pen cleanliness in finishing pigs1,2

A total of 1,143 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050, initially 25.1 ± 0.03 kg BW) were used in a 111-d study to determine the effects of copper sulfate (CuSO4; Prince Agri-Products, Quincy, IL) or tribasic copper chloride (TBCC; IntelliBond C; Micronutrients, Indianapolis, IN) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pen cleanliness. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete block design with 25 to 28 pigs per pen and 7 replications per treatment. Treatments included a corn–soybean meal–based diet (corn-soy), a high-by-product diet with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles and 15% bakery meal (by-product diet), and the by-product diet with 75 or 150 mg/kg added Cu from CuSO4 or TBCC. All diets contained 20 mg/kg Cu from CuSO4 in the trace mineral premix. At the conclusion of the trial, a digital photo of each pen was taken to allow 3 independent observers to score manure texture and buildup and to assess pen cleanliness prior to power washing. Furthermore, the time required to power wash each pen was also measured. Overall, pigs fed the by-product diet tended to have increased ADFI (P = 0.083) and had decreased G:F (P = 0.005) compared to those fed the corn-soy diet. No Cu source × level interactions or Cu source differences were observed (P > 0.05). From d 0 to 71, pigs fed increasing Cu had increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) ADG, d 71 BW, and ADFI. From d 71 to 111, pigs fed increasing Cu tended to have increased ADFI (linear, P = 0.068) and decreased G:F (quadratic, P = 0.056). Overall (d 0 to 111), increasing Cu increased (linear, P < 0.01) ADG, final BW, and ADFI (quadratic, P = 0.026). Hot carcass weight increased (linear, P = 0.023) by 2.4 kg with increasing Cu. Increasing Cu also increased loin depth (linear, P = 0.019) and percentage lean (quadratic, P = 0.024). Manure buildup and wash time (s/pen) increased (P < 0.05) for by-product diet pens compared to corn-soy pens; however, neither wash time nor pen cleanliness were influenced by added Cu. In summary, increasing dietary Cu in high-by-product diets improved growth and feed intake, resulting in increased final BW and HCW for pigs fed both Cu sources, without influencing pen wash time.

Liver mitochondrial dysfunction and electron transport chain defect induced by high dietary copper in broilers

Copper is an important trace mineral in the diet of poultry due to its biological activity. However, limited information is available concerning the effects of high copper on mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, 72 broilers were used to investigate the effects of high dietary copper on liver mitochondrial dysfunction and electron transport chain defect. Birds were fed with different concentrations [11, 110, 220, and 330 mg of copper/kg dry matter (DM)] of copper from tribasic copper chloride (TBCC). The experiment lasted for 60 d. Liver tissues on d 60 were subjected to histopathological observation. Additionally, liver mitochondrial function was recorded on d 12, 36, and 60. Moreover, a site-specific defect in the electron transport chain in liver mitochondria was also identified by using various chemical inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration. The results showed different degrees of degeneration, mitochondrial swelling, and high-density electrons in hepatocytes. In addition, the respiratory control ratio (RCR) and oxidative phosphorylation rate (OPR) in liver mitochondria increased at first and then decreased in high-dose groups. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2) generation velocity in treated groups was higher than that in control group, which were magnified by inhibiting electron transport at Complex IV. The results indicated that high dietary copper could decline liver mitochondrial function in broilers. The presence of a site-specific defect at Complex IV in liver mitochondria may be responsible for liver mitochondrial dysfunction caused by high dietary copper.

181 Effects of increasing copper from Tri-basic copper chloride or a Cu-amino acid complex on growth performance of nursery pigs

181 Effects of increasing copper from Tri-basic copper chloride or a Cu-amino acid complex on growth performance of nursery pigs

Effects of dietary copper and amino acid density on growth performance, apparent metabolizable energy, and nutrient digestibility in Eimeria acervulina-challenged broilers

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of copper supplementation in diets varying in amino acid (AA) density on growth performance, apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn), apparent ileal nutrient digestibility (AID), and plasma carotenoids in broilers infected with Eimeria acervulina. Ross 308 male broilers (480 total) were housed in battery cages and allotted to 8 experimental treatments in a factorial arrangement of 2 dietary AA densities [1.00% (LAA) or 1.20% (HAA) digestible Lys], 2 supplemental copper concentrations (zero or 116 mg/kg), and 2 E. acervulina infection states (uninfected or infected). Essential AA ratios relative to digestible Lys were similar in both the LAA and HAA diets, and copper was provided by 200 mg/kg of tribasic copper chloride (58% copper). Chicks received experimental diets from 2 to 21 d post hatch and 6 replicate cages of 10 birds per cage were assigned to each treatment. Broilers were inoculated with zero or 6.3 × 105 sporulated E. acervulina oocysts at 15 d and blood and ileal digesta were collected at 21 days. From 2 to 15 d, body weight gain and G:F of broilers were improved (P < 0.05) with increasing AA density, and an AA density × copper interaction was observed (P < 0.05) for feed intake. Eimeria infection reduced (P < 0.05) plasma carotenoids, growth performance, dietary AMEn, and AID of organic matter, nitrogen, and total AA. There were no interactive effects of dietary treatments with E. acervulina infection on broiler growth performance or dietary AMEn. An AA density × copper supplementation interaction was observed (P < 0.05) for AID of total AA, whereby copper supplementation increased AID of total AA for birds fed the LAA diet and decreased AID of total AA for birds fed the HAA diet. In summary, E. acervulina-induced reductions in nutrient digestibility were dependent on dietary copper and AA status, but changes in digestibility had minimal impact on growth performance of broilers during the E. acervulina infection period.

Effect of Zinc Oxide, Zinc Hydroxychloride, and Tri-basic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Performance

Effect of Zinc Oxide, Zinc Hydroxychloride, and Tri-basic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Performance

Effects of Increasing Copper from Tri-basic Copper Chloride or a Copper-Chelate on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

Effects of Increasing Copper from Tri-basic Copper Chloride or a Copper-Chelate on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

The effects of copper source and concentration on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pen cleanliness in finishing pigs.

A total of 1,143 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050, initially 25.1 ± 0.03 kg BW) were used in a 111-d study to determine the effects of copper sulfate (CuSO; Prince Agri-Products, Quincy, IL) or tribasic copper chloride (TBCC; IntelliBond C; Micronutrients, Indianapolis, IN) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pen cleanliness. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete block design with 25 to 28 pigs per pen and 7 replications per treatment. Treatments included a corn-soybean meal-based diet (corn-soy), a high-by-product diet with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles and 15% bakery meal (by-product diet), and the by-product diet with 75 or 150 mg/kg added Cu from CuSO or TBCC. All diets contained 20 mg/kg Cu from CuSO in the trace mineral premix. At the conclusion of the trial, a digital photo of each pen was taken to allow 3 independent observers to score manure texture and buildup and to assess pen cleanliness prior to power washing. Furthermore, the time required to power wash each pen was also measured. Overall, pigs fed the by-product diet tended to have increased ADFI ( = 0.083) and had decreased G:F ( = 0.005) compared to those fed the corn-soy diet. No Cu source × level interactions or Cu source differences were observed ( > 0.05). From d 0 to 71, pigs fed increasing Cu had increased (quadratic, < 0.05) ADG, d 71 BW, and ADFI. From d 71 to 111, pigs fed increasing Cu tended to have increased ADFI (linear, = 0.068) and decreased G:F (quadratic, = 0.056). Overall (d 0 to 111), increasing Cu increased (linear, < 0.01) ADG, final BW, and ADFI (quadratic, = 0.026). Hot carcass weight increased (linear, = 0.023) by 2.4 kg with increasing Cu. Increasing Cu also increased loin depth (linear, = 0.019) and percentage lean (quadratic, = 0.024). Manure buildup and wash time (s/pen) increased ( < 0.05) for by-product diet pens compared to corn-soy pens; however, neither wash time nor pen cleanliness were influenced by added Cu. In summary, increasing dietary Cu in high-by-product diets improved growth and feed intake, resulting in increased final BW and HCW for pigs fed both Cu sources, without influencing pen wash time.

Evaluation of Elarom SES with or without Tri-basic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Growth Performance

Evaluation of Elarom SES with or without Tri-basic Copper Chloride on Nursery Pig Growth Performance

Liver mitochondrial oxygen consumption and proton leak kinetics in broilers supplemented with dietary copper or zinc following coccidiosis challenge

Mitochondrial respiration was assessed in sixteen 7-day-old broilers as a subset of a larger study assessing the effects of Cu and Zn supplementation above requirements with a coccidiosis challenge on gain/feed ratio. The birds were selected from four treatments (four birds/treatment): a control diet (Cu 15mg/kg and Zn 60mg/kg) + coccidiosis challenge (CC), a Cu diet with 245mg/kg Cu from tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) + CC, a negative control diet (Cu 15mg/kg and Zn 60mg/kg) - CC and a Zn diet with 2000mg/kg Zn from ZnO. The diets were composed of 49% corn, 40% soybean meal, 6.2% vegetable oil (diet dry matter=90.62%, crude protein=21.37%, fat=7.7%, metabolizable energy=12.1 MJ/day) and were fed for 14days. Birds were dissected, and approximately one gram of liver tissue was used for mitochondrial oxygen consumption and proton leak kinetics assays. Respiratory control ratio and mitochondrial proton leak assessed by calculating rates of oxygen consumption at 175mV membrane potential were greater for the negative control group, but there were no differences in average gain/feed among treatments. In summary, broilers that did not undergo coccidiosis challenge had lower proton leak and higher respiratory control ratio. However, the impact of supplementation of Cu and Zn above requirements did not appear to prevent changes in respiratory control ratio and proton leak kinetics with coccidiosis challenge.

Relative bioavailability of copper in tribasic copper chloride to copper in copper sulfate for laying hens based on egg yolk and feather copper concentrations

This experiment was conducted to determine the relative bioavailability (RBV) of Cu in tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) to Cu in copper sulfate (monohydrate form; CuSO4·H2 O) for layer diets based on egg yolk and feather Cu concentrations. A total of 252, 72-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were allotted to 1 of 7 treatments with 6 replicates consisting of 6 hens per replicate in a completely randomized design. Hens were fed corn-soybean meal-based basal diets supplemented with 0 (basal), 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg Cu from CuSO4 or TBCC for 4 wk. Results indicated that egg production, egg weight, and egg mass were not affected by dietary treatments. However, increasing inclusion levels of Cu in diets from CuSO4 decreased (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR), whereas increasing inclusion levels of Cu in diets from TBCC did not affect FCR, indicating significant interaction (P < 0.05). Increasing inclusion levels of Cu from TBCC or CuSO4 increased (P < 0.05) Cu concentrations of egg yolk and feathers. Feather Cu concentrations were greater (P < 0.01) for hens fed diets containing CuSO4 than for hens fed diets containing TBCC. The values for the RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 based on log10 transformed egg yolk and feather Cu concentrations were 107.4% and 69.5%, respectively. These values for the RBV of Cu in TBCC did not differ from Cu in CuSO4 (100%). The RBV measured in egg yolk did not differ from the RBV measured in feather. In conclusion, the RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 can be determined using Cu concentrations of egg yolk and feathers although the values depend largely on target tissues of laying hens. For a practical application, however, the RBV value of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 could be 88.5% when the RBV values determined using egg yolk and feather Cu concentrations were averaged.

299 Effect of diet type and added copper on growth performance, carcass characteristics, total tract digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs

A total of 757 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 27.6 kg BW) were used in a 117-d experiment to determine the effects of added Cu from tribasic copper chloride and diet type on growth performance, carcass characteristics, energy digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete block design with 26 to 28 pigs per pen and 7 replications per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of diet type, a corn-soybean meal-based diet (corn-soy) or a high by-product diet (by-product) with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 15% bakery meal, and added Cu (0 or 150 mg/kg added Cu). There were no Cu × diet type interactions for growth performance. Overall, neither added Cu nor diet type influenced growth performance. However, caloric efficiency was decreased (P = 0.001) for pigs fed the by-product diet compared to the corn-soy diet. Pigs fed the by-product diet had decreased (P < 0.05) carcass yield and carcass G:F) and marginally decreased (P < 0.07) HCW and carcass ADG compared to pigs fed the corn-soy diet. A Cu × diet type interaction (P < 0.05) existed for DM and GE digestibility during the early finishing period as added Cu improved (P < 0.05) digestibility of DM and GE in the corn-soy diet, but not in the by-product diet. During the late finishing period, added Cu marginally increased (P = 0.060) DM and GE digestibility while pigs fed the by-product diet had decreased DM and GE digestibility (P = 0.001) compared to those fed the corn-soy diet. For gut morphology, pigs fed added Cu had decreased crypt depth (P = 0.017) in the distal small intestine compared to those fed no added Cu. Furthermore, relative mRNA expression of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) was decreased (P = 0.032) in pigs fed added Cu compared to those fed no added Cu. In summary, adding 150 mg/kg added Cu or including 30% DDGS and 15% bakery meal into a corn-soy diet did not influence growth performance. However, HCW ADG and HCW G:F were reduced in pigs fed the by-product diet compared to the corn-soy diet. Only minor differences in gut morphology or mRNA expression were observed from feeding diets with high levels of Cu or by-products compared to a corn-soy diet.

295 Effects of tribasic copper chloride (TBCC), Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (YFP), and narasin (NAR) supplementation on growth performance of 12 to 25 kg pigs

295 Effects of tribasic copper chloride (TBCC), Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (YFP), and narasin (NAR) supplementation on growth performance of 12 to 25 kg pigs

Effects of Increasing Copper from Tri-basic Copper Chloride or a Copper-Amino Acid Complex on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

Effects of Increasing Copper from Tri-basic Copper Chloride or a Copper-Amino Acid Complex on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

Determination of relative bioavailability of copper in tribasic copper chloride to copper in copper sulfate for broiler chickens based on liver and feather copper concentrations

This experiment was conducted to determine the relative bioavailability (RBV) of copper (Cu) in tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) to Cu in copper sulfate (monohydrate form; CuSO4·H2O) as a reference Cu source for broiler diets based on liver and feather Cu concentrations. A total of 588 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 1 of 7 dietary treatments with 7 replicate cages of 12 birds each (6 males and 6 females). Birds were fed the corn–soybean meal-based basal diet (8.76mg/kg Cu), or basal diets supplemented with 0, 100, 200, or 300mg/kg Cu from either CuSO4 or TBCC for 21 d. Results indicated that birds fed diets containing 300mg/kg of Cu from CuSO4 had the least (P<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) among 7 dietary treatments. The ADG and ADFI were less (P<0.01) for birds fed diets containing CuSO4 than for those fed diets containing TBCC. Birds fed diets containing 300mg/kg of Cu had greater (P<0.01) liver and feather Cu concentrations than those fed diets containing 100 or 200mg/kg of Cu. The RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4, when it was calculated based on log10 transformed liver Cu concentrations and added Cu intake, was 92.6±7.9%, whereas the RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 determined using feather Cu concentrations was 84.3±8.4%. However, these two values were not significantly different. In conclusion, the RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 varies with target tissues, but the values are not significantly different. Thus, the RBV of Cu in TBCC to Cu in CuSO4 can also be determined using feather Cu concentrations in broiler chickens. From a practical standpoint, the RBV is likely close to 88.5% when values determined from liver and feather Cu concentrations are averaged.