Effects of Methionine Supplement Sources and Crude Protein on Ross 708 By-product Male Performance and Carcass Yield PDF Download

Author: Darby Boontarue
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Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Precise feed formulation is crucial for efficient poultry production. Amino acids (AA) play an integral role as constituents of digestible proteins, predominantly sourced from soybean meal in broiler diets. However, synthetic AAs offer alternatives and formulations closer to bird requirements. Excessive AAs may result in poor litter quality and footpad dermatitis, while excess nitrogen (N) excretion may raise environmental concerns. The growing availability of synthetic AAs and the adoption of the ideal protein concept enable the formulation of diets with lower crude protein (CP) content without compromising performance. Namely, methionine (Met) supplementation is of high priority due to it being the first limiting AA in a corn-soybean meal diet. Nutritionists have access to various ingredients that fulfill the Met requirements of broilers. Amino acids, such as DL-Methionine, are nearly 100% bioavailable while methionine hydroxy analogs are shown to be relatively less bioavailable. Thus, a 42d experiment compared the efficacy of a 65% DL-Methionine and 35% limestone dilution product (65DLM) to a methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) product in a sulfur AA-deficient diet. The impact of CP level, Met supplement sources, and their interaction was assessed on growth performance, carcass traits, footpad lesion scores (FLS), and litter moisture. A total of 3,072 Ross 708 by-product males received diets varying in Met source (none, MHA, or 65DLM) and CP (Standard (SCP) or Reduced 2% (RCP)). Treatments were arranged in a 2 x 3 factorial in a randomized complete block design. Each treatment was fed to 16 replicate floor pens with 32 birds/pen across a 3-phase feeding program. Performance was measured during the starter (d1-10), grower (d11-24), finisher (d25-42), and overall (d1-42) periods. On d24 and 42, litter was collected to determine litter moisture, and three birds/pen were selected for FLS. On d42, three birds/pen were selected for processing yield. Overall, regardless of Met source, RCP-fed birds showed reduced performance compared to their counterpart SCP treatments. Birds fed SCP diets increased litter moisture when compared to birds fed RCP diets. Likewise, birds fed either MHA or 65DLM had higher litter moisture content than birds provided a diet with no Met supplementation. On d42, majority of FLS across all treatments were a score of "0". Breast weight was highest when 65DLM was included in SCP diets and reduced when MHA was provided in either RCP or SCP diets. Overall, this experiment indicated that 65DLM can replace MHA in a diet marginally deficient in total sulfur AAs to achieve similar performance and improve breast weight.