POULTRY RESEARCH REPORT 29 The Digestible Lysine Requirement of HighYielding Male and Female Cobb 500 x Cobb 500

Broilers from 35 to 49 days of age

phase is very important. Unfortunately, most studies to date primarily focus on either the very first 0 to 21 days of life, or contain data that evaluates the dLys requirement over a number of phases. While the latter data are informative, data that are generated over a number of phases are confoundedbypriortreatments. The scope of this study addresses the dLys requirement of 35 to 49 dayold, mixedsex, Cobb 500xcob500(fastfeathering)broilers.

Introduction
Efficiencies in broiler production are continuously improving due to advances in management, genetics and nutrition. Notwithstanding the importance of management, the last two points are of particular importance because they have had a profound effect upon growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion, meat yield, cost of production and how broilers are ultimately fed (Havenstein et al. [1,2]). While most of the improvements are related to the broilers ability to consume more feed and accrete more body protein on the whole or within a specific muscle group [Pectoralis major and minor] (Wolanskietal.[3]),itisgenerallyacceptedthatnot meeting a set of nutritional requirements will result in the broilers inability to optimally express its geneticpotential. Of the nutrients that are required by the rapidlygrowing broiler, amino acids [Met, Lys, Thr, Val, Ile, Arg, Trp, etc.], their dietary level, and their relative ratio to digestible Lysine [dLys] greatly define the broilers ability to efficiency synthesize body protein [i.e. breast muscle]. For example, research of Kidd et al. [4], Dozier et al. [5] and Shirley et al. [6] demonstrated across a variety of broiler lines that growth, feed conversion and meat yield improves as amino acid density increases, up to the requirement. Because of this and other research, industry nutritionists recognize that there isenoughdivergenceinbroilergeneticsandspecific markets / production targets, that a variety of feeding regimes is required to maximize both broilerperformanceandeconomicsofproduction. The 5 to 7 weekold broiler will consume approximately 45 to 50% of its feed in a 7 week grow out. In addition, a significant amount of protein, especially breast meat, is accreted. As a result, defining the dLys requirement for this

Objective
Determine the digestible Lys (dLys) requirement of mixedsex, Cobb Cobb 500 (fastfeathering) broilers from 35 to 49 d of age.

MaterialsandMethods
Diets: Birds were fed a common Starter [0
to7daysofage;crumble],Grower[7to21daysof age; pellet] and Finisher [21 to 35 daysofage; pellet] diet before being placed on test at day 35. These diets were designed to meet or exceed the 1994 NRC [7] and typical industry formulations [TABLE1]. On day 35, a base and summit diet were formulated and mixed in varying proportions to create 8 doseresponse diets ranging from 0.60 to 1.16% dLys in 0.08% graduations [TABLES 1 and 2]; all dietary treatments were pelleted. Crude protein amounts increased by ~1.25% between each treatment level as the level of dLys increased. In addition, the dietary treatments contained corn, soybean meal, porcine meat and bone meal, and wheat midds. All except wheat midds were analyzedfornutritionalcontentpriortoformulation [total amino acid content, crude protein and minerals]; and, digestible amino acid values were

determined using the cecectomized rooster assay. Amino acid digestibility values for wheat midds were taken from the Ajinomoto Heartland LLC aminoaciddatabase.MinimumdigestibleEAA:dLys ratios were maintained in the base and summit diets so as to ensure that the diets contained an adequatelevelofessentialaminoacidsandthatthe responsetodLyswouldnotbelimited. Bird Husbandry: This study was conducted at The University of Georgia Poultry Research Farm. The facility that was used contained 4 rooms with 24 floor pens per room; each pen was 4 x 10, and there were 12 pens on

each side of each room. Each of the two rows of 12pensineachroomwassuppliedwithacommon water line with nipple drinkers; each pen contained its own feeder. Environmental conditions [light, temperature and humidity] across the rooms were controlled and no significant differences in temperature or humidity werenotedthroughoutthestudy. A total of 2,700 male and 2,700 female Cobb 500 x Cobb 500, fastfeathering broiler chicks originating from the same breeder flock were purchased from a primary breeder hatchery. Chicks were vaccinated according to normal industry

TABLE1:ExperimentalDiets
Period
Corn Soybeanmeal48% MeatBoneMeal WheatMidds PoultryFat DicalciumP Limestone DLMethionine LLysineHCl LThreonine Other* SumofIngredients NutrientLevels ME,kcal/lb CP,% AminoAcidRatios dLys dTSAA dThr dArg dIle dVal dTrp

Starter (d07)
53.78 37.99 3.00 2.472 1.090 0.601 0.318 0.051 0.705 100 1,370 24.17 100 76 65 105(121) 68(86) 76(92) 16(21)

CommonDiets Grower Finisher (d721) (d2135)

57.44 32.60 5.00 3.115 0.305 0.413 0.285 0.057 0.787 100 1,406 22.79 100 76 66 105(122) 68(85) 76(92) 16(20) 58.60 30.56 5.02 4.297 0.100 0.37 0.268 0.061 0.730 100 1,442 21.91 100 76 66 105(122) 68(84) 76(92) 16(20)

Base Summit 0.60%dLys 1.16%dLys (d3549)

80.95 10.12 2.78 3.45 1.00 0.214 0.481 0.074 0.108 0.823 100 1,458 13.28 100 76 66 105(112) 67(83) 76(89) 16(17) 58.18 32.64 2.78 4.59 0.101 0.354 0.334 0.138 0.086 0.797 100 1,458 22.00 100 76 66 105(110) 67(75) 76(76) 16(18)

*NaCl,SodiumBicarbonate,VitaminMineralpremix,CholineCl(60%) *Numbersbefore()areminimumrequirements,andnumbersin()arethelevelsatwhichthe nutrientratiosformulated

 TABLE2:DietBlends Trt. DigLys,% Base,% Summit,% 1 0.60(low) 100.0 0.0 2 0.68 87.5 12.5 3 0 . 7 6 7 5 . 0 25.0 0.84 62.0 37.5 4 0.92 50.0 50.0 5 6 1 . 0 0 3 7 . 5 62.5 1.08 25.0 75.0 7 1.16(high) 12.5 87.5 8 practices and placed at an initial stocking density of 50 birds/pen [0.78 sq ft/bird]. On day 35 [start of the treatment phase], bird density was equalized to 46 birds per pen [23 male and 23 female; 0.85 sq ft/bird] so that differences in performance due to chick quality were minimized. Average initial starting pen weight on day 35 was 2.15 kg/bird [4.74lbs/bird]. Feed and water were offered and consumed on an ad libitum basis. Birds and feed were weighed on d 0, 7, 21, 35 and 49 for the determination of body weight [BW], body weight gain [BWG], feed intake [FI] and feed conversion adjustedtoa2.7kg[6lb]bird. At the end of the growout period [D 49], 8 birds [4 males and 4 females] were selected from each pen based on having weights +/ 300 g of the pen mean for each sex. The selected birds were leg banded and placed in coops for an overnight feed withdrawal. After the 12 hr feed withdrawal [D 50], the birds were weighed [i.e. fasted live weight] and processed at the University of Georgia Processing Plant. A variety of parameters were measured; however, only the percent hot fat pad, chilled Pectoralis major weight and total white meat yield are reported in this bulletin. Yield calculations [%] arebasedonthefasted,liveweightofthebird. Performance and yield data for males and females were determined and combined for this report. Statistics: ANOVA was used to evaluate the completely randomized block design [Statistix 2008]. The block effect [i.e. the room effect] was not significant. The broken line analysis [8] was conducted to determine an estimated breakpoint for a variety of parameters measured [i.e. parametervs.levelofdietarydLys].

Results[Performance]
The 35 to 49 dayold Cobb x Cobb 500 broiler responded to increasing levels of dLys. Response to dLys led to significant quadratic responses and linear broken line estimates (P<0.001) for BW [0.95%, 3,061 g/bird; FIGURE 1], BWG [0.96%, 858 g/bird; FIGURE 2], FI [0.88%, 2,218 g/bird; FIGURE 3], and FCR [1.01%, 2.30 g/g; FIGURE4].

Results[Processing]
Processing results followed a similar trend to increasing levels of dLys, as linear broken line estimates were determined for fat pad percent [1.00%, 2.20%; FIGURE 5], Pectoralis major weight [0.98%, 526 g/bird; FIGURE 6] and total white meat yield[0.95%,22.30%;FIGURE7].

Discussion&Conclusions
TheinitialStarter,GrowerandFinisherdiets were designed to be overlyadequate in all amino acids. Thiswasdonesothatthebirds wouldnot be limited in size or response to the various dietary treatments in the Withdrawal phase. The fact that

Figure1

Figure2

Figure3

Figure7

Figure4

improvements in performance and processing parameters were observed in this study demonstrates that the 35 to 39 dayold broiler is responsivetohigherlevelsofdLys[TABLE3]. TABLE 3: SummaryTable

Figure5

Parameter BW,g/bird BWG,g/bird FI,g/bird FCR FatPad,% P.major,g/bird TWMYield,% Average References

DigLys BreakPoint 0.95 0.96 0.88 1.01 1.00 0.98 0.95 0.96

Response 3,061 858 2,218 2.30 2.20 526 22.30

Figure6

1. Havenstein, G.B., P.R. Ferket and M.A. Quershi.2003a.Poult.Sci.82:15001508. 2. Havenstein, G.B., P.R. Ferket and M.A. Quershi.2003a.Poult.Sci.82:15091518. 3. Wolsanski, N.J., R.A. Renema, F.E. Robinson, V.L. Carney and B.I. Fancher. 2006. Poult. Sci. 85:14901497. 4. Kidd, M. T., C. D. McDaniel, S. L. Branton, E. R. Miller, B. B. Boren, and B. I. Fancher. 2004. J. Appl.Poult.Res.13:593604. 5. Dozier, W. A., III, M. T. Kidd, and A. Corzo. 2008. J.Appl.Poult.Res.17:157167. 6. Shirley, R.B., D.S. Parker, M. VazquezAnon, C. D. Knight, and A.G. Marangos. 2006. PSA Annual MeetingEdmonton,Canada. 7. NRCNutrientRequirementsofPoultry.1994. 8. PestiG.,2007. http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/ES pubs/RB440/RB440.htm.

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PRR29 2010