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Title: IMPACT OF DIETARY AMINO ACID DENSITY ON BROILERS GROWN FOR THE SMALL BIRD MARKET

Author
item CORZO, ALEJANDRO - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
item KIDD, MICHAEL - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
item DOZIER III, WILLIAM
item WALSH, TARA - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
item PEAK, SHARRON - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Japan Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2005
Publication Date: 9/15/2005
Citation: Corzo, A., Kidd, M.T., Dozier III, W.A., Walsh, T.J., Peak, S.D. 2005. Impact of dietary amino acid density on broilers grown for the small bird market. Japan Poultry Science. 42:329-336.

Interpretive Summary: Feed cost represents 65% of the total live production cost for broiler chickens that supports an industry that produces 8 billion birds annually. Small broilers represent about 30% of the broilers marketed in the US. Large percentage of the cost of the diet is protein/amino acid contributing ingredients. Dietary amino acids influence the growth rate of broilers as well as the yield of the carcass parts. This research evaluated responses of broilers to diets varying in amino acid density during a 35 day production cycle. Results indicated that broilers provided diets high in amino acid density had a 5 point improvement in feed conversion ratio.

Technical Abstract: U.S. broiler integrators commonly reduce dietary amino acid density as a way of reducing overall diet cost since feed represents the majority of live production costs. It has been shown, however, that the former may not be necessarily true, and that perhaps maximization in production may lead to higher financial returns. A popular strain cross (Ross x Cobb 500) used for small bird markets was reared from 0 to 35 d of age. Broilers were separated by sex, and data were analyzed as a factorial arrangement of treatments. Feeding high amino acid density diets to broilers was only beneficial if fed throughout the entire growout period. Benefits, however, were limited to improvements in feed consumption, feed conversion, and abdominal fat. No other parameters evaluated were affected by dietary treatments, perhaps as a consequence of the strain cross used in this study. Males had higher BW and lower feed conversion than females, as well as higher breast meat yield values. In conclusion, feeding broilers H nutrient density diets reduced cumulative conversion and abdominal fat, but did not affect uniformity or other carcass parameters.