Carbohydrate and protein sources evaluation and its utilization in the diets of newly hatched chicks.

Author(s)

Flavio Alves Longo

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2004-02-06

Examining board members

Jose Fernando Machado Menten; Jose Eduardo Butolo; Jose Eurico Possebon Cyrino; Valdomiro Shigueru Miyada; Nilva Kazue Sakomura

• Advisor: Jose Fernando Machado Menten

Abstract

There are some evidences in the literature that newly hatched chicks have the digestive system still immature, what result in a small capacity to metabolize feed ingredients. So, more digestible ingredients could be recommended to allow an adequate development of the body. Herewith, the objective of this work was to determine the Ncorrected apparent metabolizable energy (EMAn) of carbohydrate and protein sources for newly hatched chicks, and to evaluate the utilization of these ingredients on the early development of gastrointestinal tract organs, performance and carcass characteristics of birds. The ingredients evaluated were: corn (MI), corn starch (AMI), cassava starch (AMA), glucose (GLI), lactose (LAC) and sucrose (SAC), as carbohydrates sources, and soybean meal (FS), micronized full fat soybean (SIM), isolated soy protein (IS), dried whole eggs (OP), blood plasma (PS), corn gluten meal (GM) and dried sugar cane yeast (LS), as protein sources. Several metabolism trials were conducted to determine the EMAn, using the total excreta collection method. To evaluate the performance, gastrointestinal tract development and carcass characteristics, experiments were conducted, in cages and floor pens, using diets containing those ingredients. The EMAn of the carbohydrate sources determined for chicks in the first week were: 3,213; 3,269; 3,690; 3,427; 1,225 and 3,524 kcal/kg for MI, AMI, AMA, GLI, LAC and SAC, respectively. The EMAn for protein sources were: 2,085; 4,068; 2,110; 5,095; 3,831; 3,374 and 2,037 kcal/kg for FS, SIM, IS, OP, PS, GM and LS, respectively. For the birds reared in cages, the results showed, in general, that the different carbohydrate sources did not affect the gastrointestinal tract development, but the feed consumption of the birds was improved by the more available carbohydrate sources in the newly hatched chicks diets, contributing to a higher liveweight of the birds. Otherwise, the different protein sources affected the gastrointestinal tract development, but these effects did not explain the changes on broiler performance. The addition of different protein and carbohydrate sources, and their mixtures, in the diets of newly hatched chicks reared in the floor pens resulted in differences on performance and on small intestine development of the birds until seven days of age, but these differences were not maintained on the following phases, contributing to a similar carcass characteristics and similar chemical composition of the whole leg meat at slaughter time. (AU)