Responses to increased dietary Lys concentrations were evaluated on 1,584 Ross 308 male broilers between 21 and 42 d of age housed according to 2 bird densities. The experimental design was composed of 8 factorial treatments: 2 bird densities (22 or 44 broilers/ 1.7 m(2) pen) x 4 true digestible (TD) Lys levels (0.83, 0.93, 1.03, and 1.13%). There were 6 repetitions per treatment. Birds were weighed individually at d 21 and 42. Feed consumption was recorded per pen. Body weight gain and feed conversion were calculated over the experimental period. Forty-eight broilers per treatment were dissected at 42 d of age. Final pH and drip loss during storage were measured on the pectoralis major. Density adversely affected feed intake (169 +/- 1 and 160 +/- 1 g/d with 22 and 44 birds per pen, respectively, P < 0.05), growth rate (97.4 +/- 0.5 and 91.0 +/- 0.7 g/d, P < 0.05), and feed conversion (1.730 +/- 0.008 and 1.760 +/- 0.006, P < 0.05). Except for feed intake, there was no interaction between the effects of bird density and dietary Lys. An increase in dietary TD Lys from 0.83 to 0.93% resulted in an increased growth rate (from 91.8 +/- 1.6 to 95.5 +/- 0.8 g/d, P < 0.05), improved feed conversion (from 1.783 +/- 0.008 to 1.742 +/- 0.009, P < 0.05), and increased breast meat yield (22.0 +/- 0.1% to 22.7 +/- 0.2%, P < 0.01). Performance and body composition traits were not significantly improved for concentrations of TD Lys higher than 0.93%. However, final breast pH increased from 0.83 up to 1.03% TD Lys in the diet (6.02 +/- 0.01 vs. 5.91 +/- 0.01, P < 0.05), and drip loss correlatively decreased (0.85 +/- 0.03% vs. 1.10 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05). This result opens new way of research for the definition of an amino acid requirement and on metabolic pathways involved in variations of breast muscle pH.

Two growth assays and 1 N balance trial were conducted to determine the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Ile:Lys ratio in 8- to 25-kg pigs using spray-dried blood cells or corn gluten feed as a protein source. In Exp. 1, 48 individually penned pigs (initial BW = 7.7 kg) were used in a 6-point SID Ile titration study (analyzed SID Ile of 0.36, 0.43, 0.50, 0.57, 0.64, and 0.72%) by addition of graded levels of L-Ile. The basal diet contained 1.00% SID Lys, 18.4% CP, and 13.6 MJ of ME/kg. Diets were based on wheat, barley, corn, and 7.5% spray-dried blood cells as a protein source. Dietary SID Leu and Val levels were 1.61 and 1.02%, respectively. For the 35-d period, ADG, ADFI, and G:F increased linearly (P < 0.01) and quadratically (P < 0.04) with increasing SID Ile:Lys. Estimates of optimal SID Ile:Lys ratios were 59% for ADG and ADFI. In Exp. 2, 24 N balances were conducted using the Exp. 1 diets (12 pigs; individually penned; average BW = 11.5 kg). Pigs were fed 3 times daily with an amount equal to 1.0 MJ of ME/kg of BW(0.75). Preparation and collection periods (7 d each) were repeated after rearranging the animals to treatments. Increasing the dietary SID Ile:Lys ratio increased N retention linearly (P < 0.01), and N utilization linearly (P < 0.01) and quadratically (P < 0.01). An optimal SID Ile:Lys ratio of 54% was estimated for N retention. In Exp. 3, 48 individually penned pigs (initial BW = 8.0 kg) were fed grain-based diets in a 6-point SID Ile titration (analyzed SID Ile of 0.35, 0.41, 0.49, 0.56, 0.62, and 0.69%). Dietary SID Ile was increased by graded addition of L-Ile. The basal diet contained 0.97% SID Lys, 16.8% CP, and 13.6 MJ of ME/kg. In contrast to Exp. 1 and 2, spray-dried blood cells were excluded and corn gluten feed was used as a protein source. Dietary SID Leu and Val were set to 1.05 and 0.66%. For the 42-d period, ADG, ADFI, and G:F increased linearly (P < 0.01) and quadratically (P < 0.01) with increasing SID Ile:Lys. Estimated optimal SID Ile:Lys ratios were 54, 54, and 49 for ADG, ADFI, and G:F, respectively. These experiments suggest that the optimal SID Ile:Lys ratio depends on diet composition. In Exp. 1, AA imbalances because of increased Leu contents may have led to increased Ile nutritional needs. For ADG and ADFI, an optimum SID Ile:Lys ratio of 54% was estimated for 8- to 25-kg pigs in diets without Leu excess.

The carry-over effect of a pre-starter diet (0 to 3 days of age) deficient in lysine on subsequent growth and body composition (3 to 10 days) was examined in two experiments on male broiler chicks raised in cages. In experiment 1, lysine deficiency was applied from 3 to 10 days after providing a balanced pre-starter control feed (Dþ, 1.40% lysine) or a lysine deficient feed (D2) during the first 3 days. Three levels of deficiency (A ¼ 0.63%, B ¼ 0.72%, C ¼ 0.82%) were tested. Growth and feed intake were higher in Dþ than in D2 chicks ( P , 0.001). However, the feed conversion ratio from 3 to 10 days of age was higher in Dþ chicks ( P , 0.001); pre-starter and starter feeds interacted ( P , 0.04) with the feed conversion of treatment D2/A ¼ 2.07 being better than treatment Dþ/A ¼ 2.61 ( P , 0.05). This suggests that chicks deficient from hatching exhibit a relatively lower sensitivity to lysine deficiency than chicks started on a control diet. In experiment 2, performance, slaughter parameters and body composition were analysed at 3 and 10 days of age, in chicks having received a lysine deficient feed (D0, 0.72% lysine), a control feed (Dþ, 1.40% lysine) or having been pair fed with control feed adjusted to D0 intake (PF) from 0 to 3 days of age, and then fed D0 ad libitum from 3 to 10 days of age. At 3 days, PF chicks had a higher body weight ( P , 0.05) than D0, and thus a better feed conversion. Body composition in relative values was little or not affected by dietary treatments, but the breast muscle weight at 3 days was higher in Dþ and PF chicks compared with D0 ( P , 0.05) and this effect was even accentuated at 10 days of age. The present work confirms that early nutrition can have subsequent consequences on the adjustment of fast growing broiler chicks to their nutritional conditions. It also suggests that breast muscle development is a more reactive parameter than whole body composition in this kind of experiments.

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