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The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) in diets on growth performance, carcass yield and blood chemical profile of commercial male broiler chickens from 1 to 42 days of age. Six graded levels of TSAA were fed during the starter (1–21 days of age) and the grower (22–42 days of age) periods at 61, 84, 100, 105, 110 and 115% of commercial recommendation. The experiment was a completely randomised design. In all, 1050 commercial male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were divided into six treatments, and each treatment consisted of seven replicates of 25 chicks each. Bodyweight gains of chicks that received TSAA at 100% of commercial concentrations were significantly greater than those that received the recommended National Research Council concentrations (84% of commercial levels, P < 0.05). The best feed-conversion ratio and feed cost per gain were found at the commercial recommendation level. Nonetheless, broilers that were fed TSAA at concentrations higher than the commercial recommendation levels did not exhibit positive effects on growth performance. With respect to carcass yield, the breast meat yield was increased by increasing TSAA in the diets (P < 0.05), particularly when supplied at commercial recommendation levels, whereas the eviscerated carcass and liver weights were not significantly affected. There was no significant effect of increasing TSAA in the diets on serum triglyceride, uric acid, total protein, albumin and globulin. In conclusion, broilers fed diets supplemented with TSAA at commercial concentrations gave the best growth performance, carcass yields and economic return.

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ObjectiveThis experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of a corn- or cassava- based diet on the production of meat-type ducks.MethodsFour hundred day-old ducks were used in this experiment. They were divided into five groups with each group replicated eight times. The ducks fed the corn-based diets served as the control group. The four other groups comprised different treatments, with each one given the cassava-based diet based on phase-feeding. Three treatments were fed the cassava-based diet from 16, 28, and 35 d; respectively up to 42 d of age and the other group was fed the cassava-based diet from 1 to 42 d of age.ResultsThe results indicated that ducks on either the corn- or cassava-based diets were similar in growth during 1 to 9 d of age. However, toward 35 to 42 d, the cassava-diet produced a higher weight gain (p<0.05). The cassava-based diet was better than the corn-based diet at increasing the outer and inner breast weights at 28, 35, or 42 d (p<0.05). In contrast, the corn-based diet was better at increasing abdominal fat (p<0.05). The two diets did not differ in their effects on the serum triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and liver cholesterol. The corn-based diet, however, caused a highly significantly greater level of liver triglyceride (p<0.01).ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that both the cassava- and corn- based diets are similar in their effect on meat-type ducks during the starter stage but toward the finisher stage, the cassava-based diet has a better influence on weight gain and carcass characteristics.

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