1. The effect of intravenously injected zinc (Zn) on tissue Zn concentrations and pancreas metallothionein (MT) gene expression in broilers was investigated to detect differences in the tissue utilisation of Zn from different Zn sources. 2. A total of 432 male chickens were randomly allotted on d 22 post-hatch to one of nine treatments in a completely randomised design. Chickens were injected with either a 0.9% (w/v) NaCl solution (control) or a saline solution supplemented with Zn sulphate or one of three organic Zn chelates with weak (Zn-AA W), moderate (Zn-Pro M) or strong (Zn-Pro S) chelation strengths at two injected Zn dosages calculated according to two Zn absorbability levels (6 and 12%). 3. Bone and pancreas Zn concentrations, pancreas MT mRNA levels and MT concentrations increased on d 6 and 12 after Zn injections as the injected Zn dosages increased. Chickens injected with the Zn-Pro S had lower bone Zn concentration than those injected with the Zn-Pro M or Zn-AA W on d 6 after injections. However, no differences among Zn sources were observed in bone Zn concentration on d 12 after injections, pancreas Zn concentrations, pancreas MT mRNA levels and MT concentrations on both d 6 and d 12 after injections. 4. It was concluded that the injected Zn-Pro S was the least favourable for bone Zn utilisation of broilers. The pancreas Zn concentration and pancreas MT gene expressions might not be sensitive enough to detect differences in the tissue utilisation of injected Zn in broilers between organic and inorganic Zn sources or among organic Zn sources.

Two experiments were conducted to estimate standardized P retention (SPR) values of dicalcium phosphate (DCP), monocalcium phosphate (MCP), and monopotassium phosphate (MKP) in broilers. In total, ninety-six 22-d-old male broilers with similar BW (780 g average) were used in each experiment. The chicks were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments (P-free, DCP, MCP, or MKP diets) with 6 replicate cages of 4 chicks each in a completely randomized design. After 3-d acclimation, chicks were fasted for 24 h and then fed P-free, DCP, MCP, or MKP diets for 4 h in Exp. 1 or 72 h in Exp. 2. Excreta samples were collected for a total of 28 or 52 h (24 or 48 h after feed withdrawal) in Exp. 1 and 96 or 120 h (24 or 48 h after feed withdrawal) in Exp. 2, respectively. The excreta collection time of 52 h in Exp. 1 or 96 h in Exp. 2 was adequate for the estimation of SPR. The estimated basal endogenous P losses (EPL) in chicks fed the P-free diet were 109 ± 4 mg/52 h per bird and 49.2 ± 4.0 mg/96 h per bird in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. The SPR values of inorganic phosphate sources corrected by the above basal EPL differed (P < 0.001) in Exp. 2 but not in Exp. 1. However, these SPR values were very similar between the 2 experiments with 68.7, 69.8, or 76.6% in Exp. 1 and 71.8, 70.6, or 78.3% in Exp. 2 for DCP, MCP, or MKP, respectively. The results from the current study indicated that, compared with the 72-h feeding and 96-h excreta collection procedure, the 4-h feeding and 52-h excreta collection procedure was a relatively quicker time- and labor-saving method for estimating the SPR values of inorganic P sources in broilers. The estimated SPR values of commonly used inorganic P sources (MCP and DCP) were about 70%.