This study was conducted to determine the effects of amino acid (AA)
supplementation in low-protein (LP) diets on growth performance and nitrogen (N)
excretion. A total of 175 7-day-old Ross 308 male broilers, with a mean body
weight (BW) of 165 g (standard deviation = 11.2 g), were grouped into five
blocks by BW and allocated to seven treatments according to a randomized
complete block design with five replicate cages at five birds per cage. Dietary
treatments comprised a control diet containing 20.0% crude protein (CP) and six
LP diets containing either 18.5% or 17.0% CP. These LP diets were supplemented
with either no AA supplementation, indispensable AA, or both indispensable and
dispensable AA (glutamic acid and glycine). Birds were fed experimental grower
diets from day 7 to 21 and then commercial finisher diets until day 28. During
the grower period (day 7 to 21), birds fed LP diets supplemented with
indispensable AA exhibited greater (
p
< 0.05) BW, body
weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) than birds fed
LP diets without crystalline AA and were comparable to birds fed the control
diet. During the finisher period (day 21 to 28), birds fed LP diets supplemented
with indispensable AA showed greater (
p
< 0.05) BW than
birds fed LP diets without crystalline AA, and their growth performance was
comparable to birds fed the control diet. Throughout the overall period,
supplementing indispensable AA in LP diets resulted in elevated
(
p
< 0.05) BWG, FI, and G:F more than those of LP
diets without crystalline AA and were comparable to those of the control diet.
Supplementing indispensable AA in LP diets decreased amount and coefficient of N
excretion as much as the control diet. Dispensable AA supplementation in LP
diets did not influence growth performance and N excretion. In conclusion,
supplementing indispensable AA in LP diets maintains growth performance and N
excretion until the dietary CP lowers from 20.0% to 17.0% during the grower
period. As long as dietary CP is above 17.0%, dispensable AA may not be
deficient in LP diets during the grower period.