Effect of Partial or Total Inclusion of Betaine and/or Choline Instead of Added Methionine in Broiler Diets on: 1- Growth Performance and Economic Efficiency.

Abstract

This investigation aimed to evaluate the effect of partial or total replacement of added DL-methionine (Met) with betaine or choline or both in diets of broilers chicks on growth performance and economic efficiency. A total numbers of 440 day-old straight-run Cobb500 broiler chicks were randomly taken, weighed and divided into eleven treatments (40 birds each). Each treatment contained 4 replicates of 10 birds. A basal diet was formulated as control according to NRC, recommendations for starter (0-12 days, 0.165% added Met.), grower (12-24 days, 0.135% added Met.) and finisher (24-36 days, 0.090% added Met.). Treatment one was fed the control ration while the other ten treatments were fed the control ration after partial or total replacement the added Met. with betaine or choline or both. The results of the present study indicated that replacement of added methionine with betaine and/or choline positively affected final live body weight (LBW) of broiler chicks compared with their control group. The highest LBW was achieved by chicks fed T10 (50% betaine and 50% choline) and T7 (100% betaine) when compared with other dietary treatments while the lowest value was recorded with the control group. The same trend of response was observed in body weight gain (BWG) of chicks fed on diets containing different levels of betaine or choline during the whole experimental period compared with their control counterparts. Slight differences were observed among the different experimental groups of broiler chicks in feed intake FI which seemed erratic and perhaps were not related to the effect of dietary treatments. Replacing added dietary methionine with betaine and/or choline in broiler diets led to superior means of feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the three phases of growth and the whole experimental period to those attained by the control group. During the whole experimental period (0-36 days old), birds fed diets in which betaine completely replaced added methionine achieved the lowest PER compared with their control group and other treatments. Also this level of replacement resulted in significantly (P<0.05) the best EEU value (4.82) as compared to the control group (5.22). Inclusion of 100% betaine instead of added methionine showed significantly (P< 0.05) higher PI value compared with the control group. Birds appeared health and total mortality rates throughout the experimental period were within the normal range among treatments. The lowest cost/kg body weight (11.96 LE) was observed with chicks fed diets completely replaced added methionine, while the highest value in which betaine (12.91 LE) was recorded with the control group. Similar results were observed with economic efficiency. It could be concluded that replacing methionine by betaine, choline or both improved body weight gain, feed conversion and economic efficiency of broiler production.

Effect of Partial or Total Inclusion of Betaine and/or Choline Instead of Added Methionine in Broiler Diets On: 2-Carcass Characteristics, Some Blood Parameters and Sensory Evaluation of Meat

“…In our relevant complementary paper, we have found that growth performance, mortality rate and economic efficiency of broiler chicks were positively affected when added dietary methionine was replaced with betaine, choline or both (Sherif et al 2017). Therefore, in the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the effect of dietary inclusion of betaine, choline or both instead of added methionine in broiler diets on carcass characteristics, some blood parameter and sensory evaluation of meat of broiler chicks.…”