Plumage Response of Young Turkeys to Diets with Increased Methionine to Lysine Ratios at Three Dietary Arginine Levels

Abstract

A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of two dietary methionine levels (Met; 30% and 45% of Lys content) and three arginine levels (Arg; 90%, 100%, and 110% of Lys content) on plumage development in 4- and 16-week-old female turkeys. One-day-old turkey poults were assigned to six groups (eight replicate pens per group and 18 birds per pen) and fed experimental diets containing 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.3%, and 1.0% of Lys in four successive four-week periods. After weeks 4 and 16 of feeding, eight turkeys per group were selected for plumage evaluation. Feathers were collected from the outer side of one thigh and from an area of 4 cm2 in the interscapular region. Plumage was evaluated based on an established pattern of five feather development stages in turkeys, from stage I (pinfeathers covered in sheaths) to stage V (mature feathers). An increase in the Met inclusion rate to 45% of Lys content had no significant effect on feather growth in 4-week-old turkeys, but it accelerated the development of feathers in 16-week-old birds. A lower percentage of stage II (p = 0.035), stage III (p = 0.019), and stage IV (p = 0.003) immature feathers, and a higher percentage of stage V (mature) feathers (p = 0.001) were observed. Methionine exerted a greater effect on the development of thigh feathers (p = 0.001) than interscapular feathers (p = 0.074). Unlike Met, different Arg concentrations had no influence on plumage development in turkeys. Overall, the present results indicate that supplemental Met has a potential for accelerating feather development in 16-week-old turkeys via an increased supply of total sulfur amino acids.

Different dietary ratios of arginine, methionine and lysine for turkeys: effects on whole-body composition and nutrient utilization efficiency in the early growth stage

“…The higher dietary Met level (45% vs. 30% of Lys content) increased plasma albumin concentration and stimulated the antioxidant defense system of 16-week-old turkeys . In turn, Mróz et al (2022) demonstrated that an increased supply of Met to 45% of Lys content accelerated the development of feathers, compared with birds fed a diet with a lower Met level. The lowest Arg level (90% of Lys content) undesirably increased the concentration of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, decreased globulin con-centration in the blood plasma, and decreased the dressing yield of turkeys .…”

“…of dietary Met (45 vs. 30% of Lys content) increased the body weight gain (bwg) and final body weight (bw) of 16-week-old turkeys, whereas Arg levels (100% and 110 vs. 90% of Lys content) had a limited influence on their growth performance . It was also demonstrated that increased dietary Met content (from 30% to 45% relative to Lys) accelerated the development of thigh feathers in 16-week-old turkeys (Mróz et al, 2022).…”

The development rule of feathers and application of hair root tissue in sex identification of Yangzhou geese

“…The experimental data show that feathers developed rapidly. The lack of an amino acid balance in the diet during this period, especially the balance of sulfur-containing and branched-chain amino acids, can significantly affect early feather development in geese ( Mróz et al, 2022 ). Attention should be paid to the ratios of various amino acids in the feed and the reasonable addition of vitamins and trace elements ( Dersjant and Dusel, 2019 ).…”