JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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Digestible lysine and sulfur amino acid (SAA) requirements of Ross male broilers were determined during the starter period in two experiments. Broilers were fed a control corn-soy diet (3200 kcal MEn/kg and 23% CP) for 6 days and then randomly assigned to dietary treatments until 16 days of age. The basal diet containing 19% CP was prepared in order to be deficient in lysine for experiment 1 and SAA for experiment 2. Seven graded increment levels of L-lysine HCl or Dl-methionine were added in absences of starch in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. All diets contained 3200 kcal MEn/kg and all essential amino acids, except for the test amino acid, were 10% higher than the NRC (1991) recommendations. The digestible lysine requirements of broilers based on broken-line and exponential models were 1.04 and 1.01%, respectively. The digestible SAA requirements for the mentioned models were 0.846 and 0.841%, respectively.

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The effect of dietary protein level and feed restriction on performance, body temperature and hematological values was evaluated, using Ross 308 broiler chicks under heat stress. For this purpose, three dietary treatments were fed to broilers during 21 to 42 days of age. Two treatments consisted of diets with protein levels recommended by NRC, 1994 and 85% of NRC recommendation and were fed ad-lib during the experiment. The third treatment was a feed restriction group that was fed diet with protein level recommended by NRC, but chicks were deprived of feed for 6 hours during heat stress challenge. Birds had free access to water. Results indicated that lowering protein content or feed restriction had no significant effect on body weight gain (P>0.05). Feed restriction resulted in significantly decreased feed intake, improved feed conversion and energy efficiency ratio, and decreased body temperature after heat stress challenge at 24 and 32 days (P<0.05). Lowering protein of diet and feed restriction resulted in significantly decreased protein intake, improved protein efficiency ratio and increased hematocrit and blood uric acid (P<0.05). Sex had no significant effect on body temperature and hematological values (P>0.05). Heat stress significantly increased body temperature, hematocrit and glucose and uric acid values.

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This experiment was conducted to compare the effect of probiotic thepax^® in diets with different quantities of protein on the performance of Cobb-500 broiler chickens and their serum antibody level against Newcastle disease vaccine (NDV). Two basal diets were formulated based on NRC (1994) recommendations which had NRC (sufficient protein diet) and 90% NRC (low protein diet) for protein. The basal diets were then supplemented with 0 and 0.1% probiotic, resulting in a 2×2 factorial arrangement with 2 levels of probiotic (0 and 0.1%) and 2 levels of protein (NRC and 90% NRC). Each of the 4 dietary treatments was fed to six replicate groups of 20 chicks. The results of experiment showed broilers fed low protein diet without supplementation of probiotic had lower performance than other treatments. Supplementing low protein diet with 0.1% probiotic significantly improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio, as did those which were fed diets with sufficient quantities of protein. Reducing dietary protein level increased abdominal fat content, but had no significant effect on other carcass composition. Supplementing of probiotic significantly reduced abdominal fat percentage (P<0.05). The utilization of probiotic in low protein diet resulted in increasing serum antibody level against NDV, but sufficient protein diet produced no such effect. Also, the results of experiment indicated that probiotic added to low protein diet improved broilers performance and immune response. However, these effects were not observed in adding probiotic to diet with sufficient quantity of protein.

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‏ This experiment was conducted to determine the performance and intestinal microflora population of broiler chicks in diets supplemented with Roxarsone, Avilamycin and Formycin gold during starter period. A basal diet was formulated according to NRC (1994) recommendation for starter (0-21 d) period and also supplemented with appropriate amounts of the mentioned growth promoters. Each of the treatment was fed to 5 replicates of 18 Ross 308 male broilers. The birds were raised on pen floor for 21 days. The microflora population in crop and ileum parts was measured on appropriate bacteriological media. Results of experiment indicated that supplementation of Roxarsone and Avilamycin, especially their combination to broiler diets, significantly improved body weigh gain of birds (P<0.05). Feed consumption and feed conversion ratios were not affected by any of the mentioned growth promoters. Adding all the growth promoters to the basal diet, except for the treatment of 0.05 percent Formycin gold, decreased total bacterial numbers in crop and ileum parts. Broilers fed diets containing Roxarsone plus Avilamycin had the lowest total bacterial population and were significantly different from those fed the basal diet (P<0.05). Supplementing broiler diets with all the growth promoters increased lactic acid bacteria population in crop, and decreased coliforms population in ileum parts. Lactic acid bacteria population was the highest in broilers fed Roxarsone plus Avilamycin and coliforms population was the lowest in birds fed 0.2 percent Formycin gold, being significantly different from basal diet (P<0.05).

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This experiment was conducted to compare the effects of Roxarsone (Rox) and Bacitracin methylen disalicylat (BMD) on the performance of broiler chicks. A control corn-soybean meal diet without growth promoter was formulated according to NRC (1994) recommendation for starter (0-21d) and grower (22-42d) periods. The control diet was also supplemented with Rox (50 mg/kg diet ) BMD (55 mg/kg diet) as well as the combination of Rox (50 mg/kg diet ) and BMD (55 mg/kg diet) in order to prepare 4 dietary treatments. Five replicate groups of 15 Ross 308 broiler chicks were assigned to each dietary treatment. Data was analyzed in a completely randomized design. Results of experiment indicated that individual supplementing of diet with Rox as well as BMD led to improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio compared to the basal diet. However, those birds fed diet containing the combination of these two compounds had significantly higher body weight gain and lower feed conversion than other groups ( P<0.05 ). Neither Rox nor BMD had any significant effect on feed intake. Birds fed diets supplemented with Rox or BMD had better carcass composition than those fed Basal diet. Based on the present results, supplementing broilers diets with Rox leads to improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio in broilers. However, supplementing broiler diets with combination of Rox and BMD has a more positive effect on the performance and carcass composition in broiler chicks.