Utilization of various carbohydrate sources as affected by age in the chick

Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.

In 3 experiments, New Hampshire x Columbian male chicks were fed carbohydrate-soybean meal (SBM) or casein diets from 0 to 21 d of age, and MEn was determined at 0 to 2, 3 to 4, 7, 14, and 21 d of age. Carbohydrate sources evaluated in experiment 1 were dextrose (D-glucose), conventional cornstarch, dextrinized cornstarch, corn-syrup solids, pregelatinized unmodified cornstarch, pregelatinized tapioca starch, tapioca dextrin, high-amylose starch, and polycose (mixed glucose polymers). Carbohydrate sources evaluated in experiments 2 and 3 were conventional corn, waxy corn, high-oil corn, corn flour, rice flour, dextrose, and sucrose. In experiment 1, chicks fed the dextrose diet had the highest weight gains, and the chicks fed high-amylose starch and pregelatinized unmodified cornstarch diets had the lowest weight gains. The MEn values varied among carbohydrate sources with MEn being highest for the dextrose diet and lowest for the high amylose starch diet. In experiment 2, chicks fed waxy corn, high-oil corn, or dextrose-SBM diets had (P < 0.05) higher growth rates than chicks fed conventional corn, corn flour, or rice flour. The MEn values increased with age for all diets except the dextrose-SBM, which was consistently high at all ages. In experiment 3, the dextrose diets (SBM or casein) yielded higher growth performance and MEn values than the sucrose-diets, and the differences were greater at younger ages. The MEn values were also much higher for the casein than the SBM diets, and MEn of the SBM diets increased with increasing age. The results of this study indicate that MEn, varies among carbohydrate sources and increases with age for most carbohydrate-SBM diets.

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