Effects of dietary metabolizable energy and crude protein concentrations on growth performance and carcass characteristics of French guinea broilers

Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee 37209-1561, USA. Snahashon@tnstate.edu

This study was undertaken to assess dietary CP and ME concentrations for optimum growth performance and carcass characteristics of French guinea broilers. In a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, 396 1-d-old French guinea keets were randomly assigned to experimental diets with 3,050, 3,100, and 3,150 kcal of ME/kg of diet; each contained 21, 23, and 25% CP, respectively, from 0 to 4 wk of age (WOA). From 5 to 8 WOA, experimental diets had 3,100, 3,150, and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg of diet, and each contained 19, 21, and 23% CP, respectively. Each dietary treatment was replicated 3 times, and feed and water were provided ad libitum. Body weight and feed consumption were measured weekly, whereas carcass characteristics were evaluated at 8 WOA. For the most part, birds on 3,100 and 3,150 kcal of ME/kg of diet at 0 to 4 WOA exhibited greater (P < 0.05) BW gain, greater carcass and breast weights (P < 0.05), and lower (P < 0.05) feed consumption and feed conversion ratios (FCR) than those on a diet with 3,050 kcal of ME/kg. Mean feed consumption of birds fed 25% CP diets was higher (P < 0.05) than those on other dietary CP concentrations. Mean BW gain, FCR, and carcass and breast weights of birds fed 25 and 23% CP diets from 0 to 4 WOA were not different (P > 0.05), but they were better (P < 0.05) than those of birds on 21% CP diets. Positive correlations (P < 0.01) were noted between live weight and weight of carcass, breast, thigh, drumstick, and wing of guinea broilers. Thus, diets with 3,100 kcal of ME/kg and 23% CP or with 3,150 kcal of ME/kg and 21% CP at 0 to 4 WOA and 5 to 8 WOA, respectively, were used more efficiently by French guinea broilers.

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