This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary calcium level on growth performance, tibia quality and serum biochemical indices of yellow-feathered broilers aged 22 to 42 days, and then to estimate the dietary calcium requirement of yellow-feathered broilers. One thousand and two hundred 22-day-old male Lingnan broilers were randomly assigned to six dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of five replicates with 40 birds per replicate. Dietary treatments included the corn-soybean meal based diet supplemented with different levels of limestone to ensure dietary calcium levels up to 0.45% (control), 0.60%, 0.75%, 0.90%, 1.05% and 1.20%, respectively. The contents of other nutrients in diets were consistent. Feed and water were provided ad libitum during the experimental period of 21 days. Results showed as follows: 1) compared with the control group, higher dietary calcium significantly increased the final weight and the average daily gain of broilers (P<0.05), and significantly decreased the ratio of feed to gain (P<0.05). The average daily feed intake of broilers in 0.75%, 0.90%, 1.05% and 1.20% calcium groups was significantly lower than that in the control group and 0.60% calcium group (P<0.05). 2) Different dietary calcium levels did not significantly affect the fresh weight of tibia (P>0.05), but significantly affected the broking strength and ash content of tibia, the contents of calcium and phosphorus in tibia ash, the dry weight of defatted tibia, and the contents of tibia ash, calcium and phosphorus in defatted tibia (P<0.05). At all above indices, 0.90% and 1.05% groups were better than the control group (P<0.05). 3) Different dietary calcium levels did not affect the contents of calcium and phosphorus in serum of broilers (P>0.05). In conclusion, based on the growth performance and tibia quality, the calcium requirements of yellow-feathered broilers aged 22 to 42 days are 0.60% and 0.90%, respectively.
HONG Ping, JIANG Shouqun, ZHOU Guilian, CHEN Fang, RUAN Dong
. Calcium Requirement of Yellow-Feathered Broilers Aged 22 to 42 Days[J]. Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2012
, 24(1)
: 62
-68
.
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-267x.2012.01.010
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