Chloride requirement of kittens for growth is less than current recommendations

An optimal dietary non-phytate phosphorus level of broilers fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age

It is imperative to evaluate precise nutrient requirements of animals in order to optimize productivity and minimize feed cost and nutrient excretions. The current non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) recommendation for broilers is based on the papers published 30 years ago. However, today's commercial birds are quite different from those before 30 years. Therefore, the present experiment was conducted with growing male broiler chickens to evaluate an optimal dietary NPP level of broiler chickens fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age. The 1-day-old chicks were fed corn-soybean meal diet containing 0.39% NPP from 1 to 3 weeks of age. At 22 days of age, 360 birds were selected and randomly allotted by BW to one of 10 dietary treatments with six replicate cages of six birds per cage for each treatment. Birds were fed the P-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with inorganic P as CaHPO4·H2O ranging from 0.00% to 0.45% with 0.05% increment from 4 to 6 weeks of age. The dietary NPP levels were 0.09%, 0.14%, 0.20%, 0.24%, 0.30%, 0.34%, 0.38%, 0.45%, 0.49% and 0.54%, respectively, and the dietary Ca level was fixed at 0.90% for all treatments. The results showed that average daily gain, serum inorganic P concentration, tibia bone strength, tibia ash percentage and P percentage, tibia bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD), middle toe ash percentage and P percentage, middle toe BMC, total body BMC and BMD were affected (P<0.0001) by dietary NPP level, and increased linearly (P<0.0001) and quadratically (P<0.003) as dietary NPP levels increased. Optimal dietary NPP levels estimated based on fitted broken-line models (P<0.0001) of the above indices are 0.21%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.31%, 0.29%, 0.30%, 0.27%, 0.29% and 0.28%, respectively. It is suggested that the total body BMC and BMD, and middle toe ash P and BMC might be new, sensitive and non-invasive criteria to evaluate the dietary NPP requirements of broilers. The optimal dietary NPP level would be 0.31% for broiler chickens fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age.

Non-phytate phosphorus requirements and efficacy of a genetically engineered yeast phytase in male Lingnan Yellow broilers from 1 to 21 days of age

This experiment was conducted to investigate the requirement of non-phytate phosphorus (nPP) and efficacy of a genetically engineered yeast phytase in performance and tibia characteristics by male Lingnan Yellow broilers from 1 to 21 days of age. A total of 2640 1-day-old male chicks were randomly allotted to one of 11 dietary treatments, which consisted of six replicate floor pens with 40 birds per pen. All treatments had the same levels of all nutrients except for phosphorus and phytase. The control group (treatment 1) was fed the basal diet without dicalcium phosphate or phytase supplementation. Dietary concentrations of nPP were 0.11%, 0.19%, 0.27%, 0.35%, 0.43%, 0.51% and 0.59% respectively for treatments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, through addition of dicalcium phosphate (chemistry grade) to the basal diet. Diets 8-11 were supplemented with a genetically engineered yeast phytase 250, 500, 750 U/kg and a commercial phytase product 500 U/kg in basal diet respectively. The results showed that 0.46% and 0.51% nPP were required for maximum body-weight gain and optimum tibia development indicators respectively. However, 0.59% nPP had a negative effect on bird growth. The equivalency value of the genetically engineered yeast phytase was estimated to be 874 U/kg to liberate 0.1% nPP.

Phosphorus requirements of broiler chicks six to nine weeks of age as influenced by phytase supplementation

Two trials of similar design were conducted to determine the nonphytate phosphorus (NPP) requirements for broilers from 42 to 63 d of age in diets with or without phytase supplementation. Male broilers of a commercial strain were grown to 42 d on nutritionally complete diets with NRC (1994) recommended levels of Ca and NPP. At 42 d, the birds were placed on experimental diets and fed to 63 d. The experimental treatments consisted of a 2 x 6 factorial arrangement with two levels of phytase (0 or 800 U/kg) and six levels of NPP (0.10 to 0.35% in 0.05% increments). Body weight gain, feed conversion, and mortality were determined during the period. At 49, 56, and 63 d, excreta samples were taken, and samples of birds were killed for tibia ash determination. The lowest level of NPP, with or without phytase supplementation, was sufficient for maximum BW gain, feed conversion, and livability. Using nonlinear regression, levels of NPP needed to optimize tibia ash in the absence of phytase were 0.31 +/- 0.004%, 0.23 +/- 0.02%, and 0.22 +/- 0.029% at 49, 56, and 63 d, respectively. When diets were supplemented with 800 U/kg of phytase, the NPP requirement for optimum tibia ash was 0.15 +/- 0.049% at 49 d. At 56 and 63 d, no more than 0.10% NPP (lowest level tested) was sufficient to maximize tibia ash. Compared to current NRC (1994) recommendations, the application of these reduced dietary phosphorus levels could markedly reduce excreta excretion of phosphorus by broilers.

Phosphorus requirements of broiler chicks three to six weeks of age as influenced by phytase supplementation

Two studies of identical design were conducted in battery brooders utilizing male chicks of a commercial strain. The birds were grown to 3 wk on diets with adequate P and from 3 to 6 wk were fed diets ranging from 0.10 to 0.45% nonphytate P (nPP) in increments of 0.05%, with or without supplementation with 800 units of phytase per kilogram of diet. Measurements included BW gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), mortality, tibia ash, and fecal P content. Nonlinear regression was used to estimate nPP needs for optimizing BW gain, feed conversion, and tibia ash. In the absence of phytase, nPP levels of 0.33, 0.186, and 0.163% were required to optimize tibia ash, BW gain, and FCR, respectively. The estimated level for optimum tibia ash is in close agreement with current NRC (1994) recommendations. In the presence of 800 units of phytase per kilogram, nPP levels of 0.24, 0.151, and 0.109% were needed to optimize tibia ash, BW gain, and FCR, respectively. Fecal phosphorus levels were markedly reduced at the lower P levels. Further studies are needed to determine whether maximum tibia ash values are needed to sustain optimum production of market broilers.

Nonphytate phosphorus requirement and phosphorus excretion of broiler chicks fed diets composed of normal or high available phosphate corn with and without microbial phytase

A study was conducted to evaluate the ability of the young (0 to 3 wk) broiler chicken to utilize the P provided by a high available P corn [HAPC; 0.27% total P and 0.17% nonphytate P] in comparison with yellow dent corn (YDC; 0.23% total P and 0.03% nonphytate P), and to determine the extent to which supplementation with exogenous phytase enzyme could reduce the demands for dietary P and subsequently reduce P excretion. Diets prepared using the two types of corn differed in the amount of phytate-bound P, with the HAPC diets containing approximately 50% less phytate-bound P. Treatment diets were prepared by varying the amount of dicalcium phosphate, and ranged from 0.10 to 0.50% nonphytate P for YDC diets, and from 0.18 to 0.50% nonphytate P for HAPC diets. Sublots of each diet were supplemented with 800 units/kg phytase. Each diet was fed to six pens of five male chicks of a commercial broiler strain from 1 to 21 d of age. Regression analysis was used to estimate nonphytate P requirements for each corn type with and without phytase supplementation. The greatest need for nonphytate P was for maximum tibia ash, with requirements of 0.39, 0.29, 0.37, and 0.32% in diets with YDC, YDC plus phytase, HAPC, and HAPC plus phytase, respectively. Addition of phytase liberated approximately 50% of the phytate-bound P from each diet. These levels were sufficient to support body weight, feed conversion, and livability. Fecal P content of broilers fed diets with YDC at the NRC (1994) recommended level of 0.45% nonphytate P was 1.21%, whereas at the respective requirement points indicated above, the P content was 1.09, 0.87, 0.78, and 0.64% in feces from broilers fed diets with YDC, YDC plus phytase, HAPC, and HAPC plus phytase, respectively. Thus, fecal P output could be reduced while maintaining optimum performance by the use of reduced dietary nonphytate P, introduction of HAPC, and phytase supplementation. One of the greatest benefits of phytase supplementation appeared to be maintaining livability at lower dietary levels of nonphytate P.