Alexandre Barbosa de Brito

Efeito do gérmen integral de milho sobre o desempenho e rendimento de carcaça de frangos de corte

Two experiments were carried out with 1008 male Ag-Ross 508 broilers each. Experiment 1 was carried out from October 26th to November 1st, 2001 to evaluate the performance of broilers fed on increasing levels of corn germ meal (CGM) in the diets from 1 to 7 days of age. Experiment 2 was carried from January 24th to March 12th, 2002 to evaluate the performance and carcass yield from 8 to 47 days. The birds were allotted to a completely randomized design with four treatments (levels of CGM replacing corn in ration - 0%, 33%, 67% and 100%) and four replicates of 63 birds. The CGM was not a good ingredient for pre-starter phase. The recommended inclusion levels of CGM were 21.9% and 22.5% from 8 to 21 days and from 22 to 38 days, respectively. No restriction concerning the use of CGM for diets of broilers from 39 to 47 days of age is made.

Feather and blood meal in pre-starter and starter diets for broilers

Two experiments were carried out (pre-starter and starter phases) to evaluate the effect of feather and blood meal on performance, organ development and digestibility and retention of nutrients in broilers. In the first experiment, it was used 280 birds and in experiment 2, it was used 240 birds. The experimental diets were formulated with four levels of feather and blood meal (0%, 2%, 4% and 6%) all of them isonutritive and isoenergetic. A metabolic assay was developed on the 4th and 7th days of age in experiment 1 and on the 14th and 17th days of age in experiment 2. In these periods, one bird per experimental unit was sacrificed for determination of morphometry of the digestive organs. In experiment 1, in which it was evaluated the pre-starter phase, there was a negative linear effect of the levels of feather and blood meal on weight gain and intake in 1-21 day of age period. By using feather and blood meal in the diet, it was observed a linear effect on digestibility coefficient of dry matter, nitrogen and ether extract; there was a quadratic effect on retention of dry matter and nitrogen and linear effect on the retention of ether extract. However, performance of birds in the starter phase (experiment 2) was not affected by levels of feather and blood meal used in the diet. Coefficient of digestibility of dry matter and ether extract and retention of ether extract were affected. In both phases, mortality and morphometric data of digestive organs were not influenced by the levels of meal in the diet. Formulation of diets with up to 6% feather and blood meal for chickens in the pre-starter phase (from 1 to 7 days) is not a good alternative because it worsens performance of birds. However, from the initial phase (from 8 to 21 days), the use of feather and blood meal in the diet is viable. Feather and blood meal can be used at levels 3.0 or 4.0% for broilers in the pre-starter and starter phase.

Performance and egg quality of laying hens after molting (78 to 90 weeks of age) fed corn germ meal

O experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho e a qualidade dos ovos de poedeiras comerciais no segundo ciclo de producao consumindo germen integral de milho em substituicao ao milho da dieta. O procedimento de muda forcada foi adotado em 250 aves Lohmann LSL durante a 66a e a 74a semanas de idade. Na 75a semana de idade, 192 aves foram uniformizadas pelo peso. O periodo experimental correspondeu ao intervalo da 78a a 90a semana de idade das aves. Foram avaliados quatro niveis de substituicao do milho pelo germen integral de milho na dieta (0, 25, 50 e 75%). As variaveis avaliadas foram os parâmetros de desempenho e qualidade interna e externa de ovos. O delineamento utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado e os dados foram analisados utilizando-se regressao polinomial. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a utilizacao do germen integral de milho e recomendavel ate o nivel de 25% de substituicao ao milho, o que significa inclusao de 16% de germen integral de milho em dietas para poedeiras comerciais no segundo ciclo de producao.

Performance of broiler chicks fed pre-gelatinized corn in pre-starter and starter feed

Foram conduzidos tres experimentos para avaliar o valor nutricional do milho pre-gelatinizado para frangos de corte de 1 a 21 dias de idade. No primeiro experimento, avaliou-se o metabolismo do milho pre-gelatinizado, do amido e do germen de milho pelo metodo da colheita total de excretas no periodo de 4 a 7 dias de idade para determinacao dos valores de energia metabolizavel aparente e aparente corrigida, que foram de 3.370, 3.379,7, 3.259,1 kcal/kg de EMA e 3.299,8, 3.369,7 e 3.051,6 kcal/kg de EMAn, para o milho pre-gelatinizado, o amido de milho e o germen de milho integral, respectivamente. No segundo e terceiro experimentos, utilizaram-se 200 pintos alimentados com racoes pre-iniciais (fase de 1 a 7 dias de idade) e iniciais com 0, 20, 40 ou 60% de milho pre-gelatinizado em substituicao ao milho-grao. O desempenho dos frangos no periodo de 1 a 7 dias nao foi afetado pelos niveis de milho pre-gelatinizado na racao. Houve nesse periodo efeito quadratico sobre o coeficiente de digestibilidade da materia seca (ponto de minima de 28,6%) e do nitrogenio (ponto de minima de 31,7%) e efeito linear negativo sobre o coeficiente de digestibilidade do extrato etereo. No periodo de 8 a 21 dias de idade, para os niveis de milho pre-gelatinizado, houve efeito linear negativo sobre o peso final, o ganho de peso e o consumo de racao e efeito quadratico sobre a conversao alimentar (ponto de maxima de 34,3%). Os coeficientes de digestibilidade da materia seca, do nitrogenio e do extrato etereo indicaram efeito linear positivo dos niveis de substituicao do milho-grao moido pelo pre-gelatinizado. O milho pre-gelatinizado e uma boa alternativa para alimentacao de pintos de corte na fase pre-inicial, porem, apesar do melhor aproveitamento nutricional da racao, piora o desempenho na fase de 8 a 21 dias de idade.

Poultry viscera and bone meal in broiler pre-starter and starter diets

The use of viscera and bone meal in poultry pre-starter and starter diets and its effects on performance, digestive organ development and digestibility and nutrient retention were evaluated. In the first assay, 280-day-old Avian Cobb® chicks were allotted in four experimental groups with five replicates of 14 birds each, in the pre-starter phase; in the second assay, 280 eight-day-old Avian Cobb 48® chicks were allotted in four experimental groups with five replicates of 12 birds each. The experimental diet consisted of increasing levels of viscera and bone meal: 0% (control diet), 3%, 6% and 9% in pre-starter (Assay 1) and starter (Assay 2) diets, to meet nutritional requirements and feed composition proposed by the Brazilian Tables, all of them isonutritive and isoenergetic. A metabolic assay was developed and the total excreta collection was performed from the 4th to the 7th days in Assay 1 and from the 14th to the 17th days in Assay 2. On these days, one chick per experimental unit, representing the mean body weight of the parcel, was euthanized to perform digestive organ morphometry. Mean body weight was 45.4±0.4 on the 1st day in Assay 1 and 179.5±0.8 at 8 days of age in Assay 2. In Assay 1, a negative linear effect was observed for weight gain. Levels of viscera and bone meal influenced quadratically nitrogen digestibility index (Y = 66.0101 + 0.482425X - 0.0481086X2) and linearly the digestibility of dry matter (Y = 71.7775 - 0.615792X) and ether extract (Y = 78.3678 - 0.309136X). Morphometric measures of digestive organs were not influenced by viscera and bone meal levels. For Assay 2, negative and linear effect was observed for viscera and bone meal levels on weight gain (Y = 551.667 - 5.08341X) and feed intake (Y = 955.961 - 7.48435X). Quadratic effect was observed for ether extract digestibility (Y = 82.557 + 1.12021X - 0.150117X2) and maximum point was obtained at 3.7% viscera and bone meal inclusion for ether extract retention. Mortality was not affected by treatments in either of the assays. Viscera and bone meal can be used at 3 or 4% inclusion in broiler pre-starter and starter diets.

Digestibilidade dos aminoácidos do milho, farelo de soja e gérmen integral de milho em galos e frangos de corte cecectomizados

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the digestibility of the amino acids from corn, soybean meal and corn germ meal in cecectomized roosters and broilers. The experiment used sixteen Lohmann-LSL roosters with 45 weeks of age, 20 AgRoss 508 male broilers with 21 days of age and 20 other male broilers of same line, with 42 days of age, all of them cecectomized. A completely randomized arrangement with three animal categories (roosters; chickens at 21 and 42 days of age) was adopted for each feedstuff analyzed. Each bird represented an experimental unit. The trial had a duration of 84 hours; in the first 36 hours roosters and chickens were submitted to fasting for intestinal cleaning. After this, birds were forced to ingest 30 grams of each ingredient with an esophageal probe, introduced directly into the crop. During the subsequent 48 hours, the excreta produced was collected twice a day. The values for true digestible amino acids were reduced for corn and full-fat corn germ meal when determined with broilers submitted to the experimental procedures at 21 days of age compared to the control group (adult cockerels). But, the same results were not been observed for soybean meal. In general, the true digestible amino acid values were higher when determined with broilers at 42 days of age compared to adult cockerels. The total amount of true digestible amino acids determined were 7.24; 6.25 and 7.33% for corn, 9.66; 9.14 and 9.91% for corn germ meal and 41.82; 41.78 and 42.02% for soybean meal, values determined with roosters, and broilers at 21 and 42 days of age, respectively. It was observed that as the gastrointestinal tract is mature, the amino acid digestibility of birds that consumed corn and corn germ meal is enhanced.

Performance of broilers fed digestible amino acids based diets obtained from cecectomized roosters and broilers

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of broilers fed ration formulated based on digestible amino acids obtained with cecectomized roosters and broilers at different ages. A total of 300 Ag Ross 508 broiler chicks aging one to 21 days was distributed into 30 experimental units of ten broilers each (five birds of each sex) in six batteries of galvanized steel. All diets were based on corn, soybean meal and full-fat corn germ meal, considering the values of diges tible amino acids obtained from 45-week-old roosters and broilers of 21 and 42 days of age. Two rearing phases were adopted, a pre-starter phase (one to seven days) and a starter phase (eight to 21 days). The following performance variables were evaluated: average weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed:gain relation and mortality. Birds were distributed according to a completely randomized design with three forms of determination of digestible amino acids content and ten repetitions of ten birds. The use of digestible amino acids based diets determined for broiler chicks at 21 days of age resulted in better performance of bro ilers in starter phase. The digestible amino acid values of each ingredient can vary according to the age of the birds during the determination procedure.