The nutritive value of maize cultivars for broiler chickens

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the nutritive value of grain of different maize cultivare for broiler chickens. The study involved 45 Ross 308 broilers (9 groups with 5 chickens per group) aged 42 to 49 days. Chickens were fed the grain of maize cultivars Pioneer PR39H84, Smok, Arobase, Moneada, Pioneer PR39G12, Eurostar, Opoka, Boruta, and Nysa ad libitum. The cultivars of maize differed in basic chemical composition, contents of amino acid and fibre fractions, as well as fatty acid profiles. Variations in chemical composition among different maize cultivars had an effect on the extent of basic nutrient digestion and on the energy value of grain in broiler chickens. For practical utilization of maize in broiler feed mixtures it will be important to determine the content of insoluble fibre, as it is negatively correlated with nutrient digestibility and the AMEN value of grain (r=-0.69; P<0.05).