The glycine plus serine requirement of broiler chicks fed low-crude protein, corn-soybean meal diets

Abstract

Low-protein, amino acid-supplemented, all-vegetable diets for broilers may not result in optimal FCR unless they are supplemented with Gly. Three experiments were conducted to determine the Gly + Ser requirement in a low-CP, corn- and soybean meal-based diet with 0.25% l-Lys·HCl, a level which previously had been shown to result in optimal growth performance of broilers as long as it is supplemented with Gly to maintain a minimum of 2.32% total Gly + Ser. Glycine addition to the diet did not affect ADG or ADFI but decreased FCR. When the FCR data from all 3 experiments were combined, the total Gly + Ser minimum requirement was estimated to be 2.10% (P < 0.014) in 0- to 18-d-old broilers. The response to Gly was not a result of added N from Glu. © 2009 Poultry Science Association, Inc.