Effect of dietary lysine to crude protein ratio on performance of male Ross 308 broiler chickens

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary lysine to crude protein ratio on performance of male Ross 308 broiler chickens. In each experiment the diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous but with different lysine to crude protein ratios. A complete randomized design was used in both experiments, the starter (1-21 days) and grower (22-42 days) experiments. The three starter diets, based on lysine to crude protein ratios, were L₀ (0.055), L₁ (0.066) and L₂ (0.077), while grower diets were L₃(0.047), L₄(0.061) and L₅(0.074). A quadratic type equation was used to determine ratios for optimum growth rate, feed conversion ratio, breast meat yield and breast meat nitrogen content. Dietary lysine to crude protein ratios of 0.066 and 0.077 supported optimum growth rate and feed conversion ratio, respectively, during the starter period. Dietary lysine to crude protein ratios of 0.073, 0.073, 0.069 and 0.079 supported optimum growth rate, feed conversion and breast meat yield and nitrogen content during the grower phase. Dietary lysine to crude protein ratio had no effect on diet intake and digestibility. The results indicate that at each phase a single dietary lysine to crude protein optimized both growth rate and feed conversion ratio. However, the ratio for optimum breast meat yield was lower than that for optimum growth rate and feed conversion ratio. These findings have implications on ration formulation for broiler chickens.