Performance of broilers fed different levels of canola meal supplementedwith lysine

Five hundred day-old broiler chicks, were raised in a conventional broilerhouse. Locally available commercial broiler starter ration was given for thefirst seven days. At the end of pre- experimental period, two hundred andseventy chicks were selected on the basis of body weight and allotted to nineexperimental treatments each comprising throe replicates, in such a way thatthe starting weight in each replicate was similar. Prior to the experimentalperiod, nine isocaloric and isonitrogenous experimental rations following NRCrequirements were custom prepared in a local feed mill. The first ration,containing SBM as the major source of protein with 0% CM in its compositionwas kept as control. In the next four experimental rations, containing 5,15,25and 35%. CM, replacing equivalent levels of SBM, lysine was supplemented at alevel to satisfy the requirement by considering the lysine present in canolameal as totally available. In the remaining four experimental rations, containing5, 15, 25 and 35% CM, extra lysine supplementation was done at the rate 10% ofthe lysine contributed by CM in the diet to compensate for the lack of itsavailability. Starter ration was fed from day-8 to day-38, while finisher rationwas fed from days-29 to day-38. Feed and water were provided ad-libitumunder a continuous light schedule during the experimental period. Starterration had a significant effect (P less than 0.01) on weight gain. Addition ofCM, did not significantly reduced body weight gain upto 25% dietary levelwithout extra lysine supplementation and upto 35% with extra lysinesupplementation. Males gained higher weight than females. Ration had arelatively significant effect (P less than 0.07) on feed consumption of broilers.Feed consumption was the lowest on ration containing 35% canola heal withoutextra lysine supplementation (1567 gm) as compared to all other rations. Feedefficiency, ranging from 2.34 to 2.46 revealed no significant differences amongthe treatments. However, numerically better-feed efficiency values wereobserved on starter rations containing extra lysine. Finisher rations had asignificant (P less than 0.01) effect on body weight gain. The weight gain inresponse to the finisher ration in control (637 gm) was not significantlydifferent (P less than 0.05) from those fed 5, 15 and 25 % CM diets with extralysine supplementation (598, 623 and 588 gm, respectively) or 5 and 15% CMdiets without extra lysine supplementation (599 and 603 gm, respectively).Males gained significantly higher body weight than females. Experimentalfinisher ration had a significant effect (P less than 0.05) can feed on feedconsumption of broilers. The feed consumption was significantly reduced whenthe level of CM was increased to 25% without extra lysine supplementation(1404 gm) and 35% with extra lysine supplementation (1368 gm). Feedefficiency, ranging from 2.39 to 2.51, revealed no significant differences amongthe treatments. Dressing percentage, ranging from 60.0 to 61.9 showed nosignificant differences. Sex had no significant effect on dressing percentage ofbroilers. The economics of starter rations observed in terms of mean feed costper kg weight gain shoed significant (P less than 0.01) difference. At eachlevel of CM, extra lysine supplementation resulted in reduction of feed costper kg weight gain. There was no statistically significant difference in thecost of finisher feed per kg weight gain. However, on apparent basis the costof feed per kg weight gain was highly favourable when CM was used at 15%or higher level and extra lysine supplementation at these levels resulted inadditional economic benefit.