Determination of metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility in various hatchery byproducts for broiler chickens

The objective of the present experiment was to determine ME concentrations and amino acid (AA) digestibility in various hatchery byproducts (HBPs) for broiler chickens. In experiment 1, a total of forty 60-day-old female broiler chickens were allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 8 replicates and used to measure ME concentrations in HBPs. The basal diet was prepared to contain corn, soybean meal, corn oil, and other non-energy ingredients. Additional 4 experimental diets were prepared to contain 10% of infertile eggs (IFE), unhatched eggs (UHE), low-grade or dead chicks (LDC), and mixture (MIX; 55% IFE, 10% UHE, 10% LDC, and 25% hatched eggshells). In experiment 2, a total of seven hundred and sixteen 1-day-old mixed-sex broiler chickens (1:1 ratio of males and females) were allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 7 replicates per treatment and used to determine apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in HBPs. The experimental diets consisted of a nitrogen-free diet and 4 diets containing IFE, UHE, LDC, or MIX as a sole source of AA. Results indicated that AME and AMEₙ values were greater (P < 0.05) for LDC than for IFE, which had greater (P < 0.05) AME and AMEₙ values for UHE and MIX. The AID and SID of most AA in LDC were greater (P < 0.05) than those in MIX, whereas IFE and UHE had intermediate AID and SID of those AA as compared to LDC and MIX. Average SID of essential AA in LDC was greater (P < 0.05) than in UHE and MIX, but the average SID of nonessential AA did not differ among 4 HBPs. In conclusion, LDC has the greatest ME concentrations and AA digestibility among 3 individual HBPs (IFE, UHE, and LDC). The mixture of HBPs has the least ME concentrations and AA digestibility in broiler chickens. The ME and AA digestibility of HBPs are likely affected by inclusion amounts of hatched eggshells. However, high concentrations of ME and available AA demonstrate that individual HBPs and their mixture are potential protein ingredients for broiler diets.