Metabolism and Nutrition: Feed Ingredient Posters

Palbio (PAL, Palbio 50 RD, Bioibérica, Spain) is a protein concentrate based on hydrolyzed porcine digestive mucosa dried under a fluid bed system over a soybean carrier, currently used in piglet feeds. The digestibility of PAL is very high and the product may be an excellent source of protein for young chicks. An experiment was conducted with 1,280 straight-run one-d-old Ross 308 chicks to evaluate the growth response of broilers to dietary inclusion of PAL. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with 8 treatments arranged as a 2 × 4 factorial with 2 levels of PAL (0 vs. 2.5%) and 4 levels of lysine (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4%). All diets contained 3,020 kcal ME/kg and the ratio of indispensible amino acids to Lys was maintained constant. From 21 to 32 d of age all the birds received a common commercial finisher diet without any PAL inclusion. Each treatment was replicated 5 times and the experimental unit was a pen with 32 chicks from 1 to 21 d of age and with 15 chicks from 21 to 32 d of age. Body weight gain (BWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded weekly. From 1 to 21 d of age, PAL inclusion reduced ADFI (P ≤ 0.05) and improved FCR (P ≤ 0.01) and BWG (P = 0.10). An increase in dietary LYS level improved BWG (P ≤ 0.001) and FCR (P ≤ 0.05). From 1 to 7 d of age, the beneficial effects of PAL inclusion were more evident in the diets with the lower LYS content. From 21 to 32 d of age, when all birds were fed a common diet, no differences between treatments were observed for any of the variables except for ADFI that was higher (P ≤ 0.01) for the treatment that consumed PAL previously. We conclude that the inclusion of 2.5% PAL in the diet results in improved performance of the birds. Broilers require at least 1.3% dietary LYS to maximize growth performance from 1 to 21 d of age.