Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary digestible lysine levels, maintaining or not the amino acid relation, on performance of broilers from 22 to 42 days old on thermoneutral environment. Two hundred and ten male broilers (averaging initial weight of 662.5 g) and 168 broilers (averaging initial weight of 623.7 g) were assigned to a completely randomized experimental design in trials 1 and 2, respectively. In trial 1, the broilers were allotted to five treatments (digestible lysine levels in conventional diets) and six replicates of seven broilers. In trial 2, the broilers were allotted to four treatments (digestible lysine levels in diet maintaining amino acid relation) and six replicates of seven broilers. In both trials, linear effect of digestible lysine levels on body weight gain and feed:gain ratio were observed. In trial 1, the increasing dietary digestible lysine levels increased linearly absolute carcass weight. There was no effect of lysine levels on relative carcass weights and on absolute and relative weichts of abdominal fat. In trial 2, absolute and relative breast and thigh weights increased linearly, while the absolute drumstick data increased quadraticly up to 0.955% digestible lysine level. No treatment effects on relative drumstick weight and absolute and relative weights of abdominal fat was observed. It was concluded that male broilers, Avian Farms, in the period from 22 to 42 days old, require at least 1.015 and 1.075% digestible lysine in conventional diet or in a diet maintaining the amino acid relation, respectively. This corresponds to an intake of 28 g digestible lysine for birds on a thermoneutral environment.
broiler; thermoneutral environment; digestible lysine; ideal protein
