Coefficient of metabolizability of gross energy of different ingredients for broiler chickens

With the objective of determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME), corrected apparent (AME(n)), true metabolizable energy (TME) and corrected true (TMEn) values of eight feedstuffs and their respective coefficient of metabolizability, 300 male broiler chickens, Ross, averaging 21 days old, were assigned to eight treatment (feeds) and one reference diet, in three blocks with two replications per block and five birds per experimental unit. The feedstuffs studied were: two sample of wheat grain (WG), two wheat bran (WB), two corn grain (CG), one of sorghum grain (SG) and one of corn gluten feed 21% (21% CGF), which replaced 30% of the reference diet. The birds were ad libitum fed per 12 days, where the last five days were used for the excreta collection. During the five days of collection, 30 birds allotted to six cages were fasted for 72 hours (the initial 24 hours for the emptying of the gastrointestinal tract) and the remaining 48 hours, for excreta collection, which was quantified and extrapolated for five days. The AME and AMEn in kcal/kg DM, were in average of 3.391 and 3.275 for WG, of 2.076 and 1.996 for WB, of 3.862 and 3.768 for CG, of 3.551 and 3.464 for SG and of 1.992 and 1.901 for 21% CGF. To TME and TMEn in kcal/kg DM, were in average of 3.495 and 3.496 for WG, of 2.195 and 2.146 for WB, of 3.981 and 4.040 for CG, of 3.652 and 3.680 for SG and of 2.117 and 1.961 for 21% CGF. The coefficient of metabolizability for gross energy were in average of 68,94%.