Chemical composition and energetic values of wheat and its sub-products for broiler chicken

The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition, apparent metabolizable energy (AME), AME corrected by nitrogen retention (AME(n)) and metabolization coefficients (MC and MCn) of different feeds for broilers from the western region of Parana State. The experiment was conducted at the Physiology of Birds Laboratory at UNIOESTE. Two hundred and sixty male chicks of the Cobb 500 strain, at 21 days old, were distributed in a randomized design with 12 treatments and four replicates of five birds per experimental unit. The feed ingredients studied were ten different wheat middlings, one triticale, one wheat grain and a reference diet. Values for dry matter, nitrogen, gross energy, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, mineral matter, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and magnesium composition were determined as well as the geometric mean diameter of the feed particles. To determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and AME corrected for nitrogen balance (AME(n)) the total excreta collection method was used with growing birds. The chemical composition of the feeds was variable. The values for AME and AME(n) ranged from 1. 819-2. 958 and 1. 734-2. 882 kcal. kg(-1), respectively. Based on these energetic values and the values for gross energy, the coefficients of metabolizability were calculated. The values ranged from 43. 26-75. 24% for MC and from 42. 28-73. 31% for MCn.