USE OF THE DIGESTIBLE AMINO-ACID CONCEPT IN FORMULATING DIETS FOR POULTRY

The concept and methodology for the determination of digestible amino acids for poultry is discussed. True amino acid values of raw materials commonly used as feed ingredients are presented, including variability coefficients. The advantages of formulating on a digestible amino acid basis rather than total amino acid basis are demonstrated with lysine-deficient diets. For practical usage, the application of digestibility coefficients to the amino acid recommendations has been compared with the results from growth tests for determining the requirements for lysine and sulphur amino acid. The results are in good agreement, demonstrating the validity of this technique, which is applicable to any set of recommendations for feed formulation. New recommendations in digestible amino acids are proposed as an example.