The effect of reducing dietary calcium in prestarter diets (0-4 D) on growth performance of broiler chickens, tibia characteristics, and calcium and phosphorus concentration in blood.

ABSTRACT: During the incubation period, the Ca-to-P weight (mg/mg) ratio in the yolk increases from 0.26 on day 0 to 0.92 on day 17.5 and to 2.9 at hatch. Moreover, the absolute Ca content in the yolk increases by 41%, whereas P content decreases by 87%, from day 0 to the day of hatching. Thus, at hatch and during the first days after hatching, there are high reserves of Ca relative to P in the residual egg yolk, risking hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia. A growth performance study was conducted to explore the effects of reducing dietary Ca content in the prestarter phase (0-4 D) on BW and bone mineral deposition during the first days after hatch and at market weight (day 37). Four prestarter (0-4 D) diets were formulated to have 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0% Ca content. After the prestarter phase, all b

SUBMITTER: Mansilla WD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7598117 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature