Effects of L-Methionine and DL-Methionine on Growth Performance, Methionine-Metabolizing Enzyme Activities, Feather Traits, and Intestinal Morphology of Medium-Growing, Yellow-Feathered Chickens between 1 and 30 Days of Age
Xiajing Lin,
Dong Ruan,
Zeling Lin,
Taidi Xiong,
Sheng Zhang,
Qiuli Fan,
Xiaoli Dong,
Yuanfan Deng,
Zongyong Jiang,
Shouqun Jiang
Affiliations
Xiajing Lin
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Dong Ruan
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zeling Lin
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Taidi Xiong
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Sheng Zhang
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Qiuli Fan
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xiaoli Dong
CJ International Trading Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201107, China
Yuanfan Deng
CJ International Trading Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201107, China
Zongyong Jiang
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
Shouqun Jiang
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China
This experiment investigated the effects of L-Methionine (L-Met) on growth performance, Met-metabolizing enzyme activity, feather traits, and small intestinal morphological characteristics, and compared these with DL-Methionine (DL-Met) for medium-growing, yellow-feathered broilers during the starter phase. Furthermore, the aim was to provide recommendations for the appropriate dietary Met levels in feed. A total of 1584 1-d broilers were randomly divided into 11 treatment groups with six replicates of 24 birds each: basal diet (CON, Met 0.28%), basal diet + L-Met (0.04%, 0.08%, 0.12%, 0.16%, 0.20%), and basal diet + DL-Met (0.04%, 0.08%, 0.12%, 0.16%, 0.20%). The total trial period was 30 days. Compared with broilers fed the basal diet, those fed 0.04 to 0.20% supplemental Met had higher final body weight (FBW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and lower feed-to-gain ratio (F: G) (p p p p ≤ 0.05). Chicks fed diets supplemented with L-Met had lower activities of methionine adenosyl transferase (MAT) compared to those fed the basal diet or supplemented with DL-Met (p p p p > 0.05). Chicks fed diets supplemented with either DL-Met or L-Met had higher villus height and V/C in the duodenal than chicks fed the basal diet (p p > 0.05). Therefore, dietary supplementation with DL-Met or L-Met improved the growth performance, feather traits, and intestinal morphological characteristics of medium-growing, yellow-feathered broiler chickens aged 1 to 30 d by decreasing the enzyme activities of Met methylation (MAT) and increasing the enzyme activities of the sulfur transfer pathway (CBS), and supplementation with L-Met showed a better improvement compared with DL-Met. The relative efficacy of L-Met to DL-Met was 142.5% for ADG of yellow-feathered broilers. The appropriate Met levels for medium-growing, yellow-feathered broilers are between 0.36~0.38% (supplementation with DL-Met) or 0.32~0.33% (supplementation with L-Met) when based on ADG and feed-to-gain ratio.
