Table 1.
Composition of experimental starter diets (% “as is”).1
| Ingredients | Control diet | BMD diet | GRE 0.375% | GRE-0.75% | GRE-1.5% | GRE-3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 51.46 | 51.45 | 55.72 | 56.34 | 55.90 | 59.40 |
| Soybean meal (48%) | 40.39 | 40.39 | 40.23 | 40.08 | 39.78 | 39.17 |
| Ginger root extract (GRE) | 0.38 | 0.75 | 1.50 | 3.00 | ||
| Poultry fat | 3.64 | 3.64 | 3.63 | 3.61 | 3.59 | 3.53 |
| Limestone | 1.07 | 1.07 | 1.07 | 1.06 | 1.05 | 1.04 |
| Mono-dicalcium phosphate | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.02 | 2.01 | 1.99 | 1.97 |
| Sodium chloride | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.39 | 0.39 |
| Sodium bicarbonate | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| L-Lysine HCl 98% | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.13 |
| DL-Methionine 99.0% | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0.33 |
| L-Threonine 98.5% | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| NCSU Poultry Vitamin Premix2 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| NCSU Poultry Mineral Premix3 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.19 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.19 |
| Bacitracin (antibiotic, g/kg) | 0.055 | |||||
| Choline chloride 60% | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Selenium Premix* | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Analyzed nutrient composition4 | ||||||
| Metabolizable energy (Kcal/kg) | 3,150 | 3,155 | 3131 | 3197 | 3142 | 3201 |
| Crude protein, % | 23.13 | 24.88 | 23.69 | 24.69 | 23.69 | 23.63 |
| Crude fat, % | 5.15 | 5.47 | 10.71 | 5.30 | 6.00 | 6.87 |
| Crude fiber, % | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Ash, % | 5.59 | 5.46 | 5.21 | 5.47 | 5.67 | 5.47 |
| Calculated nutrient composition | ||||||
| Total sulfur amino acids, % | 1.03 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.92 |
| Lysine, % | 1.42 | 1.42 | 1.41 | 1.26 | 1.25 | 1.23 |
| Calcium, % | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.74 | 0.74 | 0.73 |
| Available phosphorus, % | 0.48 | 0.48 | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.43 | 0.43 |
Diets used in this study included the following: 1) unmedicated corn–soybean meal (SBM) basal without GRE (Control (CON) diet); 2) unmedicated corn–SBM basal into which bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) was added at 0.055 g/kg diet (MX diet); and 3) GRE-1, GRE-2, GRE-3, and GRE-4 diets into which GRE was incorporated into unmedicated corn–SBM basal at 0.375%, 0.75%, 1.5%, and 3.0% level, respectively. Each of these 6 diets was separately formulated for the Starter (D 1–21) phase of broiler production cycle.
Vitamin Premix, supplied per kilogram of diet: vitamin A (6,600 IU), vitamin D (1,980 IU), vitamin E (33 IU), vitamin B12 (0.02 mg), biotin (0.13 mg), menadione (1.98 mg), thiamine (1.98 mg), riboflavin (6.60 mg), d-Pantothenic acid (11.0 mg), vitamin B6 (3.96 mg), niacin (55.0 mg), folic acid (1.1 mg).
Mineral Premix, supplied per kilogram of diet: manganese (Mn), 60 mg; zinc (Zn), 60 mg; iron (Fe), 40 mg; copper (Cu), 5 mg; iodine (I), 1.2 mg; cobalt (Co), 0.5 mg.
Experimental diets were analyzed for proximate nutrient composition by Eurofins Scientific Inc. Nutrient Analysis Center, 2200 Rittenhouse Street, Suite 150, Des Moines, IA.
Selenium Premix provides 0.3 mg Selenium/kg of feed as sodium selenite.