Table 2.

Productive performance of broiler chickens fed a commercial basal diet (CON, n = 9; digestible Arg:Lys = 1.05, 1.05, 1.06 and 1.07) or the same basal diet supplemented with L-arginine (ARG, n = 9; digestible Arg:Lys = 1.15, 1.15, 1.16 and 1.17)

Variables	CON	ARG	SEM	P-value
0–12 d
Chick body weight, g/bird	37.1	36.9	0.09	0.27
Body weight, g/bird	288.5	293.0	2.47	0.38
Daily weight gain, g/(bird·d)a	21.0	21.3	0.20	0.39
Daily feed intake, g/(bird·d)a	29.3	28.8	0.19	0.21
Feed conversion rate (0–12 d)a	1.401	1.352	0.01	0.02
Mortality, %	0.00	0.17	0.01	0.33
13–22 d
Body weight, g/bird	846.7	856.1	6.08	0.46
Daily weight gain, g/(bird·d)a	55.8	56.3	0.43	0.56
Daily feed intake, g/(bird·d)a	79.7	79.8	0.60	0.92
Feed conversion rate (13–22 d)a	1.429	1.419	0.01	0.37
Cumulative feed conversion rate (0–22 d)a	1.420	1.398	0.01	< 0.01
Mortality, %	0.34	0.52	0.02	0.69
23–33 d
Body weight, g/bird	1829	1884	12.8	0.03
Daily weight gain, g/(bird·d)a	89.3	93.1	1.11	0.08
Daily feed intake, g/(bird·d)a	143.6	145.5	1.02	0.39
Feed conversion rate (23–33 d)a	1.610	1.571	0.01	0.09
Cumulative feed conversion rate (0–33 d)a	1.524	1.494	0.01	0.02
Mortality, %	0.17	0.35	0.01	0.55
34–43 d
Body weight, g/bird	2864	2920	26.0	0.30
Daily weight gain, g/(bird·d)a	101.6	102.3	1.62	0.83
Daily feed intake, g/(bird·d)a	197.1	196.9	1.41	0.94
Feed conversion rate (34–43 d)a	1.949	1.926	0.02	0.62
Mortality, %	1.37	1.71	0.02	0.62
0–43 d
Body weight, g/bird	2864	2920	26.0	0.30
Daily weight gain, g/(bird·d)a	65.7	67.0	0.60	0.30
Daily feed intake, g/(bird·d)a	109.1	109.2	0.54	0.94
Feed conversion rate (0–43 d)a	1.675	1.646	0.01	0.09
Mortality, %	1.88	2.74	0.02	0.21

^a Corrected for mortality