Table 1.
Composition and nutrient levels of the diets (air-dry basis) %.
| Ingredients | 3.5% Ca | 4.0% Ca | 4.5% Ca |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn (79 g/kg CP) | 64.020 | 63.400 | 63.090 |
| Soybean meal (470 g/kg CP) | 20.440 | 21.310 | 22.200 |
| Limestone | 8.620 | 10.013 | 11.370 |
| Soybean oil | 0.180 | 0.540 | 0.830 |
| Wheat bran | 4.418 | 2.413 | 0.181 |
| Choline chloride (500 g/kg) | 0.100 | 0.100 | 0.100 |
| CaHPO4 | 1.430 | 1.450 | 1.475 |
| NaCl | 0.300 | 0.300 | 0.300 |
| Premix1 | 0.320 | 0.320 | 0.320 |
| Met (DL-methionine, 980 g/kg) | 0.100 | 0.099 | 0.097 |
| Lys (L-lysine hydrochloride, 990 g/kg) | 0.063 | 0.050 | 0.037 |
| Thr (L-threonine, 990 g/kg) | 0.009 | 0.005 | 0.000 |
| Total | 100.000 | 100.000 | 100.000 |
| Nutrient levels2 | |||
| ME/(MJ/kg) | 11.090 | 11.090 | 11.090 |
| CP | 15.500 (15.392) | 15.500 (15.381) | 15.500 (15.403) |
| Ca | 3.510 (3.796) | 4.010 (4.094) | 4.500 (4.702) |
| TP | 0.550 (0.548) | 0.540 (0.533) | 0.530 (0.537) |
| AP | 0.346 | 0.346 | 0.346 |
| Lys | 0.778 | 0.778 | 0.778 |
| Met | 0.343 | 0.343 | 0.343 |
Abbreviations: AP, available phosphorus; Lys, lysine; Met, methionine; TP, total phosphorus.
1
Provided per kilogram of diet: vitamin A 12,500 IU; vitamin D3 4,125 IU; vitamin E 15 IU; vitamin K3 2 mg; thiamine 1 mg; riboflavin 8.5 mg; calcium pantothenate 50 mg; niacin 32.5 mg; pyridoxine 8 mg; biotin 2 mg; folic acid 5 mg; vitamin B12 5 mg; Zn 66 mg; I 1 mg; Fe 60 mg; Cu 8 mg; Se 0.3 mg; montmorillonite 1 g.
2
Nutrition levels were all calculated values except the numbers in parentheses. Experimental diets were formulated according to Chinese Feeding Standard of Chicken (Ministry of Agriculture of China, 2004) and NRC (1994).