Effect of Dietary Protein Levels and Limiting Amino Acids on the Performance of Growing Egg Type Pullets

A 3x5 factorial experiment wss conducted with 372 chicks. Rations were formulated with 3 different levels of protein and each protein level with varying levels of amino acids were tested (16% CP, treatments 1 to 5; 14% CP, treatments 6to 10 and 12% CP, treatments 11 to 15). Test diets were compared with one negative (all vegetable protein) and one positive (vegetable protein diet having 8% fish meal) control diets. Maximum weight gain and better feed efficiency (P<0.01) mere recorded on chicks with high protein diets. Feed conversion ratio was better (P<0.01) in fish meal supplemented group (Treatment 2) and comparable to negative control (Treatment 1) and high (Treatment 3) and medium rate (Treatment 4) of amino acid supplemented groups. Maximum nitrogen retention was recorded in fish meal supplemented group of medium protein (category Treatment 7) (P<0.01). Metaholisability of gross energy improved as the level of protein increased from low to high in the diets.