Investigation of different levels of cholecalciferol and its metabolite in calcium and phosphorus deficient diets on growth performance, tibia bone ash and development of tibial dyschondroplasia in broilers

ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted to examine the effects of 1-α(OH)D3 alone or in combination with different levels of cholecalciferol on performance, and tibia parameters of one-d–old male broilers fed a tibial dyschondroplasia (TD)-inducing diet. A total of three hundred male broilers were randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups with 4 replicates. The dietary treatments consisted of TD inducing diet, TD inducing dietsupplemented with 5μg per kg of 1-α(OH)D3; TD inducing dietsupplemented with 5 μg per kg of 1-α(OH)D3and 1,500; 3,000 or 5,000 IU cholecalciferol kg-1of diet. At 42 d of age, broiler chickens fed diets containing 1-α(OH)D3 and 1,500 IU cholecalciferol kg-1of diet had higher body weight (p < 0.05).In the complete experimental period the best FCR and the highest daily weight gain were obtained in broilers supplemented with1-α(OH)D3 and 1,500 IU cholecalciferol kg-1of diet. Broilers supplemented with 1-α(OH)D3 and 1,500 IU cholecalciferol kg-1of diet had significantly lower incidence and severity of TD in comparison with other groups. In conclusion, the results indicated that the supplementation of 1-α(OH)D3 in combination of 1,500 IU cholecalciferol kg-1of diet could maximize tibia bone ash, performance and prevent TD in broilers fed TD inducing diet.(AU)