Dietary Supplementation of Zinc Sulphate and Zinc-Methionine: Changes in Levels of Mineral Composition (Copper, Zinc, Iron and Manganese) in Various Organs of Broilers

A dietary supplementation study was conducted on 288 broiler male chicks fed with maize-soybean-fishmeal based diet supplemented with Zinc-sulphate at 0(T1), 20 (T2), 40 (T3), 60 (T4) and 80 (T5) mg/Kg diet and Zinc-methionine (BIOPLEX) at 20 (T6), 40 (T7), 60 (T8), 80 (T9) mg/Kg diet. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates with 8 birds per replicate. All the birds during the first week were fed with a basal diet without any zinc supplementation to deplete the body zinc reserves. From 1st to 4th week the birds were fed with starter diet containing 23.0% CP, 2877 Kcal of ME/Kg diet and 5th and 6th week the birds were fed with finisher diets containing 20.4% CP, 2943 Kcal of ME/Kg diet. The plasma zinc levels varied significantly with different levels of zinc inclusion in the diets. The zinc concentration in plasma ranged from 1.15(T9) to 3.35 (T3) ppm and iron concentration in the plasma was observed highest (4.23ppm) with 40mg/kg diet zinc sulphate and (3.15 ppm) with 20mg/kg diet zinc-methionine supplementation. The zinc deposition in the tissues, feathers and bone (tibia) showed significant (P < 0.05) increase with increase in zinc supplementation. Similar significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among the treatments with regard to feather and bone copper, zinc, manganese and iron depositions. The zinc methionine supplementation was proved better dietary supplement when compared to Zinc Sulphate. The birds fed with 20mg/ kg diet with zinc sulphate and 80mg/kg diet zinc methionine supplementation can produce better concentration of the minerals in various organs.