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The Effect of Dietary Fat Level on the Response of Broiler Chicks to Betaine and Choline Supplements

Rahmani H.R. نويسنده

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This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary betaine (Betafine) supplementation as a replacement for choline on broiler performance and carcass characteristics. Three betaine replacement levels (0, 50 and 100% in substitution for choline) were used in two various basal diets (without or containing 30 g kg" oil) in a 2x3 factorial arrangement with four replicates of 10 birds. Two hundred-forty day-old broiler chicks were fed with the experimental diets from 1 to 49 days of age and at 49 days of age, two birds from each replicate were selected randomly for blood sampling and comparison of carcass characteristics. Dietary betaine inclusion had no effect on feed intake, but the significant differences in body weight (BW) gain (at 1-3 and 3-5 weeks ofage) and feed conversion ratio (at 3-5 weeks of age) were observed among the experimental diets. Replacing choline with betaine increased (p<0.05) dressing and breast meat percentages and reduced (p