Amino acid supplementation of groundnut meal protein in broiler diets

Abstract

Shaver Starbro chickens were used in two experiments to investigate the levels of lysine in combination with methionine which could replace fishmeal in broiler diets. They were fed diets which contained groundnut meal and fishmeal or groundnut meal and synthetic methionine and lysine as the principal nitrogen sources. Diets which lacked fishmeal could be used successfully for broiler production if appropriately supplemented with methionine and lysine. It is recommended that fishmeal in maize-based diets in which groundnut meal is the principal protein source could be replaced by 0.2% methionine and 0.1% lysine in 23% protein starter rations; 20% protein finisher rations should be supplemented with 0.1% methionine only.