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A comparative evaluation of functions for describing the relationship between live-weight gain and metabolizable energy intake in turkeys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2005

H. DARMANI KUHI ,
E. KEBREAB ,
S. LOPEZ  and
J. FRANCE
H. DARMANI KUHI
Affiliation:
The University of Reading, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AR, UK
E. KEBREAB
Affiliation:
Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
S. LOPEZ
Affiliation:
Departamento de Producción Animal, Universidad de León, E-24007 León, Spain
J. FRANCE
Affiliation:
Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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Abstract

The suitability of models specifically re-parameterized for analyzing energy balance data relating metabolizable energy intake to growth rate has recently been investigated in male broilers. In this study, the more adequate of those models was applied to growing turkeys to provide estimates of their energy needs for maintenance and growth. Three functional forms were used. They were: two equations representing diminishing returns behaviour (monomolecular and rectangular hyperbola); and one equation describing smooth sigmoidal behaviour with a fixed point of inflexion (Gompertz). The models estimated the metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance in turkeys to be 359–415 kJ/kg of live-weight/day. The predicted values of average net energy requirement for producing 1 g of gain in live-weight, between 1 and 4 times maintenance, varied from 8·7 to 10·9 kJ. These results and those previously reported for broilers are a basis for accepting the general validity of these models.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 142 , Issue 6 , December 2004 , pp. 691 - 695
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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