GROWTH AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILERS FED SALINOMYCIN IN DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF METHIONINE AND ENERGY

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Abstract
In trial 1, caged broiler chicks were reared to 28 days on corn-soybean meal diets containing 60 ppm salinomycin or 99 ppm monensin with either 0, 0.05, 0.1 or 0.15% supplemental DL-methionine at metabolizable energy levels of 13.14 or 12.13 MJ/Kg. Monensin, but not salinomycin, depressed (P < 0.01) female body weight. Male birds were influenced by the salinomycin treatment resulting in increased feed efficiency. There were no significant interactions between treatments. Two subsequent trials involved floor-reared male and female birds to 49 days. Diets contained 0 or 60 ppm salinomycin in low (12.01 MJ ME/kg starter, 12.38 MJ ME/kg finisher) or high (13.33 MJ ME/kg starter, 13.63 MJ ME/kg finisher) energy regimens. Methionine levels were adjusted to the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS-NRC) (1977) level of 1.56 g/4.184 MJ ME as a control treatment. Methionine treatments were obtained by supplementation or not of a corn-soybean meal basal. Salinomycin reduced feed intake (P < 0.01) of both male and female birds, and reduced body weight (P < 0.01) in males. Salinomycin improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency in female birds. High levels of methionine supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) feed intake when the diet contained salinomycin, but not without the medication. There was a salinomycin × methionine interaction (P < 0.01) for feed efficiency. Salinomycin resulted in improved (P < 0.01) carcass fleshing grade at the low and standard levels of methionine. Key words: Salinomycin, methionine, broiler chicks, energy