Graded methionine dietary inclusions influence growth performance and apparent ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients and disappearance rates in broiler chickens

Graded quantities of 1.38, 2.76 and 4.14 g/kg L-methionine were included in a control diet formulated to contain 3.07 g/kg digestible methionine. Each of the 4 dietary treatments was offered to 6 replicate cages (initially 8 birds per cage) from 1 to 21 d post–hatch. The parameters assessed included growth performance, nutrient utilisation (apparent metabolizable energy [AME], AME:GE ratios, N retention, N-corrected apparent metabolizable energy [AMEn]), apparent digestibility coefficients and disappearance rates of amino acids in the distal ileum. They also included free amino concentrations in systemic plasma (brachial vein) at 20 d post–hatch and in hepatic tissue at 14 and 21 d post–hatch. Graded L-methionine inclusions quadratically influenced weight gain (r = 0.688; P = 0.001) and FCR (r = 0.780; P