Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0000-0001-7978-3017

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Wamsley, Kelley G.S.

Committee Member

Wells, Jessica B.

Committee Member

Gehring, Curran

Date of Degree

5-13-2022

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agriculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Abstract

Previous research evaluated the dLys requirement and the impact of varying dLys and AME on Cobb MV x Cobb 500 broilers during the starter and grower phases, leaving the finisher phase to be determined. Experiment 1 estimated the finisher dLys requirement to range from 0.748-1.32% for males and 0.752-1.292% for females. Male broilers were more responsive to increasing dLys than females, though in general, increasing dLys improved performance and processing. Experiment 2 determined the effects of varying finisher dLys and AME on broiler performance and processing. Increasing dLys improved BWG, FCR, ALI, and breast yield while decreasing FI and fat pad yield. Increasing AME consistently reduced FI and FCR while increasing thigh and fat pad yield. Economic analyses for both experiments demonstrated that maximizing performance was not always economical, verifying the importance of considering feed costs and performance to optimize return on investment for Cobb MV x Cobb 500 broilers.

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