METABOLIZABLE ENERGY CONTENT OF POULT STARTER RATIONS AS AFFECTED BY ANTIBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION

Abstract

A practical type basal poult starter was supplemented with 17.6 p.p.m. procaine penicillin, and 4 p.p.m. oleandomycin to provide three experimental diets. These were fed to turkey poults from day-old to 38 days of age. Each of the antibiotic-supplemented diets resulted in a significant increase in body weight at 13, 27, and 38 days of age when compared with the unsupplemented basal diet. Metabolizable energy values of the supplemented diets did not differ significantly from that of the control ration. These results confirm previous reports that the stimulation of growth rate of turkey poults as a result of dietary treatment, and in particular antibiotic supplementation, is not necessarily associated with an increase in metabolizable energy values of the diets.