EFFECTS OF PROTEIN LEVEL AND ENZYME SUPPLEMENTATION UPON GROWTH AND RATE OF DIGESTA PASSAGE OF MALE TURKEYS

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of feeding enzyme supplements (Avizyme(R) and protease) at two levels of dietary crude p rotein (24 and 28%) to male turkeys from 0 to 5 wk of age. The Avizyme (R)-protease enzyme mixture was fed at five concentrations within each protein level in an effort to determine an optimal level of supplemen tation. Enzymes were added to the 24% protein diet to determine whethe r the supplements would enhance the growth performance of birds fed th e lower protein diet to the level of those fed the 28% protein diet. R ate of passage was evaluated to determine whether an ANF effect corres ponded to enzyme concentration or protein level. Dietary protein level significantly influenced growth. Birds fed the 28% protein diet had i mproved body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed efficiency of 11. 5, 6.5, and 4.4%, respectively, when compared with birds fed the 24% p rotein diet. Enzyme addition to the 24% protein corn-soybean meal diet produced a graded response but did not improve growth over the contro l. Although enzyme supplementation improved poult utilization of the 2 4% protein diet, growth and feed utilization were not equal to the per formance of the poults fed the 28% protein diet. When the enzyme mixtu re was added to the 28% diet, performance was not consistently altered . Rate of digesta passage was not different between the levels of diet ary protein or among levels of enzyme supplementation, indicating that the applied protein levels did not deleteriously affect nutrient util ization.