BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITY OF METHIONINE DERIVAT IVES .3. COMPARATIVE-STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF METHIONINE AND METHIONINE-HYDROXY-ANALOG IN A BROILER FATTENING TRIAL

A model broiler fattening experiment was carried out in Tetra cock chi cken between the age of 14 to 19 days to compare the biological effect iveness of methionine (MET) and the methionine-hydroxy-analog (2-hydro xy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid, HMB). Both groups were composed of 104 c hicken each, and divided into 8 groups of 13 chicken each in D-116 typ e cages. Throughout the experiment, both groups consumed a feed with a nutritional content, corresponding to the recommendations of NRC (198 4, Table 1). The feed of control group was supplemented with 0.1% DL-M ET, while that of other group with 0.1% HMB. During the experimental a limentation, the individual body-mass of animals was measured weekly a nd the feed consumption in each cage daily. During the five weeks feed ing experiment, the fattening data (final body-mass, feed utilization) of the two groups did not show any significant differences (Table 2). The results obtained showed that MHA can be used as effectively for t he MET supplementation of broiler fattening feeds with a maize and ext racted soybean meal base as MET.