Glutamine for broilers from 21 to 42 days maintained in thermoneutral environment

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary glutamine levels on performance and carcass traits of broilers kept in thermoneutral environment from 21 to 42 days of age. Hundred sixty eight male broilers Cobb® with 21 days of age and initial body weight of 900 ± 4.71 g were allotted in a completely randomized design with four levels of glutamine (0.00, 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50%), seven replicates with six birds each. Performance, relative weights of carcass, breast, thigh and drumstick and mRNA expression of HSP70 were evaluated. Birds were housed in environmental chambers with temperature of 23.2 ±1.77ºC and relative humidity of 70 ± 5.82% corresponding to a calculated BGHI of 72 ± 2.75, which characterize thermoneutral environment. There was no effect of glutamine on feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion of broilers. Glutamine had no influence on absolute and relative weights of carcass, breast, thigh, and drumstick of birds. There was not effect of dietary glutamine on mRNA expression of HSP70. Dietary glutamine did not affect performance and carcass traits of broilers from 21 to 42 days of age maintained in thermoneutral environment.

Key words: Birds, gene expression, HSP, thermal environment.

Abstract published in Semina: Ciências Agrárias, Londrina, v. 36, n. 3, p. 1633-1642, maio/jun. 2015. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n3p1633.