This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of metabolizable energy (ME) levels on performance, carcass quality and physiological traits of broilers from 22 to 42 days of age maintained under thermoneutral environment (23.2±0.74ºC). Two hundred and forty Hubbard male broilers with average weight of 753±3.03 g were used in a completely randomized design with five treatments (3000, 3075, 3150, 3225 and 3300 kcal metabolizable energy/kg diet), six replicates and eight birds per experimental unit. The experimental isoproteic diets were fed to birds in a controlled way, corresponding to 95% of the voluntary intake, in order to maintain the same protein intake in all treatments. Weight gain, ME intake, feed:gain and fat and protein depositions linearly improved as dietary EM increased, with the carcass yield linearly reduced according to the ME levels. There was no effect of dietary ME level on absolute and relative weights of thigh, drumstick, legs, breast with bone, heart, liver, gizzard, proventriculus, lungs, intestine, abdominal fat and feathers. It was not observed the effect of the dietary ME level of the diet on the serum concentration of free triiodotironine. The level of 3232 kcal ME, corresponding to the calculated energy:protein ratio of 16.49, showed the best performance and protein deposition in the carcass of broilers maintained under thermoneutral environment.
broilers; metabolizable energy; thermoneutral environment
