One experiment was conducted to study the reduction of protein level, through formulation based in digestible amino acids, using broilers in the initial phase. Eight hundred one-day-old male chicks, Cobb, were weighted and distributed in a random design, envolving four treatments (22%, 20% and 18% crude protein with digestible aminoacids and one control treatment with 22% crude protein based on total amino acids), envolving 4 replications of 50 birds each. Data from weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion were collected. When broilers were fed control diet, the same weight gain and feed conversion were obtained when compared with birds fed 22% crude protein and total amino acids and 20% crude protein formulated on digestible amino acids. It is possible to work diets with less protein level (20% crude protein) without affecting the performance when diet is formulated based on digestible amino acids.
broilers; digestible amino acids; nutrition; proteinlevel
