With the objective of evaluating the levels of calcium in the ration supplemented with phytase for broiler chickens from 22 to 42 days old, one experiment was conducted by using a total of 600 chickens of 22 days old Hubardb-MPK strain, distributed in a completely randomized design, in five two factorial arrangement (levels of calcium of the diet x sexes), with three replicates of 20 birds per plot. The basal diets was formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of the broilers according to NRC (1994), except for calcium, whose levels were 0.40; 0.59; 0.78; 0.97 and 1.16% supplement with phytase. At 35 days old, two chickens of each treatment were transferred to the metabolism cages and after period of adaptation the excreta collection were made during four days. Both feed intake and weight gain were 12.8 and 16% higher for the males (P<0.01) in relation to the females, respectively. There was no differences for feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion in relation to the levels of calcium in the diets (P>0.05) supplemented with phytase. The digestibility of dry matter was better with 0.88% of calcium in the diets and the higher nitrogen retention, was obtained with 0.70% of calcium. It was possible to conclude that the increasing levels of calcium in diets supplemented with phyitase for broilers from 22 to 42 days old did not influenced the broiler performance and also shown that very low levels of calcium in the diets impaired the digestibility of the dry matter and nitrogen retention.
digestibility; phosphorus; performance; requirement
