Two experiments were carried out to determine the nutritional requirement of total lysine for Hubbard and Ross broiler chickens of both sexes, from 22 to 40 and from 42 to 48 days of age. Weight gain, feed intake, feed:gain ratio, breast with bone yield, and breast meat yield were evaluated. In each period, a completely randomized block experiment design in a factorial 2 x 2 x 6 was used, with two sexes, two trademarks and six dietary lysine levels, with four replicates using a total of 1920 birds. The basal diets with 0.80% of lysine, 19.8% CP and 3100 kcal ME/kg in the first experiment and 0.75% lysine, 18.5% CP and 3200 kcal ME/kg in the second experiment, were supplemented with six lysine levels (0, 0.06, 0.12, 0.18, 0.24 and 0.30%). Considering weight gain, feed:gain ratio, breast with bone yield and breast meat yield of the chickens, the total lysine dietary requirement estimates from 22 to 40 days were 0.80% for females Ross, 0.993% for female Hubbard, 0.998% for males Hubbard and 1.03% for males Ross, respectively. For the period from 42 to 48 days, the dietary total lysine level recommended was 0.90% for both sexes and trade marks.
broiler chickens; nutritional requirement; total lysine
