Ninety and sixty Hubbard one-day-old broilers chicks, half male and half female, were used at the initial phase, from 1 to 21 days of age, with initial weight of 42.5 and 42.1g, respectively. The chicks were allotted to a randomized block design, with six treatments, two sexes, four replicates per sex and twenty animals per experimental unity. The treatments consisted on deficient basal diet in available phosphorus (.15%), supplemented with available phosphorus from dicalcium phosphate (0, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.50%). The weight gain (GP), feed intake (CR), feed: gain (CA), bone fracture resistance (BFR), ashes (AO) and phosphorus in the bone (PO) were the evaluated variables. The available phosphorus requirements were estimated by means of the regression polynomial and linear response plateau models. The supplemented levels of available phosphorus affected the GP, CR, CA, BFR, AO and PO, for males and females. The requirement estimates of available phosphorus ranged from 0,259 (.089%/Mcal ME) to .559% (.184%/Mcal of ME), for males and from .307% (.092%/Mcal ME) to .575% (.190%/Mcal ME) for females. However, according to the biological values, for the performance and bone variables, it can be suggested that available phosphorus requirements, for male and female broilers, from 1 to 21 days of age, is .45% or .148%/Mcal ME.
available phosphorus requirement; broilers; initial phase
