An Evaluation of the Arginine Requirements of Broiler Chickens and the Potential Arginine and Energy-Saving Effects of Guanidinoacetic Acid

Two 35-day trials were conducted to determine the arginine (Arg) requirement of broiler chickens and the Arg and energy-sparing effects of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA). In experiment 1, a low-Arg diet (basal diet) was supplemented with increasing levels (0.06-0.61%) of L-Arg or GAA. In experiment 2, a diet meeting the energy and amino acid requirements of broiler chickens served as the positive control (PC). Two negative control (NC) groups were assigned by reducing either 50 (NC1) or 100 (NC2) kcal nitrogen-corrected metabolizable energy. Test groups were supplemented with 0.06% GAA for NC1 and 0.12% GAA for NC2 to compensate for the lower energy in the feed. The low dietary Arg concentration (starter: 1.02%, grower: 0.88%, finisher: 0.75%) significantly reduced overall performance (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Supplementation of either L-Arg or GAA with a low-Arg diet both alleviated the lower performance (<i>p</i> < 0.05). However, more GAA was needed to provide the same level of growth attained with L-Arg at an equivalency rate of 1 GAA to 0.57 Arg. Reduction of dietary energy by 50 and 100 kcal did not significantly influence the performance of birds at all stages of growth. Moreover, no effect of GAA supplementation at 0.06% or 0.12% was observed.