Measurement of apparent ileal digestible and apparent metabolizable energy of corn and soybean meal for growing quails

The ileal digestible energy (IDE), apparent metabolizable energy (AME), and AME-corrected for zero nitrogen retention (AMEn) values of soybean meal (SBM) and corn grain were determined using the regression method for growing Japanese quails. A reference diet based on corn and SBM was developed to meet all nutritional requirements of growing quails, and test ingredients, including corn and SBM, were replaced as part of the energy source in the reference diet by 100 or 200 g/kg. During the period of 14 to 21 days post-hatch, a total of 375 mixed-sex quail chicks (33.1 ± 1.99 g) were provided with the experimental diet. The chicks were randomly divided into five dietary treatments with five replicates and fifteen birds in each replication. Including SBM to the reference diet resulted in a linear increase in the ileal digestibility of nitrogen (P = 0.014), dry matter (P = 0.035), ether extract (P = 0.013), and energy digestibility (P = 0.039). Including corn or SBM at 100 or 200 g/kg in the reference diet had no effect on AME and AMEn, while nitrogen metabolizability linearly decreased (P = 0.016) with increasing SBM. Based on the regression equations, the IDE, AME, and AMEn values of corn grain were 3438, 3448, and 3217 kcal/kg, respectively. The corresponding values for SBM were 3236, 3301, and 2977 kcal/kg, respectively. The energetic value of major feed elements can improve the precise diet design for developing Japanese quail.