Poultry Studies 2009, Vol 8, Num, 1     (Pages: 015-019)

Effects of Different Levels of Crude Protein in Diets on Reproductive Performance of Laying Male Breeders

Engin YENİCE 1 ,Hüseyin GÖĞER 1 ,Meltem CAN 1 ,Ender KARADEMİR 1 ,Süleyman KALEBAŞI 1

1 Tavukçuluk Araştırma Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü – Ankara - This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the different levels of crude protein in laying breeder male diets on reproductive performance and some organs. It was given standard laying hen diet for first group (K) (16 % CP, 2750 kcal/kg ME and 4 % Ca), diets containing the different levels of crude protein for other four groups (respectively, HP-10, HP-12, HP-14, HP-16) (10, 12, 14, 16 % CP, 2750 kcal/kg ME and 0.9 % Ca) from 24 to 54 weeks of age. No significant differences among the treatments were determined for the final live weight, feed intake, semen volume, spermatozoa concentration, spermatozoa viability, the relative kidney, testes, total internal and abdominal fat weights (P>0.05). The differences among the groups were insignificant for breeder egg number, fertility, hatch to fertility and hatchability percentages of eggs which obtained from the hens were mated with cocks fed different diets by artificial insemination and the hatched-chick weight of chicks (P>0.05). Consequently, there was no need to give laying breeder males fed separately high cost hen diets, and it was determined that can be given low cost diets which had lower dietary crude protein and amino acid levels. Keywords : Laying breeder male, crude protein, sperm quality, fertility, hatchability