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Biological Availability of Phosphorus Sources in Prestarter and Starter Diets for Broiler Chicks

Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens 30602

¹ Corresponding author: ndale{at}uga.edu

Two of the most widely used phosphate sources for broiler diets are defluorinated tricalcium phosphate (DFP) and dicalcium phosphate (DCP). Reports in the literature have shown that the biological availability of P in DFP for broilers and laying hens is lower than that in DCP. If this difference in bioavailability is even greater in young chicks, it might preclude the inclusion of DFP in prestarter and possibly starter diets. To address this question, 2 experiments were conducted to compare the P bioavailability of DFP and DCP in young broilers during the prestarter (1 to 8 d) and starter (9 to 15 d) periods. In Experiment 1, the first 3 treatments contained DFP, DCP, or raw rock phosphate, which were added to the diets to meet 0.32% available P (AP). Additionally, in 3 other treatments that served as positive controls, K₂HPO₄ was added to meet AP levels of 0.24, 0.32, and 0.40%. No significant difference was observed at 4, 8, and 15 d of age between the foot ash percentage of chickens fed the DFP and DCP diets, indicating that the biological availability of P in DFP was not significantly inferior to that of DCP. In Experiment 2, chick responses to 2 levels of either DFP or DCP, added to meet AP levels of 0.28 and 0.34%, were compared with those of chicks receiving K₂HPO₄, which was added to meet 3 AP levels (0.22, 0.28, and 0.34%). Foot ash results at 6 and 15 d of age indicated that the P utilization of chickens fed diets containing DFP was not significantly different to that of chickens fed the DCP diets. The difference in P bioavailability between DFP and DCP at 6 or 15 d of age was not greater than 10%. These results indicate that DFP can be satisfactorily utilized by young chicks during the prestarter and starter period and do not support the view that DFP should be excluded from diets for young chickens.

Key Words: defluorinated phosphate • dicalcium phosphate • bioavailability • prestarter diet • broiler chicken