Consequences of varying dietary crude protein and metabolizable energy levels on growth performance, carcass characteristics and biochemical parameters of growing geese

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the effect of varying dietary crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) quantity on growth, carcass characteristics, biochemical blood parameters and molecular aspects of growing geese. Overall, a total of 180 Egyptian goslings were used in a 2 × 3 factorial design. Two levels of CP (18% and 16%) and three levels of ME (3000, 2900 and 2800 kcal/kg diet) were employed. Growth traits showed no significant differences as a result of different CP or ME levels. Birds fed the higher CP level consumed more feed than the lower. Carcass, dressing, heart, spleen, abdominal fat and thigh percentages within the group fed 18% CP were higher than the other group. Compared with the other ME-based diet, geese fed a low-ME based diet had the highest heart percentage. Feeding growing geese on a 2900 Kcal/kg ME-based diet increased the serum content of total protein and globulin. Geese fed the high-ME diet showed the highest levels of ALP and C4 as compared with other ME levels. Regarding Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), different protein and energy levels did not affect the molecular weight of blood proteins of Egyptian geese during the growing phase. It could be concluded the levels of 16% CP and 2800 kcal/kg ME are enough to maintain the growth performance and the other physiological indices as well as molecular aspects.

Keywords:

• Dietary protein
• energy
• growth
• carcass
• growing geese
• biochemical traits

Author contributions

MA, EAA, MSE and MEAE-H performed the research and collected data. MSE, DEA and TR developed the research topic. MSE, DEA and MEAE-H provided valuable statistical expertise. MA and MEAE-H wrote and edited the paper.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data sets are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported financially by the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egypt, Grant No. 26193.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), Egypt [Grant No. 26193].