Nutritive Value of Three Soybean Meals through in vitro techniques and in vivo evaluation in Broiler Chickens

A CRD experiment was conducted to study three different soybean meals on experimental qualitative properties, digestibility of protein and performance in broiler chickens for a 42 day period. A total of 195 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were randomly distributed to 3 dietary treatments with five replicates of 13 chicks each. To measure digestibility of protein, thirty 15-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were randomly distributed to 3 dietary treatments with five replicates of 2 chicks each. Three soybean meals including two Iranian and one Argentinean ones classified according to experimental properties (Urease activity, Protein Solubility and Heat Damaged Index) into classes of high, medium and low quality soybean meals were used. Protein digestibility was similar in different treatments. Weight gain and feed intake only in starter and feed conversion ratio in each period were not affected by treatments. Weight gain and feed intake in growing period increased significantly using high quality soybean meal, However they were not affected by low and medium quality soybean meals. Weight gain and feed intake were not affected by high and low quality soybean meals in finisher and overall and there was not also significant using medium and low quality soybean meals during the overall period. However they decreased by medium quality soybean meal in finisher and overall period. Pancreas and abdominal fat weights at 21d and 42d were not affected by different treatments. Liver weight at 21d was the same in different treatments while it decreased significantly at 42d by medium quality soybean meal.