[The effect of feeding frequency on the results of metabolism-oriented lysine requirement determination and nitrogen balance in broiler chicks].

Two feeding regimes were used for investigation into the effect of meal frequency on the lysine requirement in chickens estimated with metabolism-oriented determination. 1-day-old male broiler chickens were fed either twice a day for 1 hour (one group) or 6 times a day for 1/2 hour (other group). 7 to 21 days posthatching the birds received a wheat-wheat gluten diet which was L-lysine-supplemented at 6 levels. Using lysine deficient diets chickens fed twice a day eat more and grow faster than chickens fed 6 times a day. The N-balance was 6 to 7% higher in the case of the feeding regime 2 times a day. After feeding period 14C-U-L-lysine was injected intravenously and 14CO2-excretion measured. The estimated range for lysine requirement was 11.9-13.1 g lysine/kg DM and 13.1-14.3 g lysine/kg DM for chickens fed 2 times and 6 times a day, respectively. A feeding regime of 6 meals a day does not improve the utilization of diets contains crystalline lysine compared with feeding of 2 meals a day.