Modeling net energy requirements of 2 to 3-week-old Cherry Valley ducks

OBJECTIVE: A total of three hundred unsexed ducks were utilized to estimate net energy requirements of maintenance (NE(m)) and weight gain (NE(g)) for 2 to 3-week-old Cherry Valley ducks and to establish a model equation to predict NE requirements using the factorial method. METHODS: To determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of the diet, fifty 7-day-old ducks at approximately equal body weights (BWs) were randomly assigned into five groups that were fed at different levels (ad libitum, 85%, 75%, 65%, and 55% of ad libitum intake), and the endogenous acid-insoluble ash as indigestible marker. The two hundred and fifty 7-day-old ducks were used for a comparative slaughter experiment. At the beginning of the experiment, ten ducks were sacrificed to determine the initial body composition and energy content. The remaining ducks were randomly assigned into five groups (same as metabolic experiment). Ducks of the ad libitum group were slaughtered at 14 and 21-day-old. At the end of the experiment, two ducks were selected from each replicate and slaughtered to determine the body composition and energy content. RESULTS: The results of the metabolizable experiment showed AME values of 13.43 to 13.77 MJ/kg for ducks at different feed intakes. The results of the comparative slaughter experiment showed the NE(m) value for 2 to 3-week-old Cherry Valley ducks was 549.54 kJ/kg of BW(0.75)/d, and the NE(g) value was 10.41 kJ/g. The deposition efficiency values of fat (K(f)) and crude protein (K(p)) were 0.96 and 0.60, respectively, and the values of efficiency of energy utilization (K(g)) and maintenance efficiency (K(m)) were 0.75 and 0.88, respectively. CONCLUSION: The equation for the prediction of NE requirements for 2 to 3-week-old Cherry Valley ducks was the following: NE = 549.54 BW(0.75)+10.41 ΔW, where ΔW is the weight gain (g).