Apparent and standardized ileal amino acid digestibilities of corn, wheat, soybean meal, and corn gluten meal in quail chicks

Two experiments were conducted to measure the apparent and standardized ileal digestibilities (AID and SID) of amino acid (AA) of corn, wheat, soybean meal (SBM), and corn gluten meal (CGM) in growing Japanese quail from 14 to 18 (Exp. 1) and 28 to 32 (Exp. 2) d of age. The basal endogenous losses of amino acids were measured by the use of N-free diet. The birds were fed on standard diet before the use of experimental diets. The experimental diets (four ingredients) and N-free diet were randomly assigned to 5 replicate pens (30 birds per pen) and fed for 5 consecutive days. The ileal digesta were collected on d 18 and 32 for the Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively. AID of lysine (Lys) in corn (P = 0.047), SBM (P < 0.001), and CGM (P < 0.001); AID of threonine (Thr) in corn (P < 0.001), SBM (P < 0.001), and CGM (P = 0.075); and AID of isoleucine (Ile) in wheat (P < 0.001), SBM (P = 0.002), and CGM (P < 0.001) were increased as the birds aged. However, AID of methionine (Met) in corn (P < 0.001) and CGM (P < 0.001), AID of arginine (Arg; P < 0.001) and valine (Val; P < 0.001) in CGM were lower in younger quails. Among indispensable amino acids, the basal endogenous losses of Thr, Val, and Arg decreased by age (P < 0.001). The average of SID of Lys, Ile, Met, Val, Thr, Arg, leucine (Leu), and histidine (His) for corn, wheat, SBM, and CGM were estimated as 83, ND, 89.4, 89.4, 92.1, 90.2, 91.9, and 90.8%; 92.7, ND, 89.1, 93.9, 87.4, 90.2, 89.8, and 88.1%; 90.3, 91.8, 94.3, 90.4, 86.5, 94.0, 84.3, and 95.0%; 82.6, ND, 74.1, 79.6, 84.4, 90.6, 85.2, and 82.4%, respectively. Based on the present study, the AID and SID coefficients of indispensable AA should be adjusted for age classes in Japanese quail during the growing period.