Abstract— A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of betaine as a functional nutrient in choline-deficient broiler diets. A total of 275 day-old commercial Cobb 400 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to nine dietary treatments comprising a control (100% choline requirement), two choline-deficient diets (75% and 50% of requirement), and their respective betaine-supplemented groups at 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%. Each treatment had six replicates of five birds each, maintained under uniform management for 42 days. Growth performance, carcass traits, serum biochemical parameters, immune responses, and cost economics were assessed. Choline deficiency significantly (p<0.05) reduced body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass yield. Betaine supplementation improved performance in a dose-dependent manner. Birds fed diets with 0.3% betaine achieved body weights and FCR comparable to the control group. Carcass yield and breast meat percentage were significantly higher, while abdominal fat percentage was reduced in betaine-supplemented birds. Serum protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations improved with betaine addition, whereas cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid decreased. Betaine enhanced antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus and increased the relative weights of lymphoid organs. Economic analysis revealed higher net profit per bird in betaine-supplemented groups, with the highest benefit at 0.3% inclusion. It was concluded that betaine supplementation at 0.3% effectively spares up to 50% of the dietary choline requirement in broilers, improving growth, carcass yield, immunity, and profitability.
Thullimalli et al. (Sat,) studied this question.