Evaluation of triticale for use in diets for meat‐type chickens

Cultivar variation in the nutritional quality of triticale grain was examined with respect to apparent metabolisable energy (AME), ileal digestibility of dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N) and amino acids, and growth, in male broiler chickens. Eight triticale cultivars and two wheat cultivars were grown in an agronomic trial at a single experimental site to collect grain samples. Mean (±SD) AME was 13.54 (±0.64) MJ kg −1 DM, with a range of 12.57 to 14.25 MJ kg −1 DM. There were significant (P<0.05) differences between the grain cultivars in their DM, N and amino acid digestibility at the terminal ileum. Apparent lysine digestibility coefficients varied between 0.85 and 0.97. There was a significant (P<0.01) relationship between nutrient digestibility at the terminal ileum and acid‐detergent fibre (ADF) in the cereal grains. Three triticale cultivars (Towan, Grow‐quick and Ningadhu) had a lower N and lysine digestibility than the other triticales or wheat cultivars, but this was related to their higher ADF content. Trypsin inhibitor level in the cereal grain did not influence either nutrient digestibility or growth rate. Growth rate of broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age fed balanced diets which contained 50% cereal grain was significantly affected by cultivar. Birds fed one of the wheat cultivars (Warigal) had a higher (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio (g feed g −1 liveweight gain) than those birds fed diets containing triticale. Feeding birds diets which contained the triticale cultivar Ningadhu and the maize resulted in greater (P<0.05) liveweight gain than did the other cereal grains tested.