STUDIES ON POTASSIUM-LYSINE INTERRELATIONSHIPS IN BROILER CHICKS 1. EFFECT OF POTASSIUM-LYSINE INTERRELATIONSHIPS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRIENT UTILIZABILITY

In order to study the effects of dietary potassium and lysine levels on growth performance and nutrient utilizability in broiler chicks, an experiment was conducted in $3{\times}3$ factorial arrangement with three levels of dietary potassium (0.3, 0.6 and 1.2%) and three supplemented levels of dietary lysine (0.6, 1.2 and 2.4%). A total number of 360 male broiler chicks was used for 6 weeks. Birds fed optimum lysine (1.2%) diets had the highest body weight gain and feed efficiency, followed by those fed low lysine (0.6%) and high lysine (2.4%) diets (p < 0.01). But levels of dietary potassium had no effects on the body weight gain and feed efficiency. Interaction between potassium and lysine was not shown (p > 0.05). High level of lysine resulted in higher mortality than that of optimum or low level of lysine (p < 0.01). The levels of supplemented lysine affected utilizability of ether extract, total carbohydrate, and nitrogen retention (p < 0.01). But supplemented potassium levels did not affect nutrient utilizability and interaction between potassium and lysine was not shown (p > 0.05).