STUDIES ON POTASSIUM-LYSINE INTERRELATIONSHIPS IN BROILER CHICKS 2. EFFECT OF POTASSIUM-LYSINE INTERRELATIONSHIPS ON BLOOD PARAMETER, SERUM AND BONE COMPOSITION

To determine the effect of dietary potassium and lysine levels on blood parameters, serum and bone composition, 360 male broiler chicks of 3 days of age were used in a completely randomized $3{\times}3$ factorial experiment for 6 weeks. Experimental diets contained three supplemented 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%). Dietary levels of potassium and lysine did not influence blood pH, $pCO_2$, $pO_2$, $HCO_3$ and total $CO_2$ and interaction between potassium and lysine was not shown (p > 0.05). Serum lysine and arginine contents were significantly different by the levels of dietary lysine (p < 0.05). Lysine-arginine antagonism was observed in high lysine diet. But increasing dietary potassium did not alleviated the lysine-arginine antagonism. Serum sodium, potassium and chloride were not affected by dietary potassium and lysine levels (p > 0.05). Femur weight, length and P contents were affected by the levels of dietary lysine (p < 0.01). But no difference was observed in femur ash and Ca contents (p > 0.05). Interaction between potassium and lysine was shown in ash and P contents (p < 0.01).