Níveis de energia metabolizável em rações para frangos de corte mantidos em ambiente de alta temperatura

Four hundred birds Hubbard linage with average weight of 675g were distributed to completely randomized block design, based in birds he weight, with five treatments and four replications. The experimental diets were constituted of five metabolizable energy levels (2,800, 2,900, 3,000, 3,100 and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg ration) formulated to attend the nutritional requirements, except for metabolizable energy. The increase of energy was obtained by the addition of soybean oil. The variance and regression analysis was made, associating the energy levels with the values of the studied characteristics. The birds were evaluated by performance (feed intake, weight gain and feed: gain ratio) and carcass characteristics in the periods from 22 to 35 days, 36 to 42 days, 43 to 49 days and 22 to 49 days of age, respectively. Weight gain and feed:gain ratio of broilers maintained in high temperature environment were not influenced by metabolizable energy levels of diets. Metabolizable energylevels of the diet did not affect: carcass, thigh, over thigh, wing, tulip, gizzard, heart, liver and proventricle and intestine. However, the abdominal fat increases and breast yield proportionally decrease with the increase of the metabolizable energy levels of the diet in high temperature environment conditions.