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Estimation of protein requirement for maintenance in adult parrots ( Amazona spp .) by determining inevitable N losses in excreta
Author(s) -
Westfahl C.,
Wolf P.,
Kamphues J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2008.00814.x
Subject(s) - dry matter , zoology , starch , uric acid , biology , body weight , feces , chemistry , food science , ecology , biochemistry , endocrinology
Summary Especially in older pet birds, an unnecessary overconsumption of protein – presumably occurring in human custody – should be avoided in view of a potential decrease in the excretory organs’ (liver, kidney) efficiency. Inevitable nitrogen (N)‐losses enable the estimation of protein requirement for maintenance, because these losses have at least to be replaced to maintain N equilibrium. To determine the inevitable N losses in excreta of adult amazons ( Amazona spp .), a frugivor‐granivorous avian species from South America, adult amazons ( n = 8) were fed a synthetic nearly N‐free diet (in dry matter; DM: 37.8% starch, 26.6% sugar, 11.0% fat) for 9 days. Throughout the trial, feed and water intake were recorded, the amounts of excreta were measured and analysed for DM and ash content, N (Dumas analysis) and uric acid (enzymatic‐photometric analysis) content. Effects of the N‐free diet on body weight (BW) and protein‐related blood parameters were quantified and compared with data collected during a previous 4‐day period in which a commercial seed mixture was offered to the birds. After feeding an almost N‐free diet for 9 days, under the conditions of a DM intake (20.1 g DM/bird/day) as in seeds and digestibility of organic matter comparable with those when fed seeds (82% and 76% respectively), it was possible to quantify the inevitable N losses via excrements to be 87.2 mg/bird/day or 172.5 mg/kg BW 0.75 /day. Assuming a utilization coefficient of 0.57 this leads to an estimated protein need of approximately 1.9 g/kg BW 0.75 /day (this value does not consider further N losses via feathers and desquamated cells; with the prerequisite that there is a balanced amino acid pattern).