The effect of methionine and lysine levels on the arginine requirement of the chick.
Two breeds of commercial broiler chicks were used to investigate possible breed differences and to determine the effect of methionine and lysine on arginine requirements.  Graded levels of arginine were added to a glucose-casein diet with or without added methionine and to a corn-soybean meal diet with and without added lysine and/or methionine.  The arginine requirement of chicks receiving the glucose-casein diet with and without supplemental methionine was found to be 1.46 per cent and 1.55 per cent of the diet, respectively.  No breed differences were found.  When arginine was added to a corn-soy diet containing 1.53 per cent arginine, with or without supplemental methionine, no response was obtained indicating that this level of arginine was adequate.  When this diet was supplemented with lysine to bring it up to the lysine level of the casein diet, a growth depression occurred which was overcome by the addition of 0.20 and 0.25 per cent arginine, respectively, in the absence and presence of supplemental methione.  These levels of arginine exceeded the requirements determined for chicks fed the glucose-casein diet.  In chicks fed the glucose-casein diet, muscle creatine increased with each level of added arginine with or without supplemental methionine.  Creatinine excretion also increased with each level of added arginine in the absence of supplementary methionine but when methionine was added creatine excretion reached a plateau at the level of arginine which satisfied the chick's growth requirement.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight; D002364:Caseins / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism; D008239:Lysine / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D009132:Muscles / Q000032:analysis; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D013025:Glycine max; D003313:Zea mays
D002364:Caseins; D001120:Arginine; D008715:Methionine; D003404:Creatinine; D005947:Glucose; D008239:Lysine; D005998:Glycine