Work

The optimal dietary Zn requirement in meat ducks from 22 to 42 days of age: effects on growth performance, tibial characteristics, and feather follicle development

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the optimal dietary zinc ( Zn ) requirement for meat ducks during days ( d ) 22-42. A total of 336 ducks were assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments supplemented with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 mg/kg Zn in the form of ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O. Results showed that final body weight ( FBW ), average daily gain ( ADG ), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased linearly with increasing dietary Zn levels ( P <0.05), while the Zn concentrations of the serum, tibia, liver, pancreas increased linearly and quadratically ( P <0.05). Dietary supplementation of 40-60 mg Zn/kg enhanced copper-zinc superoxide dismutase ( CuZn-SOD ) and glutathione peroxidase ( GSH-PX ) activities ( P <0.05) and reduced the malondialdehyde ( MDA ) content in serum ( P <0.05). Supplementation with 80-100 mg Zn/kg improved tibial ash content and tibial density ( P <0.05). Furthermore, supplementation of 100 mg Zn/kg improved feather quality and follicle development by upregulating TAK1, Smad2, and BMP2 mRNA expression and downregulating BMP4 mRNA expression ( P <0.05). Based on regression analysis, the optimal dietary Zn requirement was estimated to be 71.7-104.1 mg/kg when using a basal diet containing 25.5 mg Zn/kg. Furthermore, the dietary Zn requirement for improving bone and feather quality was higher than that for supporting growth.

Source: Poultry Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106425