Precaecal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids of a field bean (Vicia faba L.) and a field pea (Pisum sativum L.) variety for broilers

A linear regression approach was used to determine the precaecal digestibility of organic field beans and field peas in young broiler chickens. Diets with field beans of the variety Taifun (283 g crude protein/kg DM) and field peas of the variety Alvesta (173 g crude protein/kg DM) in three inclusion rates (30, 50, and 70%) were fed ad libitum to 15- to 21-day-old broiler chickens. Digesta was sampled pen-wise and obtained from the gastro-intestinal tract between 2005Meckel’s diverticulum and 2 cm anterior to the ileo-caeco-colonic junction. Despite the high inclusion rates of the test feedstuffs, all diets were accepted by the birds. Feed intake and body mass gain, as well as precaecal crude protein and amino acid digestibility, were higher in chickens fed field bean diets than field pea diets. The precaecal crude protein digestibility of the tested field beans and field peas was 0.84 and 0.81, respectively. In comparison to lysine, methionine, histidine, and arginine, which were highly digestible at the terminal ileum, tryptophan was less digestible. The precaecal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids of the tested organic field beans and field peas is comparable to literature values for non-organic samples. In conclusion, compared to the literature the test results indicate that systematic differences between organic and non-organic samples do not exist. Field beans and field peas can serve as a suitable crude protein and amino acids source for broilers.