Influence of bone meal degelatinisation and calcium source and particle size on broiler performance, bone characteristics and digestive and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity.

1. The current experiment was performed to elucidate the effects of degelatinised bone meal (DBM) in combination with different particle sizes of limestone or oyster shell on broiler performance, bone characteristics and digestive and plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. 2. Treatments were applied as a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement with three sources of P (DCP, bone meal and DBM) and three particle sizes (50, 100 and 200 µm) of limestone. Chickens were given either DCP or DBM with oyster shell (523 µm), resulting in a total of 11 treatments with five replicates of eight chicks. 3. Performance criteria were measured weekly. Tibia strength, ash, calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) content and plasma P and Ca concentration along with plasma and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and P digestibility were measured on d 14 and 28. 4. Body weight and FCR were improved in chicks which were fed DBM or oyster shell in comparison to the DCP and limestone respectively (P≤0.05). Performance was influenced (P≤0.05) by particle size; with coarser particles BW and feed intake were increased (P≤0.05). Tibia shear force and P content were reduced (P≤0.001), whereas tibia shear energy, length, ash and Ca content were increased by substitution of DCP with DBM or bone meal (P≤0.001; P≤0.05). A significant difference was observed in the tibia length between the chicks fed oyster shell or limestone with different particles (P≤0.05). Plasma P concentration was reduced in chicks were fed with DBM, bone meal and lower limestone particle size. Intestinal ALP activity was increased (P≤0.001) in chicks which were fed DBM, bone meal, oyster shell or coarse particles of limestone. The P digestibility in chicks fed bone meal was lower than that of those fed DBM or DCP (P≤0.01). Overall, gelatin removal from bone meal improved broiler bone characteristics through the P digestibility and intestinal ALP activity enhancement.