Effects of L-carnitine supplementation of diets differing in energy levels on performance, abdominal fat content, and yield and composition of edible meat of broilers.

Responses to supplemental dietary L-carnitine of broilers fed on diets with different levels of metabolizable energy (ME) were investigated using growth performance and some carcass measurements. Three isonitrogenous diets containing 13.5, 12.8 or 12.2 MJ ME/kg were formulated, with or without supplemental L-carnitine (50 mg/kg) and fed ad libitum from 18 to 53 d of age. Supplemental L-carnitine increased body-weight gain (BWG) and improved feed conversion (FC) during the first 2 weeks of study. FC was also improved during the fourth week of the experiment. Weights of breast yield and thigh meat yield were significantly increased, whereas quantity and percentage of abdominal fat were reduced by supplemental L-carnitine. A significant interaction between supplemental dietary L-carnitine and dietary energy level was noted for BWG and FC during the second week of study.