Estimation of Arginine Requirements for Male Broilers Grown at High Altitude from One to Twenty-one Days of Age

Arginine (arg) requirements of male broilers (ross 308) reared at high altitude (2100 m above sea level) during the 1-to 3-week period was estimated in a graded supplementation method, in which six diets (230 g kg^-1 cp and 3200 kcal me kg^-1) with arg increments of 1.25 g kg^-1 were applied to four pens of fifteen birds each. dietary arg content of the experimental groups ranged from 10 g kg^-1 (80% of the nrc recommendation) to 16.25 g kg^-1 (130% of the nrc recommendation). body weight gain, feed: gain ratio, and plasma nitric oxide (no) concentration were determined as response criteria. arginine requirements for maximal body weight gain and optimal feed: gain during the 21 days under study were estimated to be 15.3, and 15.1 g kg^-1 of diet, respectively. the estimated arg requirement based on the response in plasma no was 15.6 g kg^-1. in conclusion, broilers receiving dietary arg of 15 g kg^-1 had the best performance. data obtained for the individual factors are by far the highest values reported for arg requirements.