Interactive effects of calcium, vitamin D3, and exogenous phytase on phosphorus utilization in male broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days post-hatch: A meta-analysis approach

Provision of appropriate dietary phosphorus (P) content considering environmental and economic aspects has been challenging for poultry nutritionists during the last decades. For this reason, many studies have focused on factors affecting P utilization in broiler chickens, such as calcium (Ca), cholecalciferol (vitamin D3; VD), and exogenous phytase (EP), but their results have sometimes been accompanied by inconsistencies. Therefore, comprehensive knowledge of the factors affecting P utilization and their interactions is required to draw conclusions from the available results. For this purpose, a meta-analysis was conducted using 79 studies including 719 experimental treatments published between 2011 and 2021, which considered the effects of Ca, EP, and VD on P utilization in male broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days post-hatch. The collected data were fitted well to a mixed model for average daily gain (ADG; R2 = 0.941), average daily feed intake (ADFI; R2 = 0.956), feed conversion ratio (FCR; R2 = 0.989), and tibia ash (TA) content (R2 = 0.984). Linear and quadratic effects of dietary non-phytate P (NPP) content on ADG, ADFI, FCR, and TA content were observed (P