Amino acid digestibility and metabolisable energy of spring and winter faba beans grown on two sites and effects of dehulling in caecectomised laying hens

BACKGROUND The variation in amino acid (AA) digestibility and metabolisable energy (MEN) in four spring and four winter faba bean genotypes differing in vicine/convicine (V/C) concentrations grown on two sites was investigated in caecectomised LSL‐Classic laying hens. Effects of dehulling one faba bean genotype were also examined. Diets containing one out of 17 faba bean variants each and a basal diet were fed to ten caecectomised laying hens in a row‐column design to achieve five replicates per diet. RESULTS Ranges and levels of digestibility of the hulled variants differed widely among AA with the lowest and highest range determined for Arg (90–93%) and Cys (−12–65%), respectively. MEN ranged between 10.3 and 12.3 MJ kg−1 dry matter. Lower MEN and digestibility of Cys, Glx, Phe, Pro, Tyr, and Val (P