The performance, digestibility and retention of nutrients and the development of digestive organs of broiler chicks in pre-starter diet (1 to 7 days old) fed diets with different levels of digestible lysine and arginine. A total of 352 day old AgRoss male chicks was allotted to 2 x 3 factorial arrangement (level of digestible lysine [1.056 and 1.305%] and levels of digestible arginine [1.305, 1.459 and 1.613%] and four replicates of 11 chicks. Daily weight gain was not affected by diets but there was a quadratic effect of arginine levels on feed:gain ratio from 1 to 7 and from 1 to 21 days old and linear effect on feed intake from 1 to 21 days old. As for organs development, it was observed a reduction for the relative weight of proventriculus + gizzard as arginine level increased for the 1.305% digestible lysine level at 14 days of age The digestibility coefficients of nutrients and retention of DM and d N values were better for the low digestible lysine levels. The levels from 1.40 to 1.46 of digestible arginine could be used for pre-starter phase diets of broiler chicks, however as lysine content increase in the diet its relation with arginine should be adjusted.
