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Broilers aged 4, 5 and 6 weeks were selected from 8 commercial flocks which had been accidentally exposed to dieldrin in feeds. The birds were given a dieldrin-free ration and were reared to 10 weeks of age. Dieldrin residues in visceral fat were determined weekly. Results indicated that dieldrin residues are rapidly diluted in the growing chick with a half-time for dilution of approximately 12 days.

THE problem of describing both the quantity and availability of each essential amino acid in foodstuffs is presently limited by methodology. Many methods have been developed to investigate the quality of various proteins, as well as to determine the availability of amino acids contained within them (Bragg et al., 1969; Combs et al., 1968; Dean and Scott, 1966; Ford, 1962; Guttridge et al., 1961; Carpenter, 1960; Longenecker and Hause, 1959; Ousterhout et al., 1959; Denton and Elvehjem, 1954; and Block and Mitchell, 1947). However, none of these methods have been successfully used on sufficient samples and/or different types of proteins to investigate the availability of the total amino acids spectrum simultaneously. Consequently, reliable data describing the specific availability of essential amino acids in proteins is limiting and, for some amino acids, is not available. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the apparent digestibility of amino acids in…

(1953). Unidentified Factors for Poultry. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 93-96.

dl -Thioctic acid was added to two different purified and one practical chick ration and fed to chicks of three different genetic sources and from dams fed different diets without effect as measured by growth and feed efficiency.

SummaryVitamin B12-deficient chicks were fed vitamin B12-deficient basal diets supplemented with 0, 1 and 4% glycine in combination with 0, 3, and 30 μg of vitamin B12 (supplied by Merck's APF Supplement No. 3) per kilogram. The growth of the chicks that received either 1 or 4% added glycine in the vitamin B12-deficient basal diets was depressed. Those chicks which received 4% added glycine without vitamin B12 suffered excessive mortality. The addition of as little as 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 per kilo of diet overcame the inhibitory action of both levels of glycine. These results indicate that vitamin B12 functions in the metabolism of glycine.

SINCE the initial reports of Carlson et al. (1949), Menge et al. (1949) and Wiese et al. (1949) showing the need by the chick for an unidentified growth factor or factors, considerable effort has been directed toward the development and use of suitable chick assays. Much of this work has been reviewed by Menge et al. (1952), Branion and Hill (1953), Combs et al. (1954a), Lillie et al. (1953) and Pappenhagen et al. (1953). The observations reported in this paper were made in unidentified factor experiments conducted during a two-year period at this station. An effort has been made to determine some of the causes of variability encountered in our experimental assay. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old New Hampshire chicks of both sexes were employed in all experiments except experiment 6 in which New Hamp-shire × Silver Cornish crossbred males were used. 3 All New Hampshire chicks were the progeny of dams housed on …

IN STUDIES with poults, utilizing a washed Drackett protein-sucrose basal diet calculated to be adequate in known nutrients, a mixture of unidentified growth factor supplements was found to markedly improve growth and to be protective against a non-rachitic hock disorder of undetermined etiology (Supplee et al., 1956; Supplee, 1957). The ash of this mixture as well as the ash of corn distillers’ dried solubles was found to promote approximately one-half as great a growth response as the supplement mixture but failed to improve the hock condition. Tests of higher levels of various nutrients, including minerals, had not improved either growth or hock condition. O’Dell and Savage (1957) obtained an increase in growth with chicks upon adding 0.5% KCl and 0.01% ZnCO3 to a Drackett protein-cerelose diet containing 0.116% added potassium and 6.6 ppm. added zinc. The effects of KCl and ZnCO3 added singly were less clear. As the potassium content . . .

A previous report (Arscott and Combs, 1953) revealed that condensed fish solubles contain a factor necessary for normal hatchability in New Hampshire pullets fed a corn-wheat-soybean meal type ration containing adequate levels of known required nutrients. In an attempt to increase the severity of the dietary deficiency, an experimental diet, containing 93.5% oat groats, was used in this investigation. This diet (Table 1), fortified with added vitamins, minerals and dl -methionine, was expected to be quite deficient in the unidentified factor(s) normally found in animal products. Approximately 200 New Hampshire pullets were housed in pens equipped with raised wire floors. These pullets were fed a corn-wheat-soybean meal ration for the first half of a 12-week preliminary period, after which time the basal diet shown in Table 1 was used. On the basis of individual hatchability, fertility and egg production records obtained during the first half of this preliminary period, four comparable …

IT HAS been demonstrated during the past few years that turkeys require dietary zinc for growth and for bone and feather development. Studies with purified experimental diets have indicated that a level of approximately 60–65 ppm. zinc is required for optimum results (Supplee et al., 1958a; Kratzer et al., 1958; Scott, 1959). Although practical turkey rations cannot be expected to contain more than 45 ppm. adventitious zinc, few studies dealing with zinc supplementation have been reported. Slinger et al. (1956) reported that the addition of 50 ppm. zinc to rations containing 58 ppm. adventitious zinc resulted in a significant increase in the four week weight of male poults but tended to produce decreased female weight. When 25 ppm. of aureomycin was included in the ration, the general growth level was increased and supplementary zinc was without effect on the weight of either sex. In a four-week test conducted in …

SummaryAn operative technic for the removal of the yolk from day-old chicks has been described. This procedure was developed to render chicks relatively free of the nutrients transmitted through the yolk from the dam. Observations on the growth rate of deutectomized chicks as compared with that of unoperated controls show that the operation had little or no effect on growth when an adequately supplemented diet was supplied. The results of these trials demonstrate that vit. B12 or a substance possessing vit. B12 activity was present in the yolk of the day-old chick and that it was removed by deutectomy.

SEVERAL investigators have presented evidence which reveals that unidentified factors are required for growth of chicks and poults. Much of the work conducted with chicks has been reviewed by Combs (1951) and Menge et al. (1952). The latter workers also presented results which indicate that two distinct unidentified growth factors are required by chicks. One of these was present in certain liver preparations and dried brewers’ yeast, while the other was present in dried whey products. Studies with poults also reveal the presence of unidentified growth factors in fish meal (Combs and Shaffner, 1950; McGinnis et al., 1952; and Sizemore and Combs, unpublished), fish solubles (Patrick, 1951; and Atkinson and Couch, 1951), crab meal (Combs and Shaffner, 1950), dried brewers’ yeast (Combs and Shaffner, 1950; Scott, 1951; and Sizemore and Combs, unpublished), grass and alfalfa juice, distillers’ dried solubles, and skim milk (Scott, 1951), dried whey, butyl molasses solubles, butyl . . .

IT HAS been reported that continuous use of antibiotics for growth promotion of chicks resulted in a decrease in their effectiveness (Waibel et al., 1954; Libby and Schaible, 1955; Sherman et al., 1959). McGinnis et al. (1958) reported that erythromycin thiocyonate and oleandomycin phosphate improved growth of chicks while other antibiotics which had been used for several years failed to do so. Similarly, Wiese and Petersen (1959) observed that chicks responded much better to erythromycin and spontin than to penicillin. Heath and Bird (1962) on the other hand, found no long term changes in growth response of chicks to procaine penicillin or the tetracyclines during the period 1950 to 1961. Moreover, Creek and Schumaier (1960) obtained significant chick growth responses from oxytetracycline, penicillin, zinc bacitracin and oleandomycin as well as from erythromycin, spontin and tylosin. Teague (1962) also failed to demonstrate a consistent decrease in the effect of chlortetraclycine in…

TAYLOR (1947) reported that 12 micrograms of folic acid 4 per 100 grams of diet was an adequate level to support normal egg production in White Leghorn yearling hens fed a semi-purified diet. This amount, however, was not adequate for normal hatchability. Schweigert and associates (1948), in studies with White Leghorn pullets also fed a semi-purified diet, found that 42 micrograms of folic acid 4 per 100 grams of diet was adequate for normal egg production, hatchability, hemoglobin levels, and general appearance. Cravens and Halpin (1949), on the other hand, reported the folic acid requirement for normal hatchability in White Leghorn pullets to be approximately 50 to 100 micrograms per 100 grams of diet. These workers used a synthetic diet which did not favor intestinal synthesis of this vitamin. A level of 25 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams of ration was found to be adequate for normal egg production. Very . . .

THE use of estrogenic substances in turkeys has been reviewed by Lorenz (1953). Improvement in carcass finish through the administration of diethylstilbesterol or dienesterol diacetate to turkeys has been reported by Lorenz (1944), Almquist and Merritt (1952), Thayer and Davis (1948), Smyth and Vondell (1955), Adams (1956 Adams (1957), Miner et al. (1957), and Mountney et al. (1957). These investigators generally reported that rate of gain was also improved. In previous work at this station (Combs et al., 1958), dienesterol diacetate significantly improved growth rate of turkey fryers from 12 to 15 weeks of age. Combs and Romoser (1955), Donaldson et al. (1955, 1956), Robel et al. (1956), Rand et al. (1957), Spring and Wilkinson (1957), with chickens, and Scott et al. (1957), with ducklings, have noted that the body fat content is influenced by the Calorie-protein ratio of the diet. Donaldson et al. (1958) found this also to be true . . .

THE availability of vitamin B12 for use in experimental work following its isolation by Rickes and co-workers (1948) and Smith (1948), has made possible further progress in the study of unidentified dietary factors required for rapid growth of the chick and poult. Ott et al. (1948) found that under their experimental conditions crystalline vitamin B12 produced a growth response comparable with that obtained with various crude supplements of animal origin. Lillie et al. (1948) confirmed these observations and obtained a similar response from cow manure factor concentrates described by Rubin and Bird (1946). Nichol et al. (1949) also reported that vitamin B12 was as effective in promoting chick growth in their studies as condensed fish solubles or injectable liver preparations. Thus, much of the unexplained growth-stimulating activity obtained with materials primarily of animal origin can be attributed to their vitamin B12 content. It is extremely difficult, however, to explain entirely . . .

THE need for supplemental methionine in broiler rations has become more critical since soybean meal has been used to replace all or part of the animal protein supplements formerly used. The work of Bird and Mattingly (1945) Clandinin et al. (1946), Gerry et al. (1948), and Milligan et al. (1951) has shown that rations containing corn and soybean meal as the sole source of protein are improved with methionine supplementation. Results obtained by workers at the Dow Chemical Company (1951) have shown that the addition of dl -methionine to chick rations improved feed efficiency and had a variable effect on growth. Bird and Mattingly (1945) also demonstrated that the growth response obtained from the addition of 0.2% dl -methionine was slightly in excess of that obtained by the addition of 4% fish meal. The data obtained by Machlin et al. (1952) reveals that both vitamin B12 and methionine are necessary for maximum …

NUMEROUS investigators have clearly demonstrated that vitamin B12 is required by the chick for rapid growth (Ott et al., 1948; Lillie et al., 1948; and others). Nevertheless, the level of this vitamin required varies considerably with different experimental conditions. Ott (1951) found that chicks from dams fed an all-vegetable protein ration, required 27 micrograms of vitamin B12 per kilogram of diet. On the other hand, Davis and Briggs (1951) found that only 1.5 to 2 micrograms of vitamin B12 per kilogram of ration were required for optimum growth of chicks from dams maintained on built-up litter and fed a standard breeder ration containing animal protein. In addition, Norris et al. (1950) have observed that the vitamin B12 requirement of chicks is correlated with their vitamin B12 reserves at the time of hatching. They found that chicks from vitamin B12-depleted dams required 5 micrograms of vitamin B12 per kilogram of ration, . . .

INTRODUCTION A PART from the work of McWard and Scott (1961), there has been very little work published during the past 15 years on the sodium requirement of the young chick. There have, however, been studies to determine the sodium requirements of turkeys (Kumpost and Sullivan, 1966) and of pheasants and quail (Scott et al., 1960). McWard and Scott (1961) concluded from two studies that broiler strain chicks, maintained on wire floors and fed a glucose-isolated soybean protein diet, required 0.11% sodium for maximum growth. This sodium requirement was considerably lower than was found by Heuser (1952) and by Burns et al. (1953). Heuser (1952) reported that White Leghorn chicks, maintained on wire and fed a practical type diet which contained 0.247% sodium (by analysis), required the addition of 0.25 % sodium chloride for maximum growth. Thus, the results indicate a sodium requirement of approximately 0.35%. Burns et al. (1953)…

FOLLOWING the work of Menge et al. (1949), which showed that chicks require an unidentified growth factor in addition to vitamin B12 and other known nutrients, numerous similar observations have been reported. Most of these have been reviewed by Combs (1951), Menge et al. (1952), Briggs (1952) and Branion and Hill (1953). In a preliminary report, Arscott and Combs (1950) presented results which indicated that chicks fed a corn-soybean oil meal type ration responded to two different growth factors. One factor was present in fish meal; the other was supplied by butyl molasses fermentation solubles. Kohler and Graham (1951), and Couch et al. (1952) with chicks and Scott and Jensen (1952) with poults, have obtained similar evidence for two distinct factors. It also has been noted that certain orally administered antibiotics appear to spare the dietary requirement of the chick for unidentified growth factors (Groschke, 1950; Jones and Combs, 1951; …

BOTH methionine and choline are known to furnish labile methyl groups as well as assume independent essential roles in nutrition. The work of Klose and Almquist (1941), Gillis and Norris (1951), Jukes and Stockstad (1952), Stekol et al. (1953) and others has established the common role of these compounds as methyl donors Young, Norris and Heuser (1954), using vitamin B12 depleted chicks and a basal diet deficient in choline, methionine and vitamin B12, found supplementation with mono-methylaminoethanol, homocystine, and betaine, both in the presence and absence of vitamin B12, to be utilized as effectively as equimolar concentrations of dietary choline and methionine. In the absence of sufficient betaine to methylate adequately the precursors of choline or methionine, vitamin B12 improved the growth rate indicating that it is required in the synthesis of methyl groups in chicks, but not for transmethylation reactions. Choline is also known to be associated with fat…

SEVERAL reports concerning the need for unidentified growth factors by the poult have been referred to by Atkinson et al. (1955). Improved growth of poults was reported by Combs and Shaffner (1950) and Menge and Combs (1952) at this station when dried brewers’ yeast, fish meal, crab meal or liver concentrates were added to corn-soybean meal type rations. Scott and Jensen (1952) and Combs et al. (1954b), using refined experimental diets, obtained evidence which indicated that more than one unidentified growth factor is required by the poult. One of these, according to the latter group, is supplied by dried brewers’ yeast, dried whey products, dried molasses distillers’ solubles and certain fermentation products. The present study involves the addition of dried brewers’ yeast, dried whey, dried molasses distillers’ solubles, dried butyl fermentation solubles and two other fermentation products to practical type turkey broiler rations which contained animal protein supplements. PROCEDURE Three . . .

OLCESE et al. (1950), Olcese and Couch (1950), and Peeler et al. (1951), have presented evidence for an unidentified dietary essential required by the hen for normal hatchability of fertile eggs in addition to other known nutrients, including vitamin B12. Couch, Olcese, Sanders and Halick (1950) have reported the presence of this unidentified factor in liver fraction “L,” and to a lesser extent, in an APF concentrate fed alone or in combination with dried whey. A sample of fish solubles, however, failed to improve hatchability under their experimental conditions. On the other hand, Stephenson and Clower (1952) have recently obtained results which indicate that condensed fish solubles contain an unidentified hatchability factor. The data reported herein provide additional evidence for the presence of such an unidentified factor in condensed fish solubles. EXPERIMENTAL In an experiment originally designed to accurately determine the vitamin B12 requirement of New Hampshire pullets, approximately 200 …

NEWELL, Peterson, and Elvehjem (1947) reported that dried penicillin mycelium, produced under pilot plant conditions, could be successfully used as a supplement to soybean oil meal in chick rations. These workers found dried mycelium to be a good natural source of riboflavin and fed levels up to 20 percent of the ration with no harmful effects. No observations have been reported, however, on the use of penicillin mycelium produced under commercial conditions. Culton and Bird (1940) found that the addition of dried skimmilk to a riboflavin-low diet resulted in more rapid growth of chicks than was obtained by the addition of an equivalent amount of crystalline riboflavin. Other unpublished results 3 from this laboratory also show a slightly greater improvement in the growth of chicks when riboflavin was supplied in the form of a butyl fermentation residue than when crystalline riboflavin was fed. Since it has been shown by Bethke and . . .

INTRODUCTION GROWTH rate feed consumption, body composition and feathering of broiler chickens have been shown to be influenced by the ratio of energy to protein content of the ration (Baldini and Rosenberg, 1955; Combs and Romoser, 1955; Combs et al., 1955a, b; Donaldson et al., 1955, 1956; Leong et al., 1955; Matterson et al., 1955; Scott et al., 1955; and Sunde, 1956). More recently, similar observations have been made in studies with turkey rations. Lockhart and Thayer (1955) reported that poults grew best when fed a starting ration having a Calorie-protein ration4 of 29:1. Ferguson et al. (1956a) in dicated that the optimum Calorie-protein ratio for the turkey poult to eight weeks of age was between 25 and 31:1. In close agreement with this work is that of Atkinson et al. (1956) which indicates that up to eight weeks, the poult requires a protein level of 30 to 32% with . . .

TITUS (1929) and Heywang (1940) restricted the feed intake of White Leghorn hens and observed marked decreases in egg production. In contrast, Singsen et al. (1959) found that controlled feeding of heavy-type layers resulted in lower mortality and reduced obesity without affecting egg size or rate of egg production. When feed intake was controlled, 12.7 and 14.9% less feed was required per dozen eggs in two experiments as compared with ad libitum fed controls. The marked reduction in body weight increase (obesity) and corresponding reduction in mortality appeared to be a direct result of the reduced caloric intake. Weiss and Fisher (1957) also have reported increased mortality and an apparent derangement of fat metabolism in ad libitum fed White Leghorn hens receiving rations containing 5 to 10% animal fat. These workers observed excessive body fat deposits and friable fatty livers. Two experiments have been completed in this laboratory, in which …

SummaryChicks fed diets partially deficient in either Vit. A, pantothenic acid or riboflavin showed significantly lower agglutinin response to S. pullorum antigen as compared with controls. The weight of bursa, in relation to body weight, was less in chicks fed the vitamin-low diets, being significantly lower than that of controls only for the chicks fed the vitamin A-low diet. No significant differences were observed in thymus, spleen or adrenal weights. The results indicated that the dietary need for these nutrients is appreciably greater for optimum antibody production than the levels required for rapid growth.

SummaryPure cultures of E. coli and A. aerogenes were grown, lyophilized, and fed to chicks as dietary supplements both in the presence and in the absence of procaine penicillin G. Little or no chick growth response was obtained when either of these organisms were added to the ration in the absence of the antibiotic. Greater gains were obtained when 10 ppm procaine penicillin G were fed. When viable cultures of A. aerogenes and E. coli were fed in combination with penicillin, growth was further increased significantly. The effectiveness of the antibiotic in promoting chick growth was increased 64 and 80% when these organisms were added to the feed. The results obtained illustrate the influence of bacterial environment on the antibiotic growth effect and in nutritional studies.

SEVERAL early reports suggested a relationship between vitamin A adequacy of the diet and the chick’s resistance to coccidiosis. Murphy et al. (1938) found that the provision of adequate amounts of cod liver oil accelerated recovery from coccidiosis. Jungherr (1945) noted a relatively high association between the occurrence of vitamin A deficiency symptoms and cecal coccidiosis. Taylor and Russell (1946) also observed that when conditions were favorable for cecal coccidiosis, the severity of disease was enhanced in chickens receiving less than the minimum requirement of vitamin A. Davies (1952) noted that chickens suffering from natural infections of coccidiosis had lower storage of vitamin A per gram of liver than normal chickens fed the same diet. Schoop et al. (1954) reported that vitamin A deficiency reduces the resistance of chickens to coccidiosis. Erasmus et al. (1960) showed that, after infection with cultures containing both Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina oocysts, chicks…

PRODUCTIVE energy values (Fraps, 1946) have been widely used as a measure of the biological value of ingredients. Recently, Hill and Anderson (1958) and Potter (1958) have shown that the metabolizable energy value of a diet is more precisely measured than is the productive energy content. Most metabolizable energy values have been determined by replacing a standard ingredient or a portion of a standard ration with the test ingredient. Another method is to vary widely the amounts of all energy-producing ingredients and to solve for their separate metabolizable energy contents by the method of least squares, as described by Metta and Mitchell (1954) and Bernstein et al. (1956). Productive or net energy attempts to correct for heat increment, or that portion of the metabolizable energy expended for its utilization by the animal. The inclusion of fat in isocaloric rations has been reported by Forbes et al. (1946) to result in…

THE PROTEIN requirement of laying hens has been studied by many, and widely different apparent results have been obtained. The minimum protein level needed by laying hens, expressed as percent of ration, has been found to be from 12 to 14% by Graham (1934), MacDonald (1938), Miller et al. (1957), Thornton et al. (1957), Adams et al. (1958), and Mac-Intyre (1958); 16% by Heuser (1941); and from 17 to 18% by Reid et al. (1951), Ingram (1956), and Hochreich et al. (1957). Hill et al. (1956) found that 15% protein was adequate for 5 lb. Leghorns while up to 16.5% protein was needed for 4 lb. Leghorns maintained in heated pens. A protein-energy relationship affecting egg production was observed by Hochreich etal. (1957) and Berg and Bearse (1957). Hens fed a low energy, 14% protein ration supported a rate of lay comparable to that of hens fed a high energy …

Griminger et al. (1953a, b) and Hare et al. (1953) have reported the occurrence of hemorrhages and prolonged blood clotting time in battery-reared chicks fed simplified corn-soybean oil meal type rations containing no alfalfa meal or other source of supplemental vitamin K. Griminger et al. (1953b) found that the addition of 15 ppm. oxytetracycline (terramycin), or 50 ppm. 3-nitro-4-hydroxy-phenlarsonic acid significantly prolonged the blood clotting time. Para-amino-phenylarsonic acid (arsanilic acid), at a level of 100 ppm., also prolonged the clotting time, although not significantly. In view of the recent occurrence of hemorrhages in certain flocks reared under field conditions, and its possible relation to vitamin K deficiency, similar observations made in this laboratory are presented. Day-old, straight-run New Hampshire chicks, obtained from a commercial hatchery, were distributed into 9 groups of 15 chicks each and reared to 4 weeks of age in an electrically heated battery with raised wire floors… .

DRIED whey products have been reported to contain unidentified growth factor activity for growing chicks by Hill (1948), Menge et al. (1949, 1952), Reed et al. (1951), Groschke (1950) and Petersen et al. (1953). Casein whey may be produced without bacterial fermentation by the addition of mineral acids to the milk. On the other hand, the production of a cheddar cheese-type whey employs a fermentation involving a heavy mixed lactic culture. Furthermore, the handling of liquid whey during commercial operations ordinarily is conducive to some microbiological fermentation prior to drying. Since certain fermented products also have been shown to contain unidentified factor activity for chicks by McGinnis et al. (1953), Edwards et al. (1953) and Lewis et al. (1953), a study was conducted to determine whether or not the unidentified chick growth factor activity of whey products is contingent on the fermentation involved in their production. An acid precipitated casein …

LITTLE is known pertinent to the question whether or not fowl have a highly developed sense of taste. Englemann (1934) demonstrated that fowl could differentiate between such basic taste sensations as acidity, salinity, bitterness and sweetness. Kare et al. (1957) reported evidence which indicates that chickens are particularly sensitive to certain flavors. These investigators used solutions of 32 imitation flavors and essential oils and allowed the test chicks access to unflavored water and water which contained one of the test flavors. At the concentrations of flavors used (range 0.5–6 parts per 1,000), some of the flavors were preferred (imitation butter and butter cream); whereas others were rejected (strawberry, nutmeg and alfalfa). Oil of costus was almost totally rejected at a level of only 1 part per 5,000 parts of water. Similarly, oils of sandalwood and patchouly were also rejected. EXPERIMENTAL In order to determine if several flavors would influence . . .

THE use of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) analyses of the blood plasma of chicks as a quick method of determining the relative protein quality of fish meals was suggested from the work of Charkey et al. (1953) and Richardson et al. (1953) which indicated that the amino acid concentration of blood plasma of chicks was dependent upon the composition of the protein ingested. Anderson et al. (1951) demonstrated that the amino nitrogen of chick blood was increased due to feeding single amino acids and Hsu and Combs (1952) found that the addition of a single amino acid at a level of 4% to chick diets resulted in an increase in the level of non-protein nitrogen. It seemed logical, therefore, that the level of NPN in blood plasma might be an indication of the rate with which amino acids are absorbed from the intestine and that this rate might correlate with protein…

IN A previous report from this laboratory, tests were described in which the early growth of poults was improved when 0.3% KCl was added to a washed soy protein-sucrose type experimental diet containing 0.37% potassium, all but an insignificant amount of which was supplied as K2HPO4 (Supplee et al., 1958a). Subsequent tests using different levels of KCl supplementation indicated that at least 0.5% potassium was required in this diet for maximum poult growth (Supplee et al., 1958b). To determine more definitely the minimum adequate potassium level and also to eliminate the possibility that the growth responses which had been obtained were due to increases in chlorine level, further tests have been conducted in which different potassium levels were obtained by varying the K2HPO4 content of the diet rather than by adding KCl. The effect of NaCl content on response to potassium also has been investigated and comparative work has been …

(1952). Recent Findings in Poultry Nutrition. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 144-146.

Hens in broiler breeder flocks frequently become excessively fat with an accompanying decrease in egg production. These non-laying healthy appearing birds when autopsied are found to have very fatty and friable livers. This condition was characterized by Couch (1956) as the Fatty Liver Syndrome (FLS). A feed supplement of vitamin E, choline chloride, vitamin B12, whey, antibiotics, kelp, and inositol at various levels and combinations was fed for about 2 weeks with marked improvement frequently observed (Couch, 1968). The current experiment was designed to investigate the effect of continuous feeding of different levels of inositol and choline in a corn-soybean diet. EXPERIMENTAL Sixteen pens of 30 White Rock pullets each were reared on the floor using an ad libitum control diet, 2 ad libitum low lysine diets, and a control diet fed on a skip-a-day basis. When the pullets were 24 weeks old (September 19, 1968) 2 pens of each. . .

(1953). Are You Getting Good Feed Efficiency? World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 26-28.

YACOWITZ el al. (1957a) found that administration of 55 mgs. of Nystatin (Mycostatin) per kilogram of feed prevented the spread of crop mycosis (moniliasis) to chicks from controls dosed with Candida albicans cells. More recently, Nystatin has also been found to prevent crop mycosis in turkeys; and under certain conditions, growth responses have been obtained in both chickens and turkeys (Yacowitz, 1957). Also, combinations of Nystatin and chlortetracycline have been shown to prevent the growth of yeast and molds (Yacowitz et al., 1957b). An increase in the incidence of monilia infection in swine has been observed by Catron (1957) with continuous use of broad spectrum antibiotics, especially when fed at high levels. Nystatin has been effective in controlling this infection. Two experiments were conducted involving Maryland Medium White turkeys to determine the effect of Nystatin supplementation of practical-type starting and growing rations. The experiments were started in May and June . . .

Ackerson et al. (1940) and Bice and Dean (1942) reported that inorganic nitrogen supplied by urea was of no apparent value when added to low protein rations for chicks. Moreover, Slinger et al. (1952) recently have found that its value was not materially affected by the addition of procaine penicillin to chick rations. This paper presents results of a similar study with chicks fed supplemental nitrogen from various inorganic compounds. Two experiments were conducted with straight-run day-old New Hampshire chicks. In each experiment ten uniform groups of 20 chicks each were maintained in battery brooders with raised wire floors during a four-week period. The rations used are shown in Table 1. In Experiment 1, urea, ammonium citrate, and dibasic ammonium phosphate were added to the 17% protein basal ration as supplements. These compounds were added to a ration containing only 15 percent protein in Experiment 2. Urea and ammonium citrate …

PREVIOUS work in this laboratory indicated that a minimum of 0.6% potassium is required in purified poult diets to insure maximum early growth (Supplee and Combs, 1959). In contrast, Kratzer et al. (1958) failed to obtain a growth response from additional potassium with a purified diet estimated to contain not over 0.4% potassium. The diets used by the latter group contained an antibiotic while our diets did not. Because of previous reports indicating that the utilization of calcium (Migicovsky et al., 1951) and manganese (Pepper et al., 1953) are improved in the presence of an antibiotic, experiments were conducted to determine the effect of an antibiotic on the potassium requirement of poults. Diets were prepared to contain 0.35 to 0.6% potassium by varying the level of K2HPO4 in the diet shown in Table 1. These levels included 0.05% potassium from other dietary components as determined by analysis of several diets… .

Opinions vary as to the mode of action of vitamin E and selenium. Some argue that they act as nonspecific biological antioxidants. Others propose that the functions of the two substances are distinct and that vitamin E acts as a true vitamin in addition to functioning as a lipid-soluble antioxidant. Support for the "Biological Antioxidant Theory" is largely circumstantial. However, lipoperoxides have been detected in adipose tissues of vitamin E-deficient animals, and increased rates of in vitro peroxidation have been demonstrated in homogenates of several tissues of selenium and vitamin E-deficient animals. The basis of the antioxygenic role of selenium in these systems was elucidated by the discovery of Rotruck et al. (1973) that selenium is a component of rat erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase. Further studies in this laboratory have demonstrated the important role of glutathione peroxidase in protection against the vitamin E- and selenium-deficiency disease of chicks, exudative diathesis, which results from increased capillary permeability. Also shown were the activities of both dietary selenium and vitamin E in prevention of ascorbate-induced peroxidation in mitochondrial and microsomal preparations from chick liver. Recent results demonstrate that both selenium and vitamin E are required to protect hepatic mitochondria and microsomes from peroxidative degradation. Dietary requirements of the chick for both nutrients for this function have been determined: approximately 0.06 ppm selenium in the presence of adequate vitamin E; 30-50 IU vitamin E per kg in the presence of adequate selenium.