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The effects of testosterone propionate (TP) on body weight, tissue percentages of body weight, serum IgM, and rectal temperature (2 h postinjection) of male and female broiler chickens were investigated at 28 and 48 days posthatching. Testosterone propionate was dissolved in sesame oil and was injected at 2 mg/kg of body weight every other day, and controls were treated with sesame oil at similar volume, starting Day 7 posthatching. Administration of TP reduced (P < .05) body weight and percentages of liver, testes, and bursa of Fabricius at 28 and 48 days of age. At 28 and 48 days of age, muscle percentage and comb growth of TP-treated birds increased (P < .05) but ovarian weight was unaffected. Concentrations of IgM in serum of TP-injected birds was unchanged at Day 28, but increased (P < .05) at Day 48. Testosterone propionate did not affect percentages of bone or abdominal fat in either sex. Rectal temperature was depressed (P < .05) by TP treatment in both sexes at both ages.

The effects of zinc methionine product (ZP) supplementation to Single Comb White Leghorn hens on egg production and quality were measured through three consecutive egg laying cycles. During the first and second lay cycles, ZP had minor or nonsignificant effects upon hen performance. During the third lay cycle, a low dietary Ca (.3% Ca) stress of 1 mo duration was encountered. During this low-Ca stress period, hens fed 1 g ZP/kg produced the greatest number of eggs (P less than .05), and during recovery from that low-Ca stress, the hens receiving 2 g ZP/kg produced the most eggs (P less than .05). The ZP appeared to help hens maintain egg size throughout this stress period. The present results indicate that ZP was beneficial to hens during low-Ca stress and during the recovery period following that stress.

Two trials were conducted, each one using 240 Chinese Ringneck pheasant-breeder hens (Phasianus colchicus torquatus) to determine the effects of feeding various levels of brewers' dried grains (BDG) on egg production, fertility, hatchability, and feed consumption. The birds were subjected to natural daylight. Data were collected for 16 wk of egg production (April 1 through July 31). Each of four diets containing 0, 15, 30, or 45% BDG was fed to three pens (19 females and 1 male per pen), beginning 1 wk prior to the onset of lay. The eggs were collected twice daily and were stored at 13 C and were set in incubators every 14 days. The eggs were candled on Day 21 of incubation to determine the number of infertile eggs and dead embryos. The hatch was removed on Day 25. The egg production and fertility from BDG-fed hens did not differ from those of the control hens. The hatchability of fertile eggs was higher (P less than .05) from hens fed diets containing 30 and 45% BDG than from hens fed the control diet. The inclusion of BDG in the diets of pheasant-breeder hens had a favorable influence on the hatchability of eggs.

A diet containing 11.5% (dry matter basis) of a moderately high Cd sewage sludge was fed to six Hereford steers for 106 days to simulate a high sludge intake from sludge-amended soils. At a mean live weight of 460 kg, the steers were slaughtered and liver, kidney, bone, muscle, lung, brain and spleen tissues were collected for heavy metal determinations; tissues were also collected at this time from six control steers fed the same diet with no sludge. The sludge-fed cattle consumed an average of 8.95 kg of diet dry matter/day and gained 1.13 kg/day. This feed intake was slightly higher, but the gain lower than that of control cattle. All gains were equal to those expected from intake of non-sludge diet components. This indicated that the sludge had approximately zero energy value and was acting as a dietary diluent. The sludge metal content (ppm, dry basis) was: Cd, 98; Hg, 18; Pb, 466; Cu, 1,733, and Zn, 1,733. Addition of sludge increased metal contents of the feedlot diet to 30 to 100 times that of the control. Retention of heavy metals in the total animal from sludge ingestion averaged .09%, .06% and .3% for Cd, Hg and Pb; no retention was noted from Cu and Zn. These low fractional retentions increased tissue Cd, Hg and Pb concentrations of liver and kidney tissues by five to 20-fold. Estimates of levels that would enter the human diet from average beef tissue consumption if all feedlot steers were fed sludge are presented for Cd, Hg and Pb. The data indicate that cattle are a moderately effective screen against the entry of these potentially toxic metals into the human diet.

Protein requirements of young smallmouth and largemouth bass reared near ideal water temperatures were estimated as an initial step in quantifying specific nutrients essential to these fishes. Test fish were conditioned to accept pelleted rations, reared in small circular tanks and fed all they would easily consume at each feeding. Six levels of dietary protein were evaluated and gross energy of test diets ranged from 4,219 to 4,793 kcal per kilogram dry diet. Almquist-type plots were used to identify minimum protein requirements and maximum rates of growth. Minimum protein requirements of age 0 and 1 smallmouth bass were 45.3 and 45.2% of the dry diet and maximum rates of growth were 2.85 and 0.99% per day. In age 0 and 1 largemouth bass minimum protein requirements were not greater than 39.9 and 40.8% of the dry diet and maximum rates of growth were 2.36 and 0.76% per day. Protein utilization was measured in age 0 smallmouth and largemouth bass and dietary efficiency was measured in each group of bass. These statistics corroborate the estimated minimum protein requirements.

Seven hundred parts per million cadmium (Cd) added to a commercial-type ration increased the size of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and gizzard lining relative to body weight over corresponding measurements in control chickens on the same diet with no cadmium added. Differences in organ color, muscle tonus, cadmium concentration, and zinc concentration were also noted. Elevating the level of cadmium in the diet of 14-34 day old male Leghorn chicks decreased weight gain and feed consumption. More than 400 p.p.m. cadmium in the commercial-type of diet was very toxic. The LD/sub 50/ for two week old Leghorn chicks was calculated to be approximately 565 p.p.m. dietary cadmium under the conditions of this experiment. 9 references, 3 tables.

Cows and young steers were fed a diet containing 0 and 12% anaerobically digested Ft. Collins sewage sludge for 9 months, followed by a 4-month withdrawal period during which no sludge was fed. Analyses of liver samples taken at intervals throughout the study showed that uptake of Cd, Cu, and Pb was linear with time. Cadmium increased from approximately 1 to about 20 ppm (dry wt) during the 9-month sludge ingestion period. Lead and copper increased in liver tissues during the ingestion period; however, both decreased in a linear pattern after sludge was removed from the diet. There was no significant decrease of Cd levels in liver during the sludge withdrawal period. Zinc and iron levels in liver tissues were not affected by the sludge ingestion. Cadmium levels in kidney increased from approximately 5 ppm to approximately 55 ppm during the sludge ingestion period, with no significant decrease after sludge was removed from the diet. Lead and zinc concentrations in kidney increased during the sludge ingestion period, whereas Fe and Cu levels were not affected. Muscle tissues from cows and steers showed a slight, but significant, Cd increase during the sludge ingestion period. Cows showed no decrease in muscle Cd levels after the sludge withdrawal period, whereas muscle Cd concentrations of steers significantly decreased. The amount of sludge consumed by cattle during the course of this study was extreme, and would not occur under normal agricultural practices; however, even though large quantities of sludge were consumed, there were no apparent ill effects on animal health or performance.

Cattle grazing a sewage sludge disposal site were examined to determine whether, and to what extent, contamination of tissues had occurred as a result of exposure to sewage sludge. The heavy metal and persistent organics content of kidney, liver, muscle, and bone tissues from cattle grazing a sewage sludge disposal site were compared with tissues of cattle from a nearby control ranch. Tissues were analyzed for As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn, and 22 persistent organics. The sludge-exposed cattle had an average kidney-Cd content of 16 mg/kg (dry weight), which was significantly higher than the 4 mg/kg found in the control herd, but was not above a range that would be expected from older range cattle. There were no other tissue differences between the two groups with respect to Cd. The average liver-Cu concentration (4.6 mg/kg) of the sludge-exposed cattle was significantly lower than that of the controls (19 mg/kg); however, both groups of animals displayed liver-Cu concentrations that were considerably lower than levels previously considered normal. Mean kidney-Hg and liver-Se concentrations were significantly higher in the control cattle than in the sludge-exposed cows. Kidney-Zn concentrations of the sludge-exposed cattle were significantly higher than those of the controls, but the magnitude of the differences was small. Differences between the two groups of animals in relation to Hg and Se were small, and it is doubtful that any real biological significance can be assigned to these differences. Fat was the only tissue that contained detectable levels of 22 persistent organics. The only significant difference observed was alpha-BHC (hexachlorocylohexane, alpha); the control herd averaged 30 µg/kg (wet weight), whereas the sludge-exposed cattle averaged 10 µg/kg.

INTRODUCTION IT IS known that biotin is essential for reproduction and normal embryonic development in avian species (Cravens et al, 1942Cravens et al, 1944). Couch et al. (1948a) placed chicken hens on a low biotin diet and found that hatchability was reduced to zero by the end of the sixth week. The biotin content of deficient eggs was 28 p.p.b. of yolk and 2 p.p.b. for egg white on a wet weight basis. In another experiment, Couch et al. (1948b) demonstrated a failure of embryonic development when the yolk contained SO p.p.b. of biotin. Normal embryonic growth and development were supported by 150 p.p.b. of biotin. In recent studies, Jensen (1967) reported that egg production and hatchability were improved by biotin supplementation in diets of turkey breeder hens. The studies reported herein were conducted to determine the effect of supplemental biotin on reproductive performance of turkey breeder hens and to determine the…

A HIGH rate of poult mortality during the first week of brooding has been ascribed frequently to a condition of starvation. Many times the rate of poult mortality due to “starve outs” appears to be directly correlated with delays in shipping or other stress. These stress factors may appear between the time the poult is hatched and the time it is presented with its first opportunity to eat. Studies by Harper and Babcock (1953) demonstrated that the inclusion of penicillin in a poult starter diet decreased mortality from nonspecific causes and had a growth promoting effect. Penicillin in the diet appeared to be more effective than oral injection of penicillin in these studies. Early growth of chickens was improved when they were injected with vitamins during the first two weeks after hatching in a study reported by Jensen et al. (1956). The subcutaneous injection of penicillin plus certain B-complex vitamins…

Hens fed zinc-deficient (10 ppm Zn) and zinc-supplemented (70 ppm) diets for 5 months were given zinc 65 intramuscularly, and fecal and egg radioactivity was followed for 70 days before the hens were sacrificed. Egg yolks accounted for nearly all of the total egg radioactivity. The low-zinc diet reduced fecal isotope loss to 60% of that observed for the high-zinc diet Fecal and egg-yolk excretion patterns of zinc 65 suggested that the pool of rapidly turning-over zinc which is the precursor for egg and fecal zinc was smaller and had a shorter turnover time in the zinc-deficient hens However, the size of the total body zinc pool was little affected by diet At 70 days after injection, zinc-deficient hens had about 30% as much radioactivity per unit of bone but about 150% as much radioactivity per unit of soft tissue as did the zinc-supplemented hens. These differences in zinc 65 distribution were of the same magnitude when expressed as counts per minute per milligram zinc.

In order to determine the availability of calcium in limestone processed by a new method, nine hundred day-old male poults were fed diets with varying calcium sources, levels and finenesses (mesh) for twenty-one days. Growth rate and feed efficiency were the criteria used to evaluate the availability of calcium among treatments. Reductions in the percent calcium in the diet produced significant decreases in gain with the coarser grinds of limestone. The birds showing greatest gain were on the 103 mesh (the particles were no larger than 1/1000th of an inch in diameter) at 1.30% calcium level. At the 0.80% and 0.60% calcium levels the poults on the Colorado Lien diets exhibited reduced growth compared to the poults receiving smaller particles; indicating that a reduction in particle size increased calcium availability at these lower dietary calcium levels. It was a general trend with the turkeys on the “mesh” diets that as the dietary calcium level dropped, the feed efficiency also dropped; however, this trend was not followed by the Colorado Lien poults and the CaCO3 birds. The most efficient poults in this experiment were the ones on the 102 mesh diet and the 102 mesh diet at the 1.30% calcium level. The least efficient were on the 102 mesh diet at 0.60% calcium level. In summary it can be stated that the finer grinds of limestone: 1) increased the availability of calcium to the poult, 2) increased the efficiency of the bird at low dietary calcium levels, and 3) produced better weight gains at low diet calcium levels. The coarser grinds increased weight gains and efficiencies at the highest calcium level. It was concluded that fine particle size in a limestone product increased dietary calcium availability to poults and probably reduced the amount of limestone needed in a poult’s diet.

Diets containing 16% protein and 3143 kcal ME/kgin which total diet was replaced by 0, 2.4, 4.8, or 9.1% (by weight) sodium bentonite (SB) were fed to White Pekin ducklings from 0 to 7 weeks of age. At 7 weeks duckling weights of the treatment groups were not significantly different from controls. Feed efficiency was significantly decreased only in the group fed 9.1% SB. The SB was nutritionally equivalent to half an equal weight of control diet when fed as 4.8% of the diet.

INTRODUCTION EARLY poult mortality has been a major concern of the turkey industry. When birds fail to eat, the deaths are due to starvation (starveouts). Prefeeding has been studied and recommended by others (Jensen et al., 1956; Moreng and Settle, 1967; Moreng et al., 1970; and Waldroup and Harris, 1969); however, these studies have not included food slurries made from turkey starter types of diets. The objective of this research was to observe the effect on poult performance when newly hatched poults were given an oral dose of an excellent diet as a slurry mixed with water. Performance from the food slurry treatment was compared to that from oral injection of an antibiotic-vitamin-sugar mixture (AVSM) solution. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment included four treatments: 1. an uninjected control 2. oral injection of the food slurry (see Table 1) 3. oral injection of antibiotic-vitamin-sugar mixture (AVSM) (Table 2) 4. oral injection…

To determine the effect of various acids in the diet of chicks, several levels of HNO3, HCl, H2 SO4, and H3 PO4 were fed to mixed sex Indian River broiler chicks. The birds accepted the diets containing up to 0.27M HNO3 (16,500 p.p.m. nitrate) without a significant weight loss; higher levels of nitric acid created reduced weight gain, severe death loss, diarrhea, and evidence of dehydration. The birds responded well to 0.1 M levels of the other three acids, but 0.2 M levels reduced the gain/feed value and weight gain. It may be concluded that up to 0.1 M levels of HCl, HNO3, H2 SO4, and H3 PO4 can be added to a corn-soybean meal type of diet with no apparent detrimental effect to the broiler-type chick.

Day-old male broiler chicks were fed a broiler ration for five weeks to which was added one of the following levels of dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate; 0; 2,000; 4,000; 8,000; 16,000; 32,000, and 64,000 I.U./kg. The chicks fed diets containing 4,000 I.U./kg. or more of vitamin E showed decreased pigmentation in their beaks, feet and shanks, and liver as a percent of body weight was significantly increased. Feeding at least 8,000 I.U./kg of the vitamin significantly reduced chick body weight and resulted in waxy appearing feathers. Dietary inclusion of 16,000 I.U./kg. or more of vitamin E significantly increased feather, spleen, liver, and plasma vitamin E content.

Four isocaloric diets containing 4, 8, 12 and 16% dietary fat (as soybean oil) were fed to four horses at four intervals according to a Latin square design. After 3 weeks of conditioning at each interval, diet effects were evaluated by trotting all horses at 3.2 m/sec for 6 hours. Pre- and posttrotting responses were measured in muscle and liver glycogen, serum long-chain fatty acids, serum electrolytes, serum enzymes, serum cholesterol, plasma glucose, packed cell volume and hemoglobin. Dietary fat was highly correlated with exercise-induced plasma glucose changes and with cholesterol concentrations. Regardless of the diet, linoleate concentration was about eight times higher than that of the other fatty acids, and it increased slightly as dietary fat levels increased. Stearate concentration also increased with increasing dietary fat but palmitic and oleic acid decreased. Increases in fat intake also resulted in slight increases in liver glycogen at the resting level. Conditioning resulted in a significant decrease in exercise-induced fluctuations of serum enzymes and electrolytes but significantly increased elevations of plasma long-chain fatty acid concentrations. Resting muscle glycogen increased by 37% during the study as a result of conditioning, but there was no effect on liver glycogen at rest or after exercise. Feeding of the four levels of dietary fat in the form of soybean oil had no adverse effects and proved a safe and efficient method of providing concentrated energy to working horses.

Diets containing 20% of air-dried anaerobically digested Fort Collins sewage sludge were fed to broiler chicks. The diets were balanced in protein and had the same vitamin and mineral supplement. The sludge diets containing approximately 2,500 ME kcal/kg compared to 3,000 ME kcal/kg in the control feed. Birds gained less body weight on sludge diets and liver vitamin A levels were reduced. Extrusion of cord-sludge mixture prior to diet formulations made the diet much poorer for supporting growth, reduced feed efficiency, and lowered liver vitamin A levels. It was concluded that ingestion of the sewage sludge impaired the utilization of vitamin A from the diet.

Two different levels of dehydrated Kentucky bluegrass and dehydrated alfalfa were fed to broiler chicks from 0–4 weeks of age. It was concluded that the chicks fed on a corn-soybean meal diet with the substitutions of dehydrated Kentucky bluegrass, at either the 9 or 20 percent levels of diet, had better growth rates than chicks fed similar levels of dehydrated alfalfa.