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AN examination of various glands and organs from several strains of White Leghorn males, each bred at a different altitude but hatched and reared at one place, has indicated that strains may change physiologically in adapting to an altitude (Francis and Roberson, 1961). The fact there was a high embryonic mortality may have clouded the results. Buss (1956) first reported a high embryonic mortality between strains during hatching at high elevations. There is little data on physiological changes of chickens kept at various altitudes. Smith et al. (1959) found that poults grew normally, and that chickens could adapt and resume normal production at 3,049 meters (10,000 feet). However, at 3,811 meters (12,500 feet) mortality amounted to 84% the first year and growth was better than that of a comparable group at sea level. Death was attributed to chronic heart insufficiency. Smith et al. (1954), comparing mean relative weights of organs . . .

Eggs from White Leghorn lines selected for fast and slow hatching time were incubated at three locations differing in altitude: Lafayette, Indiana, 183 meters; Fort Collins, Colorado, 1524 meters; Laramie, Wyoming, 2183 meters. Five different time periods for incubation from 21 days to 25 days were observed. Significant differences were observed between lines and locations at each time period. The interactions between locations and lines were large for the short incubation times, but declined almost to nonsignificance by 25 days of incubation. The difference of 15 to 20 percent in hatchability between the low and high altitude locations at all incubation times suggests that some factors other than the time required for incubation are responsible for the lowered hatchability at high altitudes.

CHERNICK et al. (1948) have reported on the pancreatic enlargement in chicks fed raw soybean meal. Reviews on various aspects of this problem have since been made by Liener (1958), Cravens and Sipos (1958) and more recently Anonymous (1964). In a previous report from this laboratory (Arscott, 1963) the adverse effects on growth from feeding barley to chicks and the beneficial effects from the use of low levels of corn and/or amylolytic enzymes have been noted. This paper reports on the pancreatic enlargement observed concurrently with the feeding of high barley containing rations to chicks. PROCEDURE Duplicate lots of 12 day-old broiler-type chicks equalized for sex were raised to 4 weeks of age in batteries equipped with raised wire floors, continuous flow waterers and sub-floor electric heaters. In the first 3 experiments broiler chicks which were the result of mating White Vantress males with Nichols 108 females were used. In…