Search

Moderately pigmented yolks were diluted with pigment-free yolks to provide a wide range of samples with which to compare standard beta carotene equivalents with excitation purity and luminous reflectance values obtained with a reflectance calorimeter. Pigmented yolks were also mixed with a white diluent for reflectance colorimetric comparisons. Correlation coefficients of beta carotene equivalents with excitation purity and luminous reflectance values were +0.906 and −0.874, respectively. The regression line for luminous reflectance was linear and for excitation purity was curvilinear. The white diluent (1:l ratio) resulted in significant reduction of the tendency of excitation purity to plateau for deeply pigmented yolks.

Broilers grown at three different locations were evaluated with a reflectance colorimeter to determine the effects of robenidine (30 g./ton of feed) and roxarsone (45 g./ton of feed), fed individually and in combination, on shank and skin pigmentation. Sampling consisted of the shanks of birds grown in Missouri and the shanks and skin of birds grown in Georgia and at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Robenidine produced significant increases in pigmentation of broiler shanks and skin (both over and between the ventral feather tracts). Roxarsone alone resulted in a slight increase in shank pigmentation but none in the skin; however, when roxarsone was used in combination with robenidine the birds were better pigmented than those receiving robenidine alone. Females were generally more highly pigmented than the males; this was especially true of the area of the skin over the feather tract.

Two series of experiments were conducted to study the effect of Flavomycin and 3-Nitro-10 on broiler pigmentation in the presence of two different coccidiostats. Monensin was used in all diets in the first series and zoalene in the second series. Flavomycin was included in the feed at 0, 1, 2 and 4 mg./kg. and 3-Nitro-10 was added at levels of 0, 25.0, 37.5, and 50.0 mg./kg. The broilers were grown in the states of Mississippi, Colorado, Arkansas and Florida. Shank pigmentation evaluations were made with a reflectance colorimeter to obtain values for dominant wavelength (DWL), excitation purity (EP) and luminosity. These measurements characterize the shank color in terms of hue, intensity and brightness, respectively. In one series (Monensin) the addition of Flavomycin to the diet resulted in significantly improving shank EP in Exp. 2 and numerically improving it in Exp. 1. No response was obtained in the third and there was a slight decrease in the fourth which may have been due to a significant Flavomycin × 3-Nitro-10 interaction. In the other series (Zoalene) the addition of 3-Nitro-10 resulted in significantly improving shank EP in all four experiments. It did not affect DWL. These responses in shank EP appear to be independent of the response in growth or feed efficiency. The addition of Flavomycin to the diet resulted in significantly, increasing shank EP and DWL in two of four experiments and a numerical increase was obtained in the other two. Again, these responses appeared to be independent of the growth and feed efficiency responses.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate shank pigmentation from different strains and crosses of broilers or broiler crosses. In Experiment 1, shanks from 11 strains and crosses of broilers were obtained from a commercial broiler breeder and thus shank pigmentation was evaluated. In Experiment 2, day-old chicks were obtained from eight different crosses resulting from two male lines and four female lines. Pigmentation evaluations were made with a reflectance colorimeter. Significant differences in shank pigmentation exist among different strains and crosses of broilers in dominant wavelength and excitation purity. Based on previous data, it is estimated that the strain with the least amount of pigmentation would require approximately 4.1 grams more xanthophyll per ton to have pigmentation equal to the strain with the highest pigmentation. Results of the second study indicated that broilers from one male line had significantly better pigmentation than broiler chicks from the second male line. This indicates that the degree of pigmentation is a heritable characteristic.

Pigment-depleted caged egg-type hens were fed 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg. of xanthophyll per kg. of feed; the xanthophyll levels were obtained from various combinations of white corn, yellow corn, alfalfa meal and corn gluten meal. Beta-apo-8′-carotenal, at the same dietary levels, was used as a standard. Eggs were collected at weekly intervals for six weeks and analyses made one week after the last collection. All eggs were graded, on the basis of yolk shadow only, by a Federal-State grader. Haugh units were then determined and the yolk color evaluated with a reflectance colorimeter. Candled quality was negatively correlated with yolk hue (dominant wavelength) and intensity (excitation purity). Alfalfa had an average biological availability value of 57.4% and produced yolks with dominant wavelengths and intensities lower than that produced by yellow corn which had a biological availability of 75.5%. Corn gluten meal resulted in the lowest candled grade and had an availability value of 107.9%; this high value apparently was the result of a low egg production rate. Combinations of alfalfa and yellow corn had an average availability value of 71.3%. In a second study (two-week feeding period) biological availability values were similar to those of the first study for alfalfa and yellow corn and averaged 64.2% for corn gluten meal.

INTRODUCTION FLAVOR has been defined as the stimuli given by the sample to the taster’s receptors both oral and nasal when the sample is consumed orally (Pippin et al., 1954). As the broiler industry expands and the competition with other meat products becomes keener, the flavor of poultry meat should not be left unconsidered. The literature, however, contains little work on this subject. In early work, Maw (1935) reported that corn-fed birds were more flavorful than those fed barley, oats, or wheat. Lewis (1955) found that 10 percent dried chicken feces added to an all vegetable ration significantly improved the flavor score of broilers. Weisburg (1956) determined that the broth from the broilers fed dairy products was more flavorful, and the meat more flavorful and more tender than that of the controls. Pippin et al. (1954) reported that chicken fat was a minor source of flavor in poultry, but that . . .

FRANCIS and Shaffner (1956) stated that “today the poultryman is faced with a never-ending list of drugs that are placed at his disposal for treating or preventing various poultry diseases.” It is readily apparent that this statement is even more applicable ten years later than at the time it was made. In addition to considerations of drug effectiveness, cost and the use of alternative means, the egg producer must evaluate possible detrimental effects on production rate, residuals, and egg quality characteristics. The hatcheryman is further concerned with effects on fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs. Sulfaquinoxaline continuously fed at the 0.033% level was reported by Smith et al. (1952) to result in small but non-significant decreases in production, fertility and hatchability. Neither furazolidone nor nitrofurazone affected egg production, fertility or hatchability in a study by Francis and Shaffner (1956). Stiles (1962) found that furazolidone had no significant effect on fertility …

A synthetic pigment, beta-apo-8′-carotenoic acid ethyl ester, was evaluated as a standard from which xanthophyll utilization by broilers could be determined for various feed ingredients. The ingredients tested were yellow corn, alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal, kenaf meal, marigold meal and canthaxanthin. Xanthophyll utilization from each ingredient was determined by comparison with standard curves developed for beta-apo-8′-carotenoic acid ethyl ester at levels of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 grams per ton of feed. Pigmentation measurement of both skin and shanks was accomplished using visual scoring systems and a reflectance colorimeter. It was concluded that beta-apo-8′-carotenoic acid ethyl ester could be used effectively as a standard in xanthophyll utilization studies. Both visual scoring and instrumental determinations of pigmentation appeared to be efficient in determining the xanthophyll utilization values.

INTRODUCTION RECENTLY increased turkey production has resulted in the development of products such as turkey rolls. The palatability of roasted dark-and-light-meat turkey rolls was reported by Augustine et al. (1962) as similar in desirability to that of roasted whole turkeys. Turkey rolls offer advantages of lower transport costs, less storage space, shorter cooking time, lower cooking and serving losses, better portion control, and lower cost per serving than whole turkeys (Joule, 1957). Methods that will reduce cooking losses and time are of interest to commercial processors. Several workers (Griswold, 1955; Hood et al., 1955) have noted shorter cooking times, but similar or slightly greater cooking losses, for braised than for roasted beef cuts. Metal skewers, which are better conductors of heat than muscle fiber, help reduce cooking time by increasing the rate of heat penetration. Both cooking time and cooking losses have been reduced by using metal skewers in roasting…

JOHNSON and Merritt (1955) suggested that, to be economically sound, selection for improved egg quality should have no adverse effects on the egg producing ability of the strain. The reverse is likewise true; yet these two criteria have received major emphasis in both the breeding and advertising of commerical strains of hens. It has been well confirmed that negative genetic correlations exist between albumen quality and egg production (Goodman and Godfrey, 1955; Johnson and Merritt, 1955; and King et al., 1961). This appears to be verified in the industry as it is accepted that there are strain differences in rate of production and in egg quality. A strain that is lower than average in one criterion tends to be higher than average in the other. A recent important area of research is that of the relationship of initial interior quality to the rate of quality decline during storage. Also important…

INTRODUCTION THE further processing of ready-to-cook turkeys is rapidly expanding, resulting in the need for more specific information on the yield of parts. Since previous work has indicated that yield of parts may differ between strains, it is possible that processors may soon be selecting turkeys by strain for further processsing and whole bird merchandising. Another problem that exists in the further processing field is that roll composition is not definitely established. Therefore, formulae for predicting composition of turkey rolls of different sizes would be of considerable value to the industry as a whole. A review by Fry et al. (1962) indicated the wide variation in yield of parts reported in earlier papers was due to differences in procedure in cutting and in methods of calculating percentages. Fry et al. (1962) determined yield of parts from turkeys of different commercial strains and reported average breast yields of 32.5% for males …

Two experiments were conducted to determine the importance of xanthophyll in the diet of growing egg-type pullets. The experiments were designed so that both the rate of xanthophyll depletion from the body and the amount of xanthophyll deposited in the yolk from feed sources could be determined. Pullet chicks were fed diets varying in xanthophyll content during the growing period. Birds fed a diet containing yellow corn and alfalfa were placed on a xanthophyll-free diet at sexual maturity. Birds grown on a xanthophyll-free diet were placed on a layer diet containing yellow corn and alfalfa either at 20 weeks of age or at the time of sexual maturity of the individual bird. Rate of depletion of yolk xanthophyll of birds placed on a xanthophyll-free layer diet at 24 weeks of age was most rapid during the first nine days of the experiment. Birds placed on a diet containing yellow corn and alfalfa at 20 weeks of age, after being grown on a xanthophyll-free diet, produced commercially acceptable eggs at sexual maturity. Those placed on the yellow corn-alfalfa diet at sexual maturity produced yolks essentially equivalent to those of the controls by the time they reached 30 weeks of age.

CONSIDERABLE data have been accumulated concerning the value of fish meal as an ingredient for broiler diets. The literature concerning the use of fish meal has been extensively reviewed by Menge et al. (1952), Branion and Hill (1953), Rasmussen et al. (1957), and Harms et al. (1961). In commercial broiler diets, the amount of fish meal is usually limited due to the possibility of producing off-flavors in the meat. This problem is reviewed in the following paper by Fry et al. (1965). In certain areas or countries where large amounts of fish meal are produced, it may be economically feasible to use fish meal as the major protein supplement in the diet of broiler chicks. The purpose of the studies reported herein was to determine the response in growth and feed efficiency of broilers as a result of a replacement of part or all of the soybean meal in the…

THE interior quality of an egg is at its maximum at the time it is laid. This quality cannot be improved, as deterioration begins immediately. Deterioration will continue at a rate which is dependent upon several factors, two of the most important being time and temperature. Other factors contributing to the rate of quality deterioration include management and handling practices. In a study of the egg quality on thirty-eight poultry ranches in California, Lorenz and Newlon (1944) could show no significant effect on albumen height, of number of egg collections per day, use of ventilated baskets, or casing at once vs. first cooling for several hours in baskets. Egg room temperatures and frequency of delivery to market were found to be the important factors affecting egg quality. In trials conducted by Dawson and Hall (1954), the container in which eggs were gathered, cooled, or held for six days did not …

Hens previously depleted of pigment were fed a white corn basal diet containing 11, 22, 44 and 66 mg./kg. of feed of either beta-apo-8′-carotenal (a yellow pigment) or canthaxanthin (a red pigment). Additional birds were maintained on the basal without added pigments. Seven collections of eggs were made at seven-day intervals beginning after the birds had received the experimental feed for 14 days. All eggs were stored at 13°C. until one week after the last collection at which time all eggs were graded (based on yolk shadow only) by a Federal-State Grader. All eggs were broken out and Haugh units determined. Pooled samples from each group that had been stored for one, three, five and seven weeks were evaluated with a reflectance colorimeter. The dietary level of the pigments had a pronounced effect on downgrading with canthaxanthin resulting in greater downgrading than beta-apo-8′-carotenal. The addition of eight mg. of canthaxanthin per kg. of feed produced as much yolk shadow as 30 to 31 mg. of beta-apo-8′-carotenal. The dietary pigments did not significantly affect Haugh unit values. The hue of the yolk (as measured by dominant wavelength) was directly proportional to downgrading; as dominant wavelength increased from 576.5 nm. (yellow) to 594.5 nm. (reddish-orange), eggs were more severely downgraded.

A series of three studies was conducted to determine if anatomical differences could be visually detected in follicles of a commercial and a blood-spot strain of hens. The blood-spot birds used in these studies were a strain of S.C. White Leghorns. Over 50 percent of the eggs produced by these birds contained blood spots. A commercial strain of S.C. White Leghorns served as the control birds. The follicular characteristics used in making these comparisons were the shape of the stigma, the pattern of the large blood vessels surrounding the stigma, the width of the stigma, and the presence of hemorrhages in the follicle wall. No single characteristic was found to be directly proportional to the size and incidence of blood spots produced by birds of the blood-spot strain. However, when taken as a group, follicles from the blood-spot strain had a higher incidence of branched or irregular stigmas, wide stigmas, well-defined stigmas, and a higher incidence of hemorrhages in the follicle wall.

YOLK mottling first received extensive study shortly after Nicarbazin was placed on the market; among the first studies reporting Nicarbazin mottling were those of Baker et al. (1956) and Polin and Porter (1956). Several reports followed and Nicarbazin is now carefully kept out of layer feeds, but the problems it created have stimulated the interest in yolk defects. However, occasional severe cases of mottling have resulted in considerable economic loss to poultrymen and a corresponding inconvenience and loss to handlers and retailers. Beane et al. (1960) reported a brownish darkening of yolks due to the feeding of piperazine citrate. This report and field cases of yolk mottling in Florida and the Midwest prompted the initiation of the study herein reported. Recently, Beane et al. (1965) reported that three forms of piperazine (citrate, dihydrochloride, and sulfate) caused significantly greater yolk discoloration than that of the controls. This discoloration has been described …

INTRODUCTION LARGE scale processing of ready-to-cook, whole turkeys into turkey rolls and other convenient forms is developing rapidly. Providing convenient foods is a way to increase per capita consumption of turkey and offers lower transportation costs, less storage space, shorter cooking time, and better portion control. Turkey rolls are available in most areas either raw frozen or pre-cooked. Turkey rolls also may be prepared from ready-to-cook, whole turkeys. For turkey rolls to be acceptable, they must be competitively priced and be satisfactory in organoleptic qualities. Palatability of roasted light meat turkey rolls was reported by Augustine et al. (1962) as similar to roasted whole turkeys. In a study of end point temperature and oven temperatures (250°, 300° and 350°F.) Marquess et al. (1963) found that cooking losses of light meat rolls dry roasted to either 176° or 185°F. increased with increasing end point temperature and oven temperature. Cooking time of…

BROILER producers and processors claim that there is a lack of correlation between skin and shank color (Painter, 1969). Work reported by Davies et al. (1969) showed this to be true when pigmentation of skin and shanks was measured using a Hunterlab D-20 color difference meter. Runnels et al. (1966) also found no correlation; however, Culton and Bird (1941), Hammond and Harshaw (1941) and Fry et al. (1969) showed shank color to be highly indicative of skin color. The studies reported herein were conducted to determine whether differential rates existed in the repletion and depletion of pigmentation in the skin and shanks of broilers. MATERIALS AND METHODS (EXPERIMENT 1) Eighteen floor pens were used, each containing five male and five female broiler-type chicks (Peterson × Peterson). Two replicate groups of each treatment were used. The diets (Table 1) were designed to be of low, medium and high xanthophyll content. A…

AN INCREASING amount of turkey meat is being merchandised in the form of turkey rolls, steaks, parts and other convenience items. Consumers are interested in yields of various parts and of total edible meat. The changes in merchandising methods make processors more aware of percentage yields of parts, particularly boneless breast. They soon may be buying turkeys of certain strains to cut into parts and those from other strains to merchandise as whole ready-to-cook birds. This study was initiated to determine the effect of strain, variety, and sex on the yield of cut-up parts. A wide variation in yields of parts is reported in the literature. This is shown for percentage of breast in Table 1, where yields found by various workers are recorded by variety, sex, and body weight. Body conformation, method of cutting, and method of calculation no doubt also affect the percentages reported. Higher body weights have …

MANY strains of Bronze and White turkeys are raised and marketed in Kansas and other states but little information is available as to possible differences in edible yield that might be attributable to either strain or variety. Breeders, processors, and consumers are interested in receiving the best value in goods produced or received. Thighs and boneless breasts comprise between 45 and 50 percent of the total ready-to-cook weight of turkeys, Fry et al. (1962). These parts demand the highest price on a per pound basis. Since they are the largest pieces of turkey, they are the parts that are used most often when sliced roasted turkey is served. The purpose of this study was to investigate cooking losses and edible yields of thighs and of boneless breasts of each of 6 commercial strains of Bronze and of White turkeys. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Thighs and boneless breasts were obtained from 4 toms …

BONE fragility of caged layers often results in bone breakage during processing, causing down-grading of ready-to-cook hens. Many processors with batch-type pickers discriminate against or even refuse to buy caged layers. As the number of cage operations increases, bone fragility will become a more important economic factor to the poultry industry. As the hen lays, she depletes her skeletal system of calcium. Common (1938) showed that up to 24% of the total body calcium of hens laying on a low-calcium diet can be withdrawn from the skeleton for shell formation. Taylor and Moore (1954) reported that there was a reduction in percent shell immediately after pullets were placed on a low-calcium diet; the reduction became progressively greater with each egg laid. They also found that the percent bone ash of pullets dropped when they were placed on a low-calcium diet. Jones et al. (1965) reported that administration of dienestrol diacetate . . .

Two experiments were conducted utilizing 312 egg production-type hens which had been maintained for ten months of lay in individual cages. A depletion diet of 0.11% calcium was fed to cause the hens to go out of production. After production ceased, diets containing graded levels (0.02, 0.06, 0.10, 0.18 and 0.54%) of calcium were fed. It was found that hens fed 0.54% calcium started to come back into production, but that lower levels down to 0.02% did not adversely affect tibia breaking strength or tibia ash. It was concluded that the non-laying hen’s calcium requirement for bone maintenance is 0.02% or less. There was a highly significant correlation between breaking strength and tibia ash, and between body weight and breaking strength.

INTRODUCTION OVERWRAPPING and shell treatment by spraying have been investigated in recent years as means of preserving the initial quality of market eggs. Oil dipping and thermostabilization, the latter advocated by Funk (1950) and others, were used extensively earlier, the general recommendtion for thermostabilization being 15 minute immersion in 130°F. water. Bornstein, Lipstein and Nahari (1962) found that stabilization of albumen quality was best accomplished by 15 minute immersion in 131°F. water or 8–10 minutes in 136.4°F. water but that such treatment had little or no effect on pH, yolk index, nor weight loss during storage. Recently published work on oil treatment and overwrapping substantiates earlier work regarding the effectiveness of these procedures in maintaining interior quality and reducing weight loss. Oil spraying and oil dipping were found by Schwall, Gardner and Parnell (1961) not to differ significantly in preserving Haugh units and avoiding weight loss. Both were of…

INTRODUCTION TURKEY production in the United States has increased from 35 million in 1939 to over 80 million in 1963, with an annual per capita consumption exceeding 7 lbs. More efficient management practices and more efficient turkeys have made the increase possible. The size of the birds is considered a deterrent to further marketing increases. Small families prefer smaller portions for economical storage and use. Institutions, although serving roast turkey a large part of the year, need greater variety in serving methods. Large scale processing of these birds into boneless turkey rolls, turkey parts, and turkey steaks that could retail at competitive prices should provide a welcome service to homemaker and institutional users alike. The preparation of turkey steaks has been described by Beanblossom (1948), Smith (1948), Klose et al. (1950), and other workers interested in turkey marketing. The sale of turkey steaks has been widely advocated, especially in the…

SINCE as early as 1939 it has been known that estrogenic compounds can cause increased fat content of muscle tissue. Lorenz (1945) showed that the subcutaneous implantation of diethystilbestrol (DES) in three-week old cockerels resulted in a fattening effect. Similar beneficial effects from the use of DES have been reported by other workers, however; as of December, 1959, this product has not been approved for use in poultry. Dienestrol diacetate, an estrogenic compound available for use in poultry, has been investigated by a number of workers, but with contradictory results. Boone et al. (1961) found that the addition of dienestrol diacetate to the feed the last three weeks of the growing period increased body weights and abdominal fat deposits of nine-week old broilers, but that feed efficiency, fleshing and finish were unaffected. Begin and Grainger (1957) found no differences in weight gains of broilers fed dienestrol diacetate from five to…

THE use of high levels of fish meal in broiler diets is limited in the U.S. by the relative cost as compared to soybean meal, but such may not be the case in other countries, particularly those in South America. A restriction may be imposed, however, by development of fishy flavors in the meat of broilers fed diets containing high levels of fish meal or fish oils. In early work, Carrick and Hauge (1926) reported that chickens fed a diet containing 2% cod liver oil had no off flavor when tasted warm but possessed a slight suggestion of abnormal flavor when tasted cold. At 4% levels serious fishy flavors were noted. Cruickshank (1939) found that 2% cod liver oil and 2% cod liver oil plus 15% high grade fish meal produced no off flavors but that 2% cod liver oil plus 15% low grade fish meal caused slight but definite…

In two experiments commercial egg-type hens were fed a corn-soy diet to which up to 4.00 percent tannic acid was added. Additional diets used bird-resistant and non-bird-resistant sorghum grains to replace 60 percent of the yellow corn. The sorghum grains comprised 40 percent of the diet and their tannin content ranged from 0.75 percent for the non-bird-resistant variety to 2.44 percent for one of the bird-resistant varieties harvested in the dough stage. Yolk mottling was significantly increased only when the hens were fed tannic acid as 2.00 and 4.00 percent of the diet. These yolks also exhibited a greenish tint. This study shows that bird-resistant sorghum grain can replace 60 percent of the yellow corn of laying hen diets without affecting yolk mottling scores and that a 100 percent substitution of a mature stage bird-resistant variety would not be likely to have any deleterious effect on yolk mottling or discoloration.

MOST present-day rations for growing chicks now contain dl -methionine as a supplement to the amino acids in the feed ingredients. This additional amino acid is used because growing rations are usually high in soybean oil meal with the ration subsequently being low in methionine. Although it is added for its stimulation of growth the authors felt that the dietary methionine might increase the methionine and cystine in the carcass thus providing a more nutritious food product. This study was designed to study the effects of age and dietary methionine on the methionine and cystine in the poultry meat. MATERIALS AND METHODS Day-old broiler-type male chicks were assigned to battery pens at random, banded, and vaccinated for Newcastle disease immediately and for bronchitis after three days. To the basal ration (Table 1), 0%, .05% and .5% dl -methionine were added. Each ration was replicated twice by pens and each pen contained 50 …

BLOOD spots in chicken eggs result in a sizeable economic loss to the poultry industry. In addition, eggs with blood spots which escape detection during candling and enter market channels have a deterrent effect on egg consumption. Although some progress has been made in devising methods for detection of blood spots, the problem of controlling or eliminating these inclusions still exists. Several reports have been published on the factors influencing the incidence of blood spots; heredity, nutritional factors, environment and even management practices have been blamed for high blood spot incidence. From the nutritional standpoint, green feed, alfalfa, vitamin A and vitamin K have been shown to reduce the incidence of blood spots (Nalbandov and Card, 1944, 1947; Carver and Henderson, 1948; Sauter et al., 1952; Bearse, 1955; Bearse et al., 1960, and Berruti and Dedrick, 1961), whereas recent work by Bearse et al. (1962) has shown blood spot incidence…

Three experiments were conducted utilizing 12 strains of egg production-type pullets to determine if tibia breaking strength and tibia ash varied among strains. The data indicate that there was a significant strain difference in tibia strength but that there was no apparent difference in tibia ash among strains. It was found that caged hens had a significantly lower tibia breaking strength when compared to floor hens of the same strain; there were, however, some strains of pullets that were maintained in cages that had a higher breaking strength than other strains maintained on the floor. Floor hens were observed to lay at a slightly higher rate than the caged birds and in the third experiment had higher tibia ash values.

Experiments were conducted to study factors associated with the incidence of windowed eggs. Breaking strength and specific gravity of severely windowed eggs were lower than those of control eggs. When pressure was applied to windowed eggs 66.3° broke directly along the window, indicating that the windows were weaker than other parts of the shell. Windows are artificially produced on eggs with a cuticle and on eggs in which the cuticle had been previously removed. The results also indicate that cracked eggs with windows along the edge of the crack were cracked within minutes after the egg was laid.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of various levels of potassium chloride (KC1) in the feed on broiler dressing percentages. Feeding KC1 at a level of 0.5% in the diet for two or five days had no significant effect on weight gain, shrink, dry yield, moisture uptake, or overall ready-to-cook (R-T-C) yield. Feeding a level of 0.75% KC1 for two days and 1.00% KC1 for two or five days immediately prior to slaughter increased R-T-C yield significantly; however, there was a trend for these treatments to decrease weight gain during the experimental period.

Eight-week old female broilers (27 with yellow shanks and 27 with green shanks) were processed and the shanks and skin (over and between the ventral feather tracts) were evaluated for pigmentation with a reflectance colorimeter. The measurements (dominant wavelength, excitation purity and luminosity) were all significantly lower for the green or dark shanks than for the yellow shanks. The same measurements for the skin were not significantly different for the birds with yellow and green shanks. This was true for the skin over the feather tract and between the feather tracts.

The A.O.A.C. (1960) method for determining solids content of liquid albumen is: weigh accurately a 5.0 gm. (ca) sample of liquid albumen into a previously weighed covered dish, place on steam bath for one hour, replace cover loosely, and complete drying in a vacuum oven to a constant weight (ca 5 hrs.) at 98–100°C.; cool in desiccator, weigh, and calculate as percent solids. A second method proposed and used by The Institute of American Poultry Industries is: weigh sample as in previous method into a covered aluminum dish 2″ in diameter and ⅞″ in depth. Remove cover, place dish in atomospheric thermostatically controlled oven at 105–107°C. overnight. Cool in desiccator, weigh and calculate percent solids. Neither of the above methods makes any provision for easy removal of the dried albumen from the aluminum dish after completion of the determination of solids. Dried liquid yolk, because of the fat…

IN RECENT YEARS, many new materials for use in imparting pigment to egg yolks and poultry meat have been developed. However, dehydrated alfalfa meal remains the primary source of supplemental xanthophyll for poultry diets (Sullivan, 1964). The low energy level of alfalfa meal limits its use when high pigment levels are desired, giving impetus towards the development of chemical pigmenters such as beta-apo-8′-carotenal. A possible way to eliminate the problems associated with the low energy level of the alfalfa meal would be to produce meals that contain higher levels of xanthophylls, thus reducing the total amount of the alfalfa meal required. The purpose of the experiment reported herein was to determine the availability or efficiency of transfer of pigments to the egg yolk from alfalfa meals varying in protein and xanthophyll content. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four samples of alfalfa,3 analyzed to contain 15, 17, 20, and 22 percent protein and …

THE use of synthetic chemicals with estrogenic properties has recently received much attention from both commercial producers and research workers. Numerous reports are in the literature concerning the effect of hormonization on the flavor, tenderness, chemical composition, and body weight of chickens of various ages. This study was made in an effort to determine the effect of hormone treatment, as well as sex and age, on the ash content of chicken bones. Reports from commercial processors, and observations in the University processing plant have indicated that the bones of hormonized birds are more prone to break during handling and processing than are those of non-hormonized birds. It was felt that bone ash percentages might give some clarification of this bone breakage. LITERATURE Holmes, Piggett and Moore (1932) found the percentage ash of chicken bones to be greater in males than in females at three weeks of age. They also found . . .

Pigmentation studies in the past have generally utilized either a measurement of extracted pigments or a visual subjective scoring of shanks or skin. The pigment extract procedure has most frequently involved the use of toe web discs which are extracted in acetone for 48–72 hours. The optical density or the percent transmission of the solution is then determined by a spectrophotometer and the pigment is expressed on the basis of a given area of toe web (Day and Williams, 1958). The visual scoring systems have used either a color chart or fan (Douglas et al., 1964), or have been accomplished by comparing the shanks to be tested to a set of arbitrarily selected shanks exhibiting a range of pigmentation levels (Waldroup et al., 1960). This procedure can also be used to evaluate skin pigmentation; results between experiments and among different laboratories cannot, however, be compared. It is the purpose…

SummaryAn attachment was designed which made it possible to use the Allo-Kramer shear press to determine the breaking strength of the tibia of 4-week old chicks. Breaking strength determined in this manner was found to be highly correlated with tibia ash. It is suggested that the breaking strength is as good a measure of dietary calcium and phosphorus levels as is tibia ash. Also the breaking strength of bones as determined in this manner may be useful in evaluating factors influencing fragility of bones.

Sexed day-old broiler-type chicks were placed on iso-caloric, iso-nitrogenous diets that derived pigment from different sources. The 1548 birds received xanthophyll in increments of 7.7 and 12.1 mg./kg. from diets containing (1) yellow corn, (2) yellow corn and alfalfa, (3) yellow corn and corn gluten meal, (4) yellow corn, alfalfa and corn gluten meal, (5) alfalfa, (6) corn gluten meal and (7) alfalfa and corn gluten meal. Two synthetic pigments, Avizant (citranaxanthin) and canthaxanthin, were added to the natural pigment diets as well as to a xanthophyll-free diet at levels of 4.4 and 8.8 mg./kg. of the finished feed. A standard was prepared by the addition of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg./kg. of beta-apo-8′-carotenoic acid ethyl ester (apo-ethyl ester) to the xanthophyll-free diet. All birds were evaluated visually by the Roche Yolk Colour Fan and the Ralston Purina Skin Pigmentation Guide and objectively by the IDL Color-eye® (Signature Model), a reflectance colorimeter. Results indicated that corn gluten meal and yellow corn had a higher xanthophyll utilization than did alfalfa. Canthaxanthin was utilized better than was Avizant. There appeared to be differential utilization of xanthophyll in that shanks were better pigmented than the skin. The reflectance colorimeter produced more consistent results than visual scoring and seemed to be superior in the evaluation of red pigment.

BOBWHITE QUAIL EGGS were pickled in five different egg pickling solutions to test consumer acceptability of pickled quail eggs. A seven-point hedonic scale for acceptability, excellent (+3) to terrible (–3), was used to evaluate the eggs. Four different groups were used for a total of 129 panelists. Quail eggs from all five recipes were generally well accepted by the taste panelists. 70% or more scored eggs from three recipes as excellent, very good or good: “Kansas Spicy” (74%), “Sweet and Sour” (71%) and “Dill Egg” (71%). The data indicate that pickled quail eggs are an acceptable market product.