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STUDIES on the vitamin D requirements of White Leghorn chicks have been reported by Murphy, Hunter, and Knandel (1936), Carver et al. (1934), Bethke, Record, and Kennard (1933), and others. Baird and Greene (1935) used New Hampshire Red chicks in their work and reported results essentially in agreement with those of other workers using White Leghorn chicks. An opinion that the more rapidly growing breeds of chicks might have a greater requirement for vitamin D has gained credance. If this opinion was supported by experimental results, an adjustment in feeding practice would be desirable. It was the purpose of the experiment reported here to compare the vitamin D requirements of growing White Leghorn chicks with those of the more rapidly growing crossbred chicks resulting from the mating of Barred Plymouth Rock males with Rhode Island Red females. EXPERIMENTAL The White Leghorn and crossbred chicks for this study were obtained from . . .

VITAMIN G is one of the important nutrients of properly prepared alfalfa leaf meal. The term vitamin G used in this paper pertains to the growth promoting factor and not to the B2 factor as described by Koehn and Elvehjem (1936). Bethke et al (1931) demonstrated the value of alfalfa leaf meal in preventing nutritional paralysis and promoting increased growth in chicks. Norris and co-workers (1934) reported that when alfalfa meal was fed to breeders as a supplement to a diet deficient in vitamin G, hatchability was improved. Hunt, Record, and Bethke (1935) showed with rats that alfalfa hay contained much more vitamin G than vitamin B and that the content of these vitamins decreased in amount as the plant matured. In general, the quantity of these vitamins present was correlated with leafness, greenness, and protein content of the plant. Wilgus, Norris, and Heuser (1936) showed that the average vitamin . . .

IT IS recognized by investigators in egg quality that yolk color in the hen’s egg is determined largely by the amount of pigment in the feed consumed by the hen. Furthermore, in a review of the literature on the coloring matter in egg yolk, Mattikow (1932) points out that the pigment in egg yolk is derived largely from the xanthophylls of plants and is closely related to these compounds. This information makes it possible for the producer to control the egg yolk color by his feeding practice. There are, however, other factors which must be considered in attempting to control egg yolk color. Among these are the effect of the relative quantity of xanthophylls consumed on the increased color in the egg yolk and the time factors involved in the gain and loss of color of the egg yolk. It is the purpose of this report to attempt to clarify . . .

THE consumption of fish meals for poultry feeding has rapidly increased during the last few years. In the past, fish meals have been used principally for their protein values. No work on the ricket-preventing value of salmon fish meals has come to the attention of the authors of this paper, although work has been reported on the feeding of other fish meals with high or low fat content. Dove (1934) in the study of Maine vacuum dried sardine meal found “that after eight months’ storage, the sample containing the highest fat content produced results that still ranked first and tested the highest for vitamin D potency. Except for the third sample, the vitamin D value ranks in decreasing order with decreasing fat content.” On the contrary, Allardyce, Henderson, and Asmundson (1933) stated that better growth was obtained from low fat content pilchard meals. Carver, Brunstad, St. John, Frasier, and Athow . . .

THE need for vitamin G by poultry, particularly during the growing and breeding period in the life cycle, has been established by Hauge and Carrick (1926), Norris et al (1933–36), Bethke (1933), Heiman (1935), and others. In poultry feeding, the flavin requirement may be met by feeds from several sources, among which are dairy by-products, yeast products, dry or succulent green feeds, and, under some conditions, by certain packing house and marine products. Dairy by-products especially are used extensively to supply flavin. Heiman, loc. cit., demonstrated the differences which exist in the relative vitamin-G content of various dairy products, particular emphasis having been given to dried skimmilk and dried whey, which are extensively used as poultry feeds. The principal purpose of the study reported here was to determine the relative flavin content of dried buttermilk, another dairy by-product, often used in poultry feeding. PROCEDURE A group of 500 day-old . . .

INTRODUCTION IT IS well known that wide differences in the quality of protein concentrates may occur. This information has been accumulated by feeding protein concentrates in simplified diets, using rats as the experimental animals. The methods developed for the evaluation of protein concentrates with rats which used purified diets are of little practical value to the poultry industry because the proteins of the commercial poultry ration are usually composed of more than 50 percent cereal proteins. The growth obtained by the feeding of proteins to chicks is a result of a combination of response from the cereal proteins supplemented with protein concentrates from either animal or vegetable sources. Numerous experiments have reported the nutritive values of protein supplements in poultry rations. The methods used in these studies vary greatly, and no standard method of evaluating proteins has yet been adopted by workers in poultry nutrition. Record, Bethke, and Wilder (1934) . . .

POULTRY buyers in some markets pay a higher price for broilers, fryers, and roasters having an abundance of yellow pigmentation in the skin and shanks. Therefore, those raising poultry for meat purposes have, in some areas, come to look upon pigmentation as a necessity for satisfactory production. It is common knowledge that pigmentation in the yellow-skinned breeds of chickens is derived from certain carotenoid pigments in the ration. Peterson, Hughes, and Payne (1939) have compiled a review of the literature on these pigments and they point out that the fowl will deposit in the yolk or body fat the hydroxy derivatives of the carotenes. Brown (1938), studying the influence of pimiento pigments on the color of the egg yolk, states that “in order for a fowl to deposit a carotenoid in the egg yolk or fat, it appears to be necessary that at least one ring of the molecule contain . . .

THE strength of the egg shell is an important factor in egg quality, particularly in its relation to the transportation of eggs. There are probably a number of factors which influence the strength of the egg shell which are due to the structure of the egg itself. Such variables interfere with a proper interpretation of the effect of feeding, breeding, or management on the strength of egg shells. It is important, therefore, that a method of measuring egg shell strength be developed which reduces these variable factors or eliminates them from consideration. Romanoff (1929) reported on the relationship between shell thickness and the breaking strength of egg shells. Later Stewart (1936), using the same egg-breaking apparatus, reported a coefficient of correlation of + .509 ± 0.028 between shell thickness and breaking strength. Morgan (1932) studied the relationship between the percentage of shell and the breaking strength of the egg. The . . .

IN THE course of experiments with laying hens at the Washington Agricultural Experiment Station, an attempt was made to study the broken out quality of the eggs. It was the purpose of this study to record the quality of the eggs as they would appear to the consumer. Preliminary work, both with fresh and stale eggs, provided a basis for scoring the eggs according to a system of grading similar to that reported by Sharp (1934). That method of quality measurement is subject to the judgment of the observer. A study was made of the factors which influence an observer in determining whether or not an egg is of high or low apparent quality. This study revealed that when the size of the egg, the color of the yolk, and age of the egg were constant factors, the condition of the apparent thick white (as defined by Sharp, 1934) appeared . . .

INTEREST in methods of evaluating vitamin D supplements for poultry feeding has increased greatly in the last few years. In the early work of this laboratory (Carver et al. 1933), the preventive, or prophylactic, method of determining the comparative vitamin D potency of vitamin D supplements was used for several years. It was recognized that this method of assay had many limitations, some of which could be corrected. Some of these variable factors observed were: (1) the variability of chicks, (2) the absence of a standardized U.S.P. vitaman D reference oil for chicks, (3) the effect of the individual carry-over of vitamin D from the hen to the chick, (4) the relation of the quantity and ratio of calcium and phosphorous. Evidence was presented by Murphy (1936) to show that the vitamin D reserve of the chick was dependent upon the vitamin D intake of the parent stock and was . . .

THE first paper of this series, Russo and Heiman (1959a) indicated improved chick growth where corn fermentation condensed solubles was used in a variety of practical chick rations. In those tests, addition of corn fermentation condensed solubles was made at the expense of either corn meal or a combination of corn meal and soybean oil meal. In a second paper by Russo and Heiman (1959b) it was shown that for chick growth and feed efficiency, corn fermentation condensed solubles could replace condensed fish solubles and dried whey product in the A.N.R.C. diet. It was further observed that corn fermentation condensed solubles in a commercial broiler ration supplied the chick growth stimulus of fish meal but feed efficiency replacement was only partial. This report deals with the source of the chick growth stimulating effect of corn fermentation condensed solubles. The purpose here is to determine whether the observed response is associated …

THE extensive use of milk products and leafy green plants such as alfalfa in the poultry ration indicates that poultrymen have found them essential, but the underlying cause of the benefits derived from these products was not understood until recently. Now, with a more complete knowledge of the nutritive requirements of poultry, the vitamin G content of milk products and leafy greens is considered their chief contribution to poultry rations. Hauge and Carrick (1926) were the first to present evidence showing that a growth-promoting factor, now known as vitamin G, is required by poultry in addition to vitamin B. Later Norris and co-workers (1930, 1931, 1933) and Bethke et al. (1931) confirmed these results and called attention to the great requirement of poultry for this vitamin. On account of this the vitamin G content of milk by-products and other sources of this vitamin becomes an important practical consideration. Since dried . . .

VARIATIONS in egg yolk color are of economic importance to the commercial poultryman. Because of rigid egg grading and candling practices, there is a demand for eggs with uniform-colored yolks for discriminating markets. This, together with the occasional necessity for the poultryman to vary his laying ration, makes it desirable that he know the effect of the various in gradients of his laying ration on the yolk color of the eggs produced. It was the purpose of this investigation to study these relationship. REVIEW OF LITERATURE From time to time, during the past three decades some investigational work pertaining to the problem of egg yolk color has been reported Dryden (1905) reported the production of highly colored egg yolks by feeding green alfalfa. Before this, it had been frequently observed that yellow corn produced a rich, golden yellow, egg yolk. Palmer and Kempster (1919) fed various rations to individual hens . . .