Addition of dl-Methionine to Starting and Growing Mashes

Abstract

NUMEROUS reports on the feeding of poultry mashes containing high levels of soybean oil meal have been reviewed in a previous publication from this laboratory (Bird and Burkhardt, 1943). It is generally agreed that such mashes must contain a small quantity of some protein supplement other than soybean oil meal if uniformly good results are to be obtained. Several investigators have found that 2 to 4 percent of fish meal effectively supplements a mash in which soybean oil meal is the major source of protein. Regarding the effectiveness of certain other protein supplements, there has been some disagreement but this is not surprising in view of the variability of these materials.The importance of knowing specifically what factors are deficient in a diet containing soybean oil meal as the chief source of protein is obvious. Such knowledge would permit more intelligent supplementation of such diets and, by indicating the characteristics .