Amino Acid Supplementation of Peanut Meal Diets for Broiler Chicks

Abstract

Abstract PEANUT meal is considered to be an inferior source of protein for growing chicks. It has been reported that when the diet is properly supplemented, one-half of the protein from soybean oil meal may be replaced with peanut meal (Heuser et al., 1946; Driggers and Tarver, 1958). However, Douglas and Harms (1959) reported that peanut meal restricted growth rate of broilers when it furnished 50% or more of the dietary protein. Douglas and Harms also reported lysine to be the first limiting amino acid in diets utilizing peanut meal as a principle source of protein, and demonstrated significant improvement in growth of chicks when diets were supplemented with l -lysine, methionine hydroxy analogue calcium, and glycine. However, these diets did not promote a growth rate comparable to that observed on a diet containing soybean meal as the major protein source. The experiments reported herein were conducted in order to obtain further…