Effect of High Level Aureomycin Feeding on Rate of Egg Production

Abstract

Reports pertaining to the feeding of antibiotics to laying hens have been adequately reviewed by Elam, Jacobs and Couch (1953). In general, neither egg production nor hatchability have been improved by feeding antibiotics, but Sizemore, Lillie and Bird (1952) reported that adding aureomycin to a vitamin B12-deficient laying diet increased hatchability. When birds were reared on antibiotic-supplemented diets they produced eggs with a higher hatchability than those from hens which had been reared on diets containing no antibiotic. Elam et al. (1953) reported improved egg production and hatchability as a result of feeding penicillin or bacitracin. It should be observed that in the studies of these workers, a vitamin B12-deficient diet was fed. The present report concerns the effects of feeding laying hens high levels of aureomycin in diets adequate in all known vitamins. PROCEDURETwelve lots of 9–12 New Hampshire pullets each were used in this experiment. The …