Extracted herbage leaf protein for poultry feeding I. Introduction and feeding trial with laying hens

Abstract

1. The extraction of leaf protein from autumn-grown perennial ryegrass is described.2. The composition, chemical analysis and rate of feeding of two mashes compared in the experiment are given. The same basal cereal mixture was used in each ration, with fish meal added to one and leaf protein and minerals to the other.3. Two groups of three birds were kept on each ration. Nine-month-old Brown Leghorn × Light Sussex pullets, in full lay, were used.4. The birds were given a 6 weeks' preliminary period on a uniform ration to accustom them to the experimental conditions and to ascertain their potential egg production.5. In a 10-week feeding trial no difference occurred in the number of eggs or the total weight of eggs laid by the birds fed on either ration.6. A small loss of body weight occurred in the birds in both treatments.7. Egg-quality determinations indicated that the specific gravity of the eggs was not affected by the differential feeding. Yolk height was greater in eggs from birds fed on the ration containing fish meal. This ration also resulted in a higher number of eggs with rough shells and containing a higher content of foreign bodies.8. The eggs from both treatments had low ‘Yolk-colour indices’, showing that the leaf xanthophylls were not present in quantities in the leaf-protein extract.