Further Evidence for an Unidentified Growth Factor Required by the Poult

Abstract

Several investigators have reported that the growth of poults is improved by the inclusion of a source of the “animal protein” factor in the ration. Scott et al. (1948) concluded that the poult has higher requirements than the chick for both the “animal protein” factor and factor S. McGinnis et al. (1949) reported that turkey poults fed a soybean meal-cereal grain turkey diet responded to a commercial fermentation product, whereas no response was obtained from a liver preparation containing vitamin B12. Similar results have more recently been reported by Stokstad et al. (1950), in studies involving the use of aureomycin fermentation mash. The results of the experiments presented here further demonstrate that vitamin B12 alone cannot adequately supplement a poult starting ration containing soybean meal as the primary source of protein.Day-old Beltsville White poults of mixed sex were reared to 5 weeks in electrically heated batteries with raised wire .