Nutritional Investigations with Turkey Hens

Abstract

Abstract SINCE the isolation of vitamin B12, evidence for the need of other unidentified factors has been presented by several laboratories. Using turkey breeder hens, Whiteside et al. (1960) recently reported an improvement in egg production when an allvegetable protein diet was supplemented with dried brewer’s yeast. Hatchability of fertile eggs was improved by condensed fish solubles, dehydrated alfalfa meal, antibiotic fermentation residue, as well as dried brewer’s yeast. In our laboratory, adding a combination of dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried whey product, herring fish meal, and dried brewer’s yeast to a similar diet for turkey breeders failed to improve egg production and only slightly improved hatchability of fertile eggs (Jensen and McGinnis, 1961). One of the major differences in the basal diet used in the two laboratories was the presence of drugs (furazolidone, sulfaquinoxaline, and two antibiotics) in the diet used by Whiteside et al. (1960). Results showing that these drugs…