The effect of floor type and the choline content of the diet upon the incidence of perosis in chickens

Abstract

1. A series of experiments, involving the use of three hundred and forty Rhode Island Red x Light Sussex day-old cockerels, was carried out to determine (a) the influence of floor type on the incidence of perosis, and (b) a method of lowering the high incidence of perosis which may occur when chicks are fed the experimental diet no. 124 originally described by Damet al.(1951).2. It was found that the incidence of perosis was about 60% higher in groups of chicks raised on wiremesh floors than in groups of chicks similarly raised on wooden floors.3. Neither the area of the floor space nor the level of manganese in the diet influenced the incidence of perosis.4. When the calculated choline content of the diet was 500 mg./kg. the incidence of perosis was 60% but when it was raised to above 800 mg./kg. the incidence fell to about 15%. This could not be reduced further by further increasing the choline content.5. Since the rate of body-weight gain increased as the choline content of the diet was raised to 1400 mg./kg. it is suggested that diet no. 124 may be improved from both the points of view of perosis prevention and of growth rate if the choline content is raised to 1500 mg./kg. of diet.