Vegetable Protein Concentrates Fed Alone and in Combination with Soybean Oil Meal and Fish Meal as the Chief Supplementary Protein in Chick Starting Rations

Abstract

SHORTAGES of animal protein concentrates have made it necessary to use increasing amounts of vegetable protein feeds in chick rations. Experiments reported from this laboratory (Heuser and Norris, 1944) showed that to obtain optimum growth and feed efficiency for chicks up to 8 weeks of age the ration can derive its supplementary protein chiefly from soybean oil meal but that it should contain a minimum of 2 to 3 percent of animal-protein concentrates, such as fish meal, meat scrap, or dried skimmilk. It seemed desirable, therefore, to know the feeding value of some of the other vegetable protein feeds, when they supplied a large part of the protein of the ration.In this study soybean oil meal and cottonseed meal were fed because they are produced in largest amounts. Linseed oil meal and corn gluten feed are also available in considerable quantities. Peanut meal and wheat germ meal, although not .