Feed Efficiency Of Chickens Research Articles

FEEDING VALUE OF PURPLE 606-A, C. W. RED SPRING AND WHITE 607-A WHEAT CULTIVARS COMPARED TO CORN IN BROILER RATIONS

A factorial experiment (3 × 5) lasting 8 wk was conducted with Hubbard male broiler chicks to compare the nutritive value of rations containing three wheat cultivars, namely Purple 606-A, C. W. Red Spring and White 607-A, in five corn:wheat combinations in the respective proportions of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100. Although the calculated crude protein and energy content of the rations were similar, body weight and feed efficiency of chickens were markedly influenced by two of the wheat cultivars studied and by the proportions of these cultivars in the rations. Performance of birds fed the rations based on White 607-A was similar to that of birds fed corn, even when wheat constituted the sole feed grain. By contrast, birds fed the rations based on Purple 606-A and C. W. Red Spring had significantly [Formula: see text] lower body weight and feed efficiency than those fed rations containing high proportions of corn or any of the rations based on White 607-A. The concentration of lysine and methionine in the high protein wheat cultivars (Purple 606-A and C. W. Red Spring) was markedly lower than that in White 607-A. Furthermore, amino acid analyses showed a greater content of nonprotein nitrogen in Purple 606-A and C. W. Red Spring as compared to White 607-A and corn. These observations suggest that the lower performance of chicks fed the high protein wheat rations may have been related to their amino acid profile as well as the greater amount of soybean meal needed to make the rations of equal crude protein content.

UTILIZATION OF DRIED POULTRY WASTE IN CHICK STARTER RATIONS

Dried poultry waste (DPW) from chicks fed a basal diet was collected, analyzed and used as a feed ingredient in diets of equivalent nutrient composition. Chicks fed rations containing 20% recycled DPW weighed, at 4 wk of age, on the average, 10% lower than the controls. The weights of chicks decreased slightly with each of five successive recycles. The feed efficiency of chicks fed the 20% protein basal was 2.05, while that of the DPW-fed chicks was 2.30. Feed efficiency decreased as DPW was recycled. The addition of 0.20% lysine and 0.20% methionine increased the weights of chicks and improved feed efficiency 6% when added to DPW and control rations. The chemical analyses of DPW recycled five times showed no major changes in the composition except that the fat level increased from 3.04 to 9.6% and the calcium and phosphorus levels decreased from 1.94 and 1.88% to 0.88 and 1.10%, respectively. The five recycles of DPW were identical in amino acid composition. Plasma uric acid levels were raised to 6.0 mg% by feeding 20% DPW, compared to 3.4 mg% in control chicks. However, there was no correlation between plasma uric acid levels and the weight of chicks. The mineral composition of the tibia was not affected by the DPW content of the rations. Mortality in all experiments was less than 1%.

Effect of Dietary Folic Acid Deficiency on Serine-Glycine Interconversion and the Activity of Liver Serine Hydroxymethyl Transferase in the Chick

Three experiments were conducted to study the serine-glycine interconversion in chicks fed a casein diet and to investigate the effect of folic acid deficiency on this interconversion. The effects of dietary folic acid deficiency and tetrahydrofolic acid, when added in vitro, on the activity of serine hydroxymethyl transferase in the livers of chicks fed glycine or l-serine supplemented diets were also studied. Glycine improved growth and feed efficiency of chicks when added to the casein diet with no additional serine. An equimolar quantity of l-serine supported growth similar to that produced by glycine. However, when the diet was deficient in folic acid, l-serine was unable to replace glycine need for improving chick growth. There was always an improvement in growth when glycine was added regardless of the adequacy of folic acid. The activity of serine hydroxymethyl transferase in chick liver was not affected by the addition of glycine or l-serine when the diet was adequate in folic acid. The enzyme activity was depressed, however, in the absence of folic acid. The activity was further depressed when glycine or serine was added to the diet deficient in folic acid. The in vitro addition of tetrahydrofolic acid did not improve the enzyme activity in livers of chicks fed folic acid adequate diets but improved the activity in livers of those fed the folic acid deficient diet.

The Requirement for Inorganic Sulfate in the Diet of Chicks for Optimum Growth and Feed Efficiency

The effect of feeding various levels of sodium sulfate and methionine on weight gain and feed efficiency of chicks was studied. In two experiments broiler chicks showed consistent increases in weight gain when the methionine deficient diet, low in inorganic sulfur, was supplemented with 0.08 to 0.32 percent Na2 SO4, although no response to added sulfate was elicited when the basal diet contained no supplemental methionine. The methionine requirement for maximum weight gain was found to be independent of sulfate level. Sulfate was also responsible for small but consistent improvement in feed efficiency. Similar results with higher methionine and sulfate levels were obtained in three experiments with White Leghorn chicks. Consistent but statistically insignificant body weight gains and improved feed efficiency were observed even at the optimal methionine level. The inorganic sulfate content of soybean protein was found to influence the response of chicks to added sulfate.

Thiopeptin, a new feed-additive antibiotic: biological studies and field trials.

Thiopeptin is a new antibiotic, produced by Streptomyces tateyamensis and developed solely for animal use as a feed additive. The antibiotic content in animal tissue and feed was assayed in terms of the antimicrobial activity against Mycoplasma laidlawii A. This antibiotic was found to be relatively nontoxic in rats and mice. In chickens, this antibiotic is excreted into feces within 48 hr of administration and is not absorbed in tissue. It is well tolerated in both broilers and swine and is highly stable in animal feed. Thiopeptin-supplemented feed contributes to the improvement of weight gain, feed efficiency in chickens and swine, and the egg performance in layers. Thus, thiopeptin, when used as a feed additive, is quite suitable for supplementing animal nutrition.

The Biological Effects of the Spore Bearing Lactic Acid Bacteria, <i>Lactobacillus sporogenes</i>, in Chickens

Lactobacillus sporogenes was isolated by NAKAYAMA et al. (1949) and kindly supplied by them to Sankyo Company.Experiments were conducted to determine the promotion of L. sporogenes and its biological responses for chickens were observed.Day-old single comb White Leghorn cockerels obtained from a commercial hatchery were reared in electrically-heated, metal wire floored battery brooders. The ten birds each were used in experimental and control groups, and trials were repeated seven times.The preparations containing 1×109 spores of L. sporogenes per gram was fed to chickens at the dietary level of 100ppm for 4 weeks.The results were as follows; L. sporogenes caused an increase of weight gain and an improvement of feed efficiency in chickens fed for 4 weeks.The vegetative cells and spores of L. sporogenes were recovered from and the amount of lactic acid increased in the small intestine and caecum when chicken were fed the organisms. However, the pH of intestinal contents, and the amount of serum cholesterol and serum lactic acid were not significantly different from control values.

Reinvestigation on Growth Promoting Effects of Antibiotics on Chicks

Effects of following nine antibiotics on growth of either egg- or meat-type chicks were reinvestigated in a series of experiments conducted over a three-year period from 1967 in our Station. The antibiotics tested were chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, procaine penicillin, zinc bacitracin, mikamycin, chloramphenicol, spiramycin, oleandomycin, and the mixture of fradiomycin and procaine penicillin. Experimental period was ten weeks in all the experiments.Since the data somewhat varied from experiment to experiment, body weight gain and feed efficiency of chicks on antibiotics was compared with others relatively, taking thee corresponding data on the control diet as 100. No statistically significant difference in body weight gains of chicks during ten weeks was observed when all the data in three years were combined for variance analysis. However, in some separate experiments, addition of antibiotics, except mikamycin, spiramycin and oleandomycin, promoted growth of chicks by one to seven percent, the effect being significant statistically.Consumptions of feeds of chicks fed antibiotics were more than control chicks, and there were no differences in feed efficiencies between chicks fed them and control chicks. Mortalities of chicks fed them were nearly zero percent.

A Comparison of Corn and Barley for the Developing Turkey and the Effect of Antibiotic and Enzyme Supplementation

REDUCED growth and feed efficiency of chicks and poults fed diets with western barley during the first 4 weeks of life have been observed by many investigators. Arscott (1963) and Arscott and Ross (1960) observed growth depressions of broilers raised to 8 weeks of age. Berg (1961) found that supplementation of barley-containing rations for Leghorn pullets with crude fermentation products containing enzymes increased growth rate from 0 to 8 weeks of age; however, during the period 8–21 weeks these products did not improve rate of gain but did reduce litter moisture. Likewise, enzyme supplementation did not affect rate of lay, feed efficiency or egg quality but did reduce litter moisture for the laying hen (Berg, 1959). Malik (1962) reported that growth of chicks after 4 weeks of age was not depressed by using barley in the diets.The addition of an antibiotic or an enzyme concentrate to poult diets …

Effect of High Levels of Alfalfa Meal on Egg Production, Yolk Color, Fertility and Hatchability ,

EGG yolk pigmentation can be effectively increased by increasing the dietary level of dehydrated alfalfa meal (Sunde, 1962; Sullivan and Holleman, 1962; Farr et al., 1962; Carlson et al., 1962). However, the effect of high levels (6–20 percent) of alfalfa meal on egg production rate, fertility and hatchability has not been thoroughly studied.Some ten to fifteen years ago alfalfa meal was believed to contain a chick growth inhibitor (Cooney et al., 1948; Lepkovsky et al., 1950). Heywang (1950) noted that both dehydrated and sun cured alfalfa meals might contain factors which retard egg production and chick growth. Heywang and Bird (1953) and Anderson (1957) found that the “cholesteride saponin” fraction of alfalfa would depress the diet consumption, growth and feed efficiency of chicks. Heywang et al. (1959) fed diets containing 0.4 percent of alfalfa saponin to laying chickens. Egg production was depressed, but returned to normal when the…

なたね油粕と乾燥甲状腺剤との併用がひなの発育および甲状腺に及ぼす影響

Three feeding experiments have conducted in order to examine the interrelationship of growth depressing factor and goitrogenic factor in rapeseed oil meal. Day old White Leghorn female chicks were divided into six or eight lots of 25 each. One lot was fed on soybean oil meal diet as a control and other lots were fed on 15% rapeseed oil meal diet with various levels of dried thyroid powder (Thyradin). At the termination of eight or ten weeks feeding period, three chickens representing each lot were killed for thyroid examination.Feeding of rapeseed oil meal diet resulted in an obvious enlargement and marked histological changes of thyroid gland. Degree of enlargement of thyroid was not the same in three experiments and was most severe in Experiment III and was slightest in Experiment I. But thyroid of chickens fed on rapeseed oil meal diet containing 10mg% Thyradin were normal or nearly normal on both size and histological feature in all experiments.Body weight gain was depressed by feeding of rapeseed oil meal diet. Degree of depression was most severe in Experiment III and slightest in Experiment I, which was in parallel with the tendency of enlargement of thyroid. The addition of Thyradin on it resulted in an increase of gain in Experiment I and II, but it was not found any apparent effect of Thyradin in Experiment III.Feed consumption did not change by feeding of rapeseed oil meal diet in Experiment I and it decreased considerably in Experiment II and III. The addition of Thyradin on it showed an increase of feed consumption in Experiment I and II but did not show any apparent effect in Experiment III.Feed efficiency was depressed by feeding rapeseed oil meal diet on almost same degree in three experiments and it was not affected by the addition of Thyradin.The results of these three experiments suggested that it should be taken into account not only body weight gain but also feed consumption and feed efficiency in considering the effects of rapeseed oil meal on growth of chickens. And it was also guessed that in the rapeseed oil meal, the factors which affected thyroid weight and feed consumption in chickens might be identical or in close relationships and that the factors which affected thyroid weight and feed efficiency in chickens might be different from each other.

Lack of Effect of Urease Injection on Growth Rate and Feed Efficiency of Chicks and Rats

The effect of dietary urease and urease injections on growth rate and feed efficiency was studied, using 622 broiler-strain chicks and 51 male weanling rats. Urease injections totaling from 20.0 to 61.5 Sumner units were given at various periods of chick and rat growth. Dietary urease was fed at levels from 44 to 132 Sumner units per 454 g of chick diet. In no instance did the imposed treatment cause statistically significant differences in the measured growth responses or in feed efficiency.

Effect of Dietary Protein and Energy Levels on the Growth Rate, Feed Efficiency and Carcass Composition of Chicks

Feeding day-old White Leghorn male chicks 9 different diets for 4 weeks with the orthogonal composite design, we studied the relationship among dietary protein, energy levels and chick’s responses. The ellipsoid relationship has been found fitted to describe the relationship between dietary composition and weight gain or feed efficiency of chicks, whereas declined planes are fitted to show the relationship between dietary composition and carcass protein or fat levels of chicks. Dietary protein level has great influence on nitrogen retention, but dietary energy level has little effect. The linear relationship between total digestible nutrients and metabolizable energy in diets is presented.

Protein Energy Relationships in the Diet of the Chick

THE REPORT of Scott et al. (1947) has stimulated a great deal of work on the utilization of high energy rations for the production of broilers. Hill and Dansky (1950) indicated a relationship between the level of protein and productive energy in the diet of chicks. These authors observed a reduced growth rate in chicks fed a diet containing less than 20% protein but high in productive energy. Normal growth was obtained when the level of productive energy was reduced. Combs and Romoser (1955) concluded that the growth rate in broilers to 7 weeks of age was not affected until more than 41.5–42.0 Calories of productive energy per pound of feed were supplied for each pound of protein. The influence of different productive energy to protein ratios upon the growth and feed efficiency of chicks has been reported by many workers. Among these, Vondell et al. (1958) concluded that …

Response of Chickens to Temperature and Ventilation Environments

EXPERIMENTS conducted by Winchester and Kleiber (1938), with chicks from 5 to 12 days of age, showed that the relationship between feed consumption and environmental temperature was nearly linear. Based on a calorimeter study on chicks 1 to 13 weeks of age, Ota and Garver (1958) found that feed consumption was not as great at 85°F. as compared to a 65°F. environment. In two experiments, (Prince et al., 1960), chicks exposed to a 45°F. environment from four to eight weeks of age consumed 0.65 pounds more feed than those in a 65° environment, while weight gains were not significantly affected.This report deals with the effects of temperature and ventilation environment on feed consumption, weight gain, and feed efficiency of chicks four to eight weeks of age.MATERIALS AND METHODSIn each of six four-week trials conducted between January 6 and July 28, 1959, two hundred White Plymouth Rock day-old …

The Effect of Colored Light on Growth and Feed Efficiency of Chicks and Poults

With increasing use of heat bulbs for brooding, various colored bulbs were being recommended to help overcome certain brooding problems. About 1956, green colored heat bulbs were being advertised which the manufacturer claimed increased feed consumption, growth rate and reduced cannibalism. At that time no information could be found in the literature on the effect of various colors of heat bulbs. Two tests were carried out in 1957–58 on chicks and poults with the object of obtaining some information on this subject. Smith and Phillips (1959), using red, orange, yellow, and green colored neon light on different feeders, showed that feed consumption was greatest under green light. However, when such light was used in separate pens, the test showed no difference in body weight and feed consumption of the poults exposed to the four colors of light.Experiment 1 involved two lots of 40 unsexed chicks of egg production …

Compatibility of Nicarbazin with Methyl Esters and Animal Fats in Broiler Diets

NICARBAZIN is an effective therapeutic agent against coccidosis in chickens. Floor-pen and field trials have shown that Nicarbazin is compatible with the usual additives found in poultry feeds (Ott et al., 1956). Walton et al. (1956) reported that Nicarbazin was compatible with high-level antibiotic feeds.Nicarbazin tolerance studies conducted by Cuckler et al. (1956) indicated that when Nicarbazin was fed in rations in concentrations of 0.0075 percent to 0.06 percent for 12 weeks, no symptoms of toxicity or abnormal behavior were noted, and there was no mortality. Ott et al. (1956) stated that pen-rearing studies under practical conditions showed that Nicarbazin permitted good growth and feed efficiency in chickens from one day-old to 10–11 weeks of age when fed in concentrations of 0.005 to 0.02 percent in commercial rations. However, these authors reported that a feed concentration of 0.04 percent Nicarbazin decreased weight gains and lowered feed efficiency.The …

Interrelationships among Dietary Energy, Protein, and Amino Acids for Chickens

THE economical availability of fats for animal feeding made it possible to increase the energy content of poultry rations. Scott et al. (1947) had reported that rations high in energy content promoted more rapid growth and better feed efficiency in chickens than those of lower energy.Henderson and Irwin (1940) reported that up to 10 percent of soybean oil could be fed to chicks without affecting the rate of growth to eight weeks of age. Greater amounts resulted in deleterious effects. More recent workers (Siedler and Schweigert, 1953; Sunde, 1954; Runnels, 1954; and Donaldson et al., 1954) reported improvements in feed efficiency but not in growth rate. On the other hand, substantial chick growth improvements were noted by other workers (Robertson et al., 1948; Kummerow, 1949; Carver and Johnson, 1953; Pepper et al., 1953; Yacowitz, 1953; Yacowitz and Chamberlin, 1954; and Donaldson et al., 1956) with additions of fat to …

The Vitamin B6 Requirement of Chicks

THE vitamin B6 requirement of chicks was estimated to be between 300 and 500 mcg. per 100 grams of feed by Hogan et al. (1941) in experiments involving only these levels of added pyridoxine. Briggs et al. (1942) placed the vitamin B6 requirement of chicks at 275–300 mcg. per 100 grams of feed since higher levels produced no increase in growth rate. Kratzer et al. (1947) concluded that chicks and poults required 200 and 300 mcg. of pyridoxine per 100 grams of feed, respectively, for optimal rate of growth.In view of the marked improvement in growth rate and feed efficiency of chicks since that time it would be logical to assume that the requirement for vitamin B6 per unit of feed would be increased and might even approach borderline deficiency in modern high energy broiler rations. Experiments were therefore conducted to determine whether a practical broiler ration of the …

Effect of Meprobamate on Growth and Feed Efficiency of Chickens

ABSTRACT THE tranquilizing drug, meprobamate (Miltown), has been shown to have a muscle-relaxant action and taming effect on mammals as reported by Berger (1956). This study was conducted to learn whether the drug would produce similar effects in chickens and whether any change in activity would affect growth rate or feed efficiency. METHODS White Leghorn cockerels were used as experimental animals because of their excitable nature. Starting at one day of age and continuing for the duration of the experiment they were fed ad libitum a standard growing mash fortified with fish meal to bring the protein content to approximately 27 percent. When 8 days old, the original 300 birds were reduced to 200 by discarding the lightest and heaviest birds. The remaining birds were divided into 10 groups of 20 each. Two groups served as controls while the others were fed the same diet containing the following levels of meprobamate: . . .

The Effect of Sulfaquinoxaline in Different Ration Formulations on Growth and Feed Efficiency of Coccidia-Free Chicks

THE effect of therapeutic and prophylactic levels of sulfaquinoxaline on the growth and feed efficiency of chicks has been reported for many growth trials in which the chicks were either inoculated with sporulated oocysts or exposed to natural coccidial infections. In only a relatively few growth studies have coccidia-free chicks been used, even though the use of such chicks would have permitted much more critical studies of the effect of the drug on growth and feed efficiency.Using coccidia-free chicks Singsen et al. (1948) obtained larger but nonsignificant gains when a high-energy diet containing 0.01 percent sulfaquinoxaline was fed continuously for seven weeks. Similar results were reported by Koutz (1948). Larger amounts of sulfaquinoxaline have produced inconsistent results. Singsen et al. (1948) obtained a “definite reduction” in the growth of coccidia-free chicks fed a diet containing 0.03 percent sulfaquinoxaline. Their male chicks were apparently unaffected by this level of the …