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A Note on the “Animal Protein Factor” and Feed Efficiency1
931
RESEARCH NOTES
A NOTE ON THE "ANIMAL PROTEIN FACTOR" AND FEED EFFICIENCY 1 JOAN STEVENS, JACOB BIELY AND B. MARCH Poultry Nutrition Laboratory, The University of B.C. (Received for publication August 22, 1949)
Ration
1. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 2. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 3. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 4. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 5. Commercial chick starter (Animal and vegetable protein) 6. Commercial chick starter (Animal and vegetable protein)
No. of chicks per lot*
B12) was used as the source of the animal protein factor. Three different types of ration were fed with and without the APF preparation. Ration 1 was an all vegetable ration consisting of mixed grains with soybean meal. Ration 3 was the same as ration 1 except that it contained 2.5 percent fish meal. Ration 5 was a commercial chick starter containing mixed grains, soybean meal, fish meal, meat meal and dried whey. The protein content of all the rations was adjusted to a little over 20 percent. The rations were each fed to lots of 4546 day-old New Hampshire cockerel chicks kept in Jamesway battery brooders. A record was kept of mortality, feed consumption and growth rate for 4 weeks. The data are summarized in the accompanying table.
Source of supplementary animal protein factor
45
Average wt. of chicks at 4 weeks
Feed
Gain
275
2.62
Percent increase in wt. gain per unit feed over ration 1
46
APF preparation 2.7 mgm./lOO lbs.
269
2.39
9.4
46
2 . 5 % fish meal
265
2.60
0.6
46
2 . 5 % fish meal plus APF preparation 1.5 mgm./lOO lbs.
271
2.15
21.9
278
2.54
3.2
278
2.29
14.1
46 46
APF preparation 1.5 mgm./lOO lbs.
* The mortality was low and evenly distributed among the different lots: one chick died during the first week and three between the first and fourth week.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Michigan State University on April 11, 2015
Evidence is available (Bird, Rubin, Whitson and Haynes, 1946; Wiese, Petersen and Lampman, 1948) that supplementation of an all vegetable breeder or growing ration with "the animal protein factor" will result in higher hatchability, increased chick growth and lower mortality in the first few weeks after hatching. Little, however, has been reported on the effect of APF supplementation upon the economy of feed utilization. It was in connection with this aspect of the problem that the following preliminary investigation was undertaken. A standardized APF preparation 2 containing 12.5 milligrams of animal protein factor per pound (according to the LLD microbiological assay method of vitamin 1 The experiment was initiated by the Surrey Co-Operative Association, Cloverdale, B.C.
932
RESEARCH NOTES
ciencies of the different rations are compared in the table both on the basis of the number of units of feed required per unit gain in weight and as the percentage by which the different rations increased the weight gain per unit of feed over ration 1. From the data presented it may be concluded that (1) the animal protein factor has considerable influence on the economy of feed utilization and that (2) even though the animal factor may be supplied in quantities adequate for normal growth it may not be present at the optimum level for maximum feed efficiency. REFERENCES Bird, H. R., M. Rubin, D. Whitson and S. K. Haynes, 1946. Effectiveness of dietary supplements in increasing hatchability of eggs and viability of progeny of hens fed a diet containing a high level of soybean oil meal. Poultry Sci., 25:285-293. Wiese, A. C , C. F. Petersen, and C. E. Lampman, 1948. Variability of protein supplements in the hen's diet in supplying the unidentified factor or factors essential for chick growth. Poultry Sci., 27: 466-470. 2 Obtained through the courtesy of Merck and Co., Inc.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Michigan State University on April 11, 2015
It will be seen from the table that the addition of the animal protein factor either from the APF preparation or 2.5 percent fish meal did not increase the growth rate to 4 weeks with any one of the three diets. This lack of response was to be expected since the breeders had received a ration high in animal protein. Consequently there should have been sufficient carry-over of the animal protein factor to the chicks to permit maximum growth under the conditions of the experiment. Although there were no differences in growth rate there were striking differences in feed efficiency. The addition of the APF preparation increased the feed efficiency of each of the three rations. The amount of fish meal included in ration 3 apparently did not supply the animal factor in sufficient quantity to increase feed efficiency above that of ration 1. The commercial ration, although resulting in slightly better feed efficiency than the all vegetable ration or the all vegetable ration with 2.5 percent fish supplement was still further improved by the addition of the APF preparation. The relative effi-
RESEARCH NOTES
A NOTE ON THE "ANIMAL PROTEIN FACTOR" AND FEED EFFICIENCY 1 JOAN STEVENS, JACOB BIELY AND B. MARCH Poultry Nutrition Laboratory, The University of B.C. (Received for publication August 22, 1949)
Ration
1. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 2. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 3. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 4. Mixed cereals plus soybean meal 5. Commercial chick starter (Animal and vegetable protein) 6. Commercial chick starter (Animal and vegetable protein)
No. of chicks per lot*
B12) was used as the source of the animal protein factor. Three different types of ration were fed with and without the APF preparation. Ration 1 was an all vegetable ration consisting of mixed grains with soybean meal. Ration 3 was the same as ration 1 except that it contained 2.5 percent fish meal. Ration 5 was a commercial chick starter containing mixed grains, soybean meal, fish meal, meat meal and dried whey. The protein content of all the rations was adjusted to a little over 20 percent. The rations were each fed to lots of 4546 day-old New Hampshire cockerel chicks kept in Jamesway battery brooders. A record was kept of mortality, feed consumption and growth rate for 4 weeks. The data are summarized in the accompanying table.
Source of supplementary animal protein factor
45
Average wt. of chicks at 4 weeks
Feed
Gain
275
2.62
Percent increase in wt. gain per unit feed over ration 1
46
APF preparation 2.7 mgm./lOO lbs.
269
2.39
9.4
46
2 . 5 % fish meal
265
2.60
0.6
46
2 . 5 % fish meal plus APF preparation 1.5 mgm./lOO lbs.
271
2.15
21.9
278
2.54
3.2
278
2.29
14.1
46 46
APF preparation 1.5 mgm./lOO lbs.
* The mortality was low and evenly distributed among the different lots: one chick died during the first week and three between the first and fourth week.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Michigan State University on April 11, 2015
Evidence is available (Bird, Rubin, Whitson and Haynes, 1946; Wiese, Petersen and Lampman, 1948) that supplementation of an all vegetable breeder or growing ration with "the animal protein factor" will result in higher hatchability, increased chick growth and lower mortality in the first few weeks after hatching. Little, however, has been reported on the effect of APF supplementation upon the economy of feed utilization. It was in connection with this aspect of the problem that the following preliminary investigation was undertaken. A standardized APF preparation 2 containing 12.5 milligrams of animal protein factor per pound (according to the LLD microbiological assay method of vitamin 1 The experiment was initiated by the Surrey Co-Operative Association, Cloverdale, B.C.
932
RESEARCH NOTES
ciencies of the different rations are compared in the table both on the basis of the number of units of feed required per unit gain in weight and as the percentage by which the different rations increased the weight gain per unit of feed over ration 1. From the data presented it may be concluded that (1) the animal protein factor has considerable influence on the economy of feed utilization and that (2) even though the animal factor may be supplied in quantities adequate for normal growth it may not be present at the optimum level for maximum feed efficiency. REFERENCES Bird, H. R., M. Rubin, D. Whitson and S. K. Haynes, 1946. Effectiveness of dietary supplements in increasing hatchability of eggs and viability of progeny of hens fed a diet containing a high level of soybean oil meal. Poultry Sci., 25:285-293. Wiese, A. C , C. F. Petersen, and C. E. Lampman, 1948. Variability of protein supplements in the hen's diet in supplying the unidentified factor or factors essential for chick growth. Poultry Sci., 27: 466-470. 2 Obtained through the courtesy of Merck and Co., Inc.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Michigan State University on April 11, 2015
It will be seen from the table that the addition of the animal protein factor either from the APF preparation or 2.5 percent fish meal did not increase the growth rate to 4 weeks with any one of the three diets. This lack of response was to be expected since the breeders had received a ration high in animal protein. Consequently there should have been sufficient carry-over of the animal protein factor to the chicks to permit maximum growth under the conditions of the experiment. Although there were no differences in growth rate there were striking differences in feed efficiency. The addition of the APF preparation increased the feed efficiency of each of the three rations. The amount of fish meal included in ration 3 apparently did not supply the animal factor in sufficient quantity to increase feed efficiency above that of ration 1. The commercial ration, although resulting in slightly better feed efficiency than the all vegetable ration or the all vegetable ration with 2.5 percent fish supplement was still further improved by the addition of the APF preparation. The relative effi-