Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association

Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association (Listed alphabetically according to the surname of the senior author) EFFECTIVENESS OF A SELECTION INDEX FOR T H E IMPROVEMENT OF BREAST WIDTH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FRYERS HANS ABPLANALP AND V. S. ASMUNDSON

University of California, Davis, Calif. A selection index calculated by Lerner et al. (Poultry Sci. 26: 515-524, 1947) for maximum gains in breast width of New Hampshire fryers was used in a selection experiment designed to test its effectiveness. Two lines were derived from a single population by means of mass selection. Parents of the first line were selected for increased breast width (B). Those of the second were selected on the basis of an index (I). Index values were calculated as follows. On the basis of body weight (W, measured in kilograms), breast width (B, measured in cm.), shank length (S, measured in cm.), and keel length (K, measured in cm.). An index was calculated as follows: I — W + 0.6B — 0.2S — 0.2K. During the first 3 generations minimum weights of 1500 and 1200 gms. at 12 weeks of age were also used as a basis for selection of males and females respectively. Index selection had been predicted to give 13 percent more rapid gains in breast width than selection on the basis of breast width only. Five generations of selection in this experiment produced about 20 percent more gains in breast width of the index selected line over the gains in the breast selected line. In both lines most gains were made in the first generation of selection. Within the limitations of the experimental procedures our results confirm the usefulness of selection indexes. THE POSSIBLE VALUE OF CARP MEAL IN BROILER RATIONS A. W. ADAMS AND C. W. CARLSON

South

Dakota Agricultural Experiment Brookings, S.D.

Station,

Three experiments were conducted to compare the value of carp meal with a blend of menhaden meal and fish solubles, and meat scraps. The sup-

plements were added, at 5% levels, to broiler rations containing soybean oil meal as the main protein source. A total of 904 N. H. and W. R. chicks were used. The average weights of chicks receiving carp meal, the fish blend or meat scraps were not significantly better than the controls at 4 weeks, but were significantly superior by the 8th and 12th week. These results may indicate that the animal protein supplements were supplying an unidentified factor which did not express its effect until the original carry-over supply from the dams had been depleted. Carp meal consistently gave slightly inferior growth to fish blend. The addition of 2% dried buttermilk to the rations containing the products did not consistently produce added growth responses. Carp meal produced slightly more efficient gains than the fish blend at 8, 10 and 12 weeks. These results indicate that carp meal is a satisfactory protein supplement for broilers. THE

EFFECT OF DIETHYLSTILBESTROL ON LARGE TYPE VS. SMALL TYPE TURKEY BROILERS J O H N L. ADAMS

University

of Wisconsin, Madison,

Wis.

Two varieties of turkeys, Jerome Broadwhites and Beltsville Whites, a large and a small type turkey respectively, were compared as to response to treatment with a 15 milligram pellet of diethylstilbestrol. Starting date was adjusted so that the two varieties would reach an average weight (both sexes) of eight pounds at the same time. Treatment was for a period of twenty days immediately prior to slaughtering. Gain during the treatment was increased .18 ± .09 pound for females and .28 ± .07 pound for males. This gain was reflected in an increased cash return due to treatment of six cents per bird for females and nine cents for males. Both varieties showed increased gain due to hormone treatment. Finish was improved significantly in both sexes and in both varieties. Treated Broadwhite turkey broilers were fatter than untreated Beltsville

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broilers showing that the varietal difference in fat grade can be more than overcome by hormone treatment. SAMPLING AND EXPERIMENTAL ERROR IN EGG PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS J . R . AlTKEN AND E . S. MERRITT

Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ont., Canada Data from 14 egg production experiments, which had replicated pens on each treatment and individual trapnest records for birds within each pen, were analyzed to determine the magnitude of the experimental error (pen error) in relation to the sampling error (individual error). The data were obtained from individual experiments conducted at 4 different locations. The experiments were analyzed on both a hen-housed and survivor basis. There was no consistent evidence that sampling error seriously underestimated the experimental error, although in some experiments the experimental error was much larger than the sampling error. The efficiencies of two experimental designs, randomized block and completely random, were compared. STUDIES ON T H E GROWTH PROMOTING EFFECT INDUCED BY PELLETING FEED J O H N B. ALLRED, LEO S. JENSEN AND JAMES M C G I N N I S

State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. Experiments were conducted to investigate the basis for the increased growth of chicks and poults obtained with pelleted feeds. Previous reports have suggested that this growth response is due to increased density. Data have been obtained, however, to indicate that density accounts for only part of the response. Experiments were conducted to compare rations in the form of pellets, ground pellets, and mash with the latter two made comparable in form and density. An increased rate of growth was obtained when chicks were fed both the pellets and the ground pellets. These results suggested that a large part of the growth response due to pelleting was brought about by a chemical change in the feed ingredients. In another experiment individual ingredients of a ration were pelleted, then ground and incorporated in the ration. The results showed that

com was the ingredient most affected by the pelleting process. To study further the pelleting effect upon corn, another experiment was conducted in which the corn was subjected to various treatments and incorporated into the ration similar to the above procedure. Pelleted, steamed, autoclaved, water-soaked, and untreated corn were compared. Only the ration containing pelleted corn gave increased growth. COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF FEEDING AUREOMYCIN AND DIPPING I N AN AUREOMYCIN SOLUTION AS A MEANS OF PRESERVING POULTRY MEAT G. W. ANDERSON, N . A. EPPS, E. S. SNYDER AND S. J. SLINGER

Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ont., Canada The experiment was comprised of 3 groups of 48 Barred Plymouth Rock broilers. For 5 days prior to slaughter at 11 weeks of age, one group received a basal diet containing no antibiotics while the other two received the same diet plus 1000 or 2000 grams per ton of aureomycin, respectively. One half of the chickens in each group were eviscerated and the remainder left as New York dressed. One half of the eviscerated and one half of the New York dressed birds in each group were dipped in water and the remainder in water containing 10 p.p.m. of crystalline aureomycin HC1. Birds were stored at 3°C. and representative samples were removed at intervals during a period of 46 days. Organoleptic examination indicated that, in general, both the feeding of aureomycin and dipping in an aureomycin solution delayed the onset of "off-odours" and the production of slime. The bacteriological results indicated that birds which were fed a high level of aureomycin or dipped in an aureomycin solution retained their keeping quality up to about 28 days of storage and there was little difference between^ treatments. All birds began to deteriorate rather rapidly after about 32 days of storage. Only minor improvement in keeping quality resulted from dipping birds in an aureomycin solution when they had received a high level of antibiotic for 5 days before slaughter.

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ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

USE OF BARLEY AND FAT IN MASH OR PELLET FORM IN BROILER RATIONS G. H. ARSCOTT

Oregon Slate College, CorvaUis, Ore. Floor-pen trials of 8-9 weeks duration involving broilers of mixed sex have been conducted to determine the amount of barley that will efficiently replace the ground corn component in high-energy rations containing varying levels of stabilized animal fat (Calogen). Performance efficiency data show that barley may replace one-half to three-fourths of the ground corn in an all-mash ration with results comparable to an all-corn ration containing no added fat, provided such rations contain 3 and 6% fat, respectively. The addition of at least 3 % fat to all-corn rations resulted in further improvement in performance efficiency. All-barley mash rations produced inferior results both from the standpoint of growth and feed efficiency in the presence or absence of fat. Pelleting rations containing all-corn, ^-barleys - c o r n or all-barley in the presence or absence of 3 % fat effected a marked improvement in performance efficiency. This improvement was particularly noticeable with lots fed all-barley pellets with 0 and 3% fat, the latter of which compared favorably to the all-corn mash with no fat. Litter conditions appeared adversely affected, however, whenever barley replaced more than one-half corn. Calorie-protein ratios of rations containing 0 and 3 % fat, respectively, were: all-corn, 44.8 and 47.3; S-barley-^-corn, 40.2 and 42.9; all-barley, 35.6 and 38.S (based on Fraps' values adjusted by Titus, 1955). Pelleting appears to permit a downward adjustment of Calorie-protein ratios. EFFECT OF FEEDING VARIOUS LEVELS OF CHLORTETRACYCLINE TO PULLETS DURING IMPOSED STRESS MAHMOUD A. ASSEM AND PAUL E. SANFORD

Kansas State College, Manhattan,

Kans.

Single Comb White Leghorn pullets were subjected to imposed stress for 28-day periods. The first stress was induced by moving the birds from floor pens to laying batteries. No change was made in the room temperature during the second period following moving the birds. Low and high heat treatments (60°F. and 90°F.) were applied alternately for eight 28-day periods. A high efficiency layer-breeder ration was used for Lot 1, and the same ration supplemented with 10, 100, 200, and

500 grams chlortetracycline per ton of feed was used for Lots 2, 3, 4, and 6, respectively. Lot 5 received 10 grams chlortetracycline per ton of feed continuously, and 200 grams per ton intermittently (two days before and two days after imposing the stress). An increase in percentage egg production and improvement in feed efficiency was obtained with high levels antibiotic supplementation, especially during the first four 28-day periods of the experiment. Highest percentage increase in egg weight was obtained with the level of 100 grams chlortetracycline. Continuous levels of 10 and 100 grams chlortetracycline per ton of feed produced favorable results in lowering the percent decrease in percentage shell, where the percent decrease did not exceed 5.71 (control). In the case of the severe shock of raising the temperature from 60°F. to 90°F., a decrease of 15.44 percent in percentage shell of the control lot was observed. The levels of 200 and 500 grams per ton of feed gave the most favorable results. PROTEIN AND ENERGY LEVELS FOR GROWING TURKEYS R. L. ATKINSON, J. H. QUISENBERRY AND J. R.

COUCH

Texas A. and M. College System, College Station, Texas Reports from this laboratory recently showed that the Calorie/protein ratio is approximately 28 to 30/1 for turkey starter diets containing 26 to 28% protein. The present studies were initiated to determine whether or not growth could be further increased by additional protein and whether or not the 28 to 30/1 Calorie/protein ratio is optimum for higher protein levels. Diets were formulated containing 26, 28, 30 and 32% protein. Calorie/protein ratios of 24/1, 27/1 and 30/1 were used for each level of protein. Each diet contained 2.5% distillers dried solubles, 2.5% dried whey, 5.0% dehydrated alfalfa meal, 10.0% fish meal and was supplemented with vitamins, minerals and antibiotics. The diets were also supplemented with 0.05% methionine, 0.025% sulfaquinoxaline and 0.0055% nitrofurazolidone. The productive energy values of Fraps, with the exception of fat (2900 Calories/pound), were used in the calculation of the productive energy level of the diets. These data indicate that for the first eight weeks the poult requires a protein level of 30 to 32% with a Calorie/protein ratio of 27-30/1 for optimum growth.

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ABSTRACTS OF

EGGLAND—A NEW APPROACH FOR PROMOTING EGGS AND POULTRY MEAT ROBERT C. BAKER

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

For years and years at the New York State Fair one building was devoted to a Commercial Poultry Show. In late years, due to diseases and other reasons, poultrymen lost interest in the show. The quality of chickens entered got increasingly poorer every year. In 1952, a survey was made at the Fair which showed that approximately 85 percent of the people attending were non-rural. With this information it seemed wise to discontinue the commercial poultry show and use the money and space to promote both poultry meat and eggs. The commercial poultry show was discontinued in 1953 and now EGGLAND is well known to thousands of people in New York State. Poultry meats and eggs are promoted in just about every possible way. During State Fair Week in 1955 over 250,000 people went through EGGLAND. These people had the opportunity to sample chicken, duck and turkey prepared in many different ways. They also received samples of egg sandwiches and egg drinks. We are convinced that we are doing much more good for the poultry industry by promoting its products rather than trying to keep a poultry show alive. We are also convinced that a State Fair is an excellent place to sell a lot of people on the idea of eating more poultry meat and eggs. EFFECT OF NICARBAZIN ON EGG QUALITY R.

C. BAKER, F.

W.

H I L L , A.

AND J. H.

VAN TIENHOVEN

BRUCKNER

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

Several field cases in which a large percentage of eggs showed severely mottled yolks occurred in commercial flocks in New York State during the past year. In some cases the mottling of the yolk was so severe that it made the eggs inedible. The impairment in yolk quality was usually associated with lowered egg production and a decrease in egg size. The height and consistency of the albumen were however not affected. The yolks of the affected eggs had a blotched appearance, caused by a combination of translucent and opaque areas. In hard boiled eggs the translucent areas had the consistency of albumen. Severe cases of mottled yolks were often associated with albumen which apparently contained dispersed yolk particles. Severely mottled yolks

PAPERS

contained more water and were more alkaline than normal. Under laboratory conditions feeding of .006% or more of the coccidiostat Nicarbazin in the layer mash produced eggs with abnormalities identical in appearance with those described above. At a level of .0125% Nicarbazin egg production and egg size were depressed and the yolks were severely mottled. In a severe field case Nicarbazin was found to be present in the layer mash at a concentration sufficient to account for the symptoms observed in that flock. TOXICITY OF B-AMINOPROPIONITRILE FOR TURKEY POULTS B. D. BARNETT, H. R. BIRD, J. J. LALICH AND F. M. STRONG

University

of Wisconsin, Madison,

Wis.

Day-old Broad Breasted Bronze poults received varying levels of P-aminopropionitrile hydrochloride (BAPN • HC1) in a practical diet. This compound, the toxic agent of Lathyrus odoratus seeds, causes chronic systemic osteoporosis and skeletal deformities in rats at 0.25% of the diet after four weeks. At this level and at 0.125% acute leg paralysis and degeneration of the anterior motor neurons occurred in all poults in less than one week. At 0.125%, two-thirds of the birds died of hemorrhage in the pericardial sac and thigh muscles by two weeks of age. Two-thirds of the birds receiving 0.0625% of BAPN-HC1 died at twenty-six days of age or less due to pericardial hemorrhages. Approximately 50% of the birds fed this level showed hock and toe deformities. At 0.04 and 0.0313%, 50% of the birds were unable to stand normally and the majority possessed curled toes. Of the birds receiving 0.04%, 33% died of aortic rupture and 16% died of pulmonary hemorrhage within twenty-eight days. Only 15% of the birds receiving 0.0313% died of aortic rupture in twentyeight days, but 15% died of parenchymal hemorrhages. Good growth and livability were maintained on the control diet whereas weight gains were less in the treated poults. METHODS USED IN PROGRAM PLANNING FOR EFFICIENT EGG MARKETING F. Z.

BEANBLOSSOM

Texas A. & M. College System, College Station, Texas The continuing drouth has hit hard many areas of Texas, especially in the Western part. Farmers,

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

in order to remain on the land, have had to seek other sources of income not entirely dependent upon rainfall for their success. In Gaines County, it was egg production. A financing program was arranged and 116 houses accommodating 1,140 cages each were built. The 132,240 hen units are supplying supplemental income to 116 farmers and the project is a result of good planning, cooperation and integrated activities of all interested parties. Marketing presented a major problem. Twelve months earlier little or no production came from this county. Contacts were made and a Lubbock firm agreed to buy and distribute the total output using U.S. Consumer grade standards. Producers use mechanical coolers to maintain egg quality and also make deliveries to the grading station 3 to 5 times each week. Other practices are also being used to maintain maximum quality until the eggs reach the consumers. Poultry marketing specialists of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and personnel of the Federal-State Grading Service cooperated in the development of the project. Along with egg marketing plans, consideration was given to selling cull hens and also the hens which finish their year's production. Also studied were such items as housing, feeding and sources of chicks. The project has proved its worth as a new source of income. Plans are now complete for building another 25 houses on as many farms. T H E PROTEIN REQUIREMENT OF GROWING BIRDS L. G. BLAYLOCK

International

Milling Company, New Vim, Minn. and Colorado A. & M. College, Fort Collins, Colo.

Tests on the protein requirements of birds being grown for replacement stock have been conducted using two strains of Leghorns. The diets used varied in Calorie/protein ratios from 46 in the 20% protein to 85 in the 12% protein diets. A graded series of protein levels at each fourweek period from day of age to 20 weeks was used. In the first trial conducted at Colorado, the average weights of composite groups fed the various protein levels were: 18%, 3.6 lbs.; 16%, 3.4 lbs.; 14%, 3.5 lbs.; 12%, 3.5 lbs. The feed efficiency of the groups was not affected. Lowering the protein level to 12% at 16 weeks of age had no effect on the time required to produce the first egg, to reach 50% production nor on the

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feed consumption during the first month of lay. The results of the second test conducted at Minnesota confirmed those previously obtained. It showed that even though a 12% protein level was fed from 5 weeks on, the initial depression of growth was overcome by 20 weeks. The protein level required by light breed growing pullets is as low as 12% by 12 weeks of age. T H E TOXICITY OF 1, 2-DICHLORO-4, S-DIAMINOBENZENE AND BENZIMIDAZOLE ANALOGUES FOR CHICK EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND PARTIAL REVERSAL BY VITAMIN B, 2 . UNABELLE

University

BOGGS AND MARY

of Maryland,

S.

SHORB

College Park,

Md.

The effects on chick embryonic development of vitamin Bi2, 5, 6-dimethylbenzimidazole, 2, 5-dimethylbenzimidazole, 2-ethyl-5-methylbenzimidazole and 1, 2-dichloro-4, 5-diaminobenzene were studied. Various levels and various combinations of the compounds were tested. The compounds, except for B]2, were acidified to dissolve and autoclaved. Fertile unincubated eggs were injected with 0.1 ml. solution into the albumen and 6-7 day embryonated eggs with 0.1-0.2 ml. into the yolk sac or allantois. Uninjected and water injected groups served as controls. Toxicity was determined by the percentage of embryos killed by hatching time. Toxicity with 1, 2-dichloro-4, 5-diaminobenzene and 2-ethyl-5-methylbenzimidazole was proportional to the dosage level, with complete inhibition by the first compound at 500 meg. in eggs injected before incubation, and by the second compound at 1000 meg. for 6-7 day embryos. 2-S-dimethylbenzimidazole, 5-6-dimethylbenzimidazole and Bi2 showed decreasing toxicity in the order named. Partial reversal of the toxic effect of 500 meg. of either 2, S-dimethylbenzimidazole or 2-ethyl-5-methylbenzimidazole was obtained when Bi2 was combined with the inhibitor and injected into the unincubated egg. The optimum reversing dose of Bi2 was 100 meg. The same amount of B^ gave corresponding results with 750 meg. of 2-ethyl-S-methylbenzimidazole for 7-day embryos. 5-6-dimethylbenzimidazole showed no reversing effect on 2-ethyl-S-methylbenzimidazole toxicity with the dose combinations tested. Partial reversion indicates that metabolites other than B« are also involved.

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T H E ABILITY OF WHITE LEGHORN E M BRYOS AND YOUNG CHICKS OF VARIOUS AGES TO ABSORB SUGARS FROM T H E GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT PHYLLIS HOLT BOGNER AND F.

University

of Maryland,

H.

WILCOX,

College Park,

JR.

Md.

This study was undertaken to investigate the physiological function of the developing digestive tube with regard to its ability to absorb various sugars. Concentrated sugar solutions were fed to White Leghorn embryos and young chicks of various ages. After an absorption period of 30 minutes duration the entire gastrointestinal tract was removed and its contents analyzed for any remaining sugar. It was assumed that the difference between sugar fed and that recovered is equal to the amount absorbed. Results are reported in milligrams sugar absorbed per gram body weight per 30 minutes. Related studies were carried out in which various experimental variables were altered in order to determine how they influence the rate of absorption. The ability of the bacterial flora to metabolize the sugars fed has also been investigated. Findings to date indicate that embryos can absorb sugars as early as 12 days after the start of incubation. In young chicks the rate of absorption just after hatch appears to be somewhat elevated but soon returns to levels previously cited in the literature for older chickens. GROWTH OF CHICKS WITHOUT DIETARY VITAMIN E G. M. BRIGGS, M. R. SPIVEY FOX AND J. G. BIERI

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,

Md.

Several laboratories have reported that symptoms of vitamin E deficiency did not occur in chicks fed diets lacking vitamin E or antioxidants provided that prooxidants were also absent. Other workers, such as Scott et al. (J. Nutrition, 56: 387, 1955), believe that an "uncomplicated" deficiency of vitamin E can be produced in the young chick. In our studies New Hampshire chicks were fed a basal purified diet (J. Agric. Food Chem. 3 : 436, 1955) containing no added vitamin E nor fat. In some instances extra crystalline vitamin A was added. In 6 experiments, a total of 36 chicks fed the basal diet averaged 311 gm. at 4 weeks (3 dead) as compared with 295 gm. for 36 chicks fed 10 mg. alpha-tocopherol acetateAg. of diet

(3 dead). No deficiency signs were seen. No tocopherols could be found in the serum of the chicks on the basal diet. Five chickens were kept on experiment for 24 weeks without dietary vitamin E (3 received 10 percent of E-free lard). These birds appeared normal, weighed the same as their controls, and their serum and eggs contained no detectable amounts of tocopherols. It is concluded that under our conditions normal growth of the chicken can be obtained without supplementary alpha-tocopherol in a purified diet. T H E ASSOCIATION OF CELLULAR ANTIGENS WITH BODY WEIGHTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE CHICKS CONNALLY O. BRILES

North Louisiana Hill Farm Experiment Homer, La.

Station,

Data were analyzed for possible associations between body weights of New Hampshire chicks at six weeks of age and the cellular antigens, detectable by two A system reagents, A6 and S2, and five B system reagents, B2, M24, M34, 03 and P4. Separate analyses of variance were made on the data from the male and female chicks. The body weights of both sexes of chicks whose red blood cells were reactive and non-reactive with the A6, B2, M34, P4 and S2 reagents gave non-significant differences. There was a significantly greater body weight of males whose cells did not possess the M24 antigen as compared to the body weights of males whose cells contained the M24 antigen; no such association was found in the females. The body weight of both males and females whose cells possessed the 03 (B system) antigen were significantly greater than those without this antigen. This substantiates previous findings of an association between body weight and the effects of genes at the B locus reported by W. E. Briles (Poultry Science). (The M24, M34, 0 3 , P4 and S2 reagents were prepared by S. L. Scheinberg). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN B BLOOD GROUP GENOTYPES AND ADULT PERFORMANCE IN TWO WHITE LEGHORN INBRED LINES W.

E.

BRILES

Texas A. &M. College System, College Station, Texas The hen-day production of females heterozygous for B blood group alleles in two inbred lines have consistently outranked either of the homozygous

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ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

genotypes for three seasons. The superiority of the heterozygotes was evident regardless of whether the hen-day production was calculated on the basis of all birds or on the basis of survivors only. On a survivor basis, the heterozygous females in one line outranked the better homozygote by 4.S percent and in the other line the heterozygous females were superior by 6.9 percent. The age at first egg showed no consistent relationship with blood group genotypes. Adult livability in one line favored the more frequent homozygote over the other two genotypic classes, while in the other inbred line the heterozygote outlived the homozygotes. Even though one of the homozygous classes in each of the lines was of low frequency, these data suggest strongly that the B blood group locus (or one or more loci very closely linked to it) is displaying overdominant gene action with regard to hen-day production. (This investigation was supported in part by a research grant (RG3332) from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service). STUDIES OF PROCEDURES FOR T H E IMMUNIZATION OF CHICKENS TO VISCERAL LYMPHOMATOSIS B . R . BuRMESTER, W . G. WALTER AND A. K. F O N T E S

U. S. Department of Agriculture, East Lansing, Mich. One hundred and eight pullets, 8 months of age, and of an inbred line selected for susceptibility to lymphomatosis, were randomly distributed into 9 lots of 12 pullets each. Three hatches of chicks were obtained from each lot. The chicks were inoculated at one day of age with 3—10 fold dilutions of the visceral lymphomatosis virus to obtain an index of their susceptibility. Eight of the lots of pullets were then treated by different immunizing procedures. The progeny, hatched of eggs laid after immunization, were challenged by the procedure used on the chicks of the first 3 hatches. Results show that chicks of hens that had received 7 live virus injections intraperitoneally were about 3000 times as resistant as chicks obtained from the same hens before immunization. A similar order of increased resistance was obtained in chicks when the dams were given 4 injections intramuscularly, or 2 injections with an adjuvant. The use of a heat-killed virus preparation resulted in an increase in resistance by a factor of > 1 0 ; however, when the virus was

killed with formalin or treated with beta propiolactone, the increase in resistance was in the range of 200-600 times. FURTHER

STUDIES ON LEG IN TURKEYS

WEAKNESS

H. E. BUTTERS AND M. L. SCOTT

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

Earlier results from this laboratory showed that a leg weakness in turkeys was prevented by supplementing the diet with niacin, vitamin E and an unknown factor present in dried brewers' yeast. In recent studies using an isolated soybean protein (Drackett Assay C-l)-corn starch purified diet containing adequate vitamin E and niacin, a leg weakness occurred which was characterized by an enlargement of the intertarsal (hock) joint, a reduction in bone ash and other symptoms characteristic of rickets. The calcium level in the basal diet (from reagent grade dibasic calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate) was 1.8-2.0%, and the phosphorus level was 0.92%. Supplementing the diet with additional vitamin D s up to levels as high as 20,000 I.C.U. per pound of ration failed to prevent the leg weakness. On the other hand, substitution of low-fiber soybean oil meal for the isolated soybean protein produced normal hocks and normal bone ash values. These results confirm earlier studies of Hunt and Blaylock (Poultry Sci. 32: 906, 1953). Further investigation showed that the ash of soybean oil meal or the ash of five sources of unidentified chick growth factors was effective in preventing the hock disorder and in producing markedly increased bone ash values, thereby providing further evidence of the existence of an unknown essential mineral nutrient. ENROLLMENT ON T H E NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT OF UNDERGRADUATES MAJORING IN POULTRY HUSBANDRY E. W. CALLENBACH

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. Data considered to account for approximately 99 percent of U. S. and Canadian B.S. degree graduates and current seniors and juniors majoring in Poultry Husbandry revealed that for the continent of North America: 1. The first degree of record for a major in Poultry Husbandry was granted by the Iowa State College in 1910;

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ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

2. The maximum number of degrees granted in any single year was 33i in 1950; 3. The average number of degrees granted per year during the 46-year period 1910-1955 was 71; 4. The total number of degrees granted was 3272; 5. The single largest graduating class per institution was a group of 28 at Rutgers University in 1950; 6. Enrollment in the classes of 1950 to 1957, inclusive and in order, was or is 333, 256, 191, 175, 154, 163, 191, and 146 respectively; 7. If data for graduates and current students of two non-land grant institutions joining the degree granting group in 1942 and 1950, respectively, are omitted the 1950-1957 figures become 306, 244, 183, 158, 138, 151, 178, and 131. ANTIBIOTICS FOR REPRODUCTION C. W. CARLSON

South

Dakota

Agricultural Experiment Brookings, S.D.

Station,

Although many workers cannot agree on the possible value of antibiotics for egg production and hatchability, a large amount of evidence is accumulating to indicate that they do have value. The summarized results of six years' work is presented which show that the antibiotics have been valuable additions to laying and breeding diets under these conditions. Hens laying at a submaximal rate or producing eggs with submaximal hatchability benefited most from antibiotic supplementation. Since it is impossible always to predict when antibiotics would promote a beneficial effect upon reproductive performance, it is logical therefore that they would be good insurance protection for that purpose. The "disease level" prevalent or type of performance encountered in each situation could indicate whether to use low or high levels of antibiotics. COLORED ILLUMINATION DURING T H E REARING PERIOD AND ITS EFFECT ON SEXUAL MATURITY AND PRODUCTIVITY J . R. CARSON, B. F. BACON AND W. A. JTJNNILA

University of Connecticut, Storrs,

green, or blue wave lengths as well as with different quality white lights was compared with incandescent light and no light. The treatments were started at 16 weeks of age and continued through 25 weeks. All pens were standardized to continuous incandescent lighting when the pullets reached 25 weeks of age. All pens receiving added light of any wave length reached 50 percent production at approximately the same time. All visible wave lengths induced sexual maturity significantly earlier than the non-lighted control. Red, green, cool white, and incandescent-treated pens laid significantly more eggs than nonlighted controls during an eleven-week period after sexual maturity was reached under one-half the treatments. Male comb measurements taken at 20 weeks of age indicated greatest sexual stimulation under cool white, red, and blue treatments; while gold, green, and incandescent lights were very little different from nolight controls. All treatments involving added light stimulated semen production.

Conn.

Several parts of the visible spectrum were used to provide illumination for September-hatched pullets and cockerels during part of their growing period. Continuous illumination with red, yellow,

T H E RELATION BETWEEN PROTEIN AND ENERGY LEVELS I N FINISHING RATIONS FOR TURKEY BROILERS R. D. CARTER AND J. W. W Y N E

The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Wooster, Ohio

Station,

Duplicate groups of 30 Large White turkeys were fed rations containing 20, 23 and 26% protein and 0, 3 and 6% added animal fat from 8-16 weeks. No significant differences in body weight were noted at 16 weeks, but the addition of animal fat reduced the feed conversion in all cases. Calories of productive energy per pound of feed varied from 860 to 982. Cal./protein ratio varied from 33 to 49.1. In a second trial, duplicate groups of 30 Beltsville-Wahkeen cross turkeys were fed rations containing 17, 20 and 23% protein and 0, 3 and 6% added animal fat. Here again, no significant differences were noted in weight, but the addition of fat reduced feed conversion. The average weight of the birds on the 17% protein ration with added animal fat was the same as the weights of birds on any of the other rations. Calories of productive energy per pound of feed varied from 856 to 1026. The Cal./protein ratio varied from 37 to 60.

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THE INFLUENCE OF T H R E E PLUMAGE COLOR GENES IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS ON T H E SUPPRESSION OF RED IN F, DOMINANT WHITE CHICKENS FRANK L. CHERMS, JR. AND WALTER M. COLLINS

University of New Hampshire, Durham,

N.H.

The extended black (E), barring (B), and silver (S) genes obtained from White Leghorns, were studied alone and in most of the possible combinations in heterozygous dominant whites to determine which gene or gene combination would remove the greatest amount of red. Mature offspring from an F , (WL X N H or RIR) X N H mating were progeny tested, the genotype of the individual tested being determined by the color of the non-dominant white progeny from the mating. An analysis of variance of adequately tested genotypes indicates that, at hatching, the whitest crossbred males carried the genes EBS, EB, and ES while the whitest females carried E and EB. Barring and silver appear to have some effect in suppressing black ticking in the down at hatching. At twenty weeks of age, the analysis indicates that the combinations ES and EBS result in the whitest males while the combinations E and EB result in the whitest females. The accurate effect of silver in females could not be determined because of few numbers. High correlations existed between down color at hatching and twelve week feather color, between three week and ten week feather color, and between twelve and twenty week color. CONGENITAL LOCO—A GENETIC LETHAL IN TURKEYS

normal to loco poults is in close agreement with the expected phenotypic ratio of 3 to 1. In tests for heterozygous individuals among the normal segregates of the F z and backcross generations, the observed frequencies of carriers to noncarriers agree with the expected 2 to 1 and 1 to 1 ratios, respectively. GENETIC VARIANCE FOR EIGHT WEEK WEIGHT IN STRAINS AND CROSSES R. E. COMSTOCK

North

Carolina State College, Raleigh,

N.C.

Each of about 86 males from one Rock and two Red strains had been mated to females from each strain. Data used were on over 25,000 chicks from 5699 females. Nine kinds of breeding (counting reciprocal crosses) were represented in roughly equal numbers. The sire components of variance for each sex of chick in each kind of breeding, of covariance between sexes within kinds of breeding, and of covariance between like-sex chicks and unlike-sex chicks in different types of breeding having same kind of sire were estimated. Genetic variance was 40 percent greater in males than females. Within kinds of breeding the genetic correlation between sexes was .75 :£ .04 indicating some sex specificity in gene effects on growth. However, covariances between kinds of breeding indicated that sex differentials in gene effects were variable between kinds of breeding. Average sire variance for the two Red strains was the same as in the Red strain crosses. However, it was about 40 percent higher in Red-Rock crosses than in parental strains. The genetic correlation (due to common sire) between chicks of different breeding was about .65, suggesting some specificity of sire values relative to female strains.

R. K. COLE

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

An obligate lethal, similar in clinical manifestations to congenital loco in chicks, as described by Knowlton (Oregon Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 253, 1929), has been recognized in a strain of broad-breasted white turkeys. The affected poults hatch normally but lack ability to maintain normal balance. The head is thrown backwards and the poult then falls on its side or back and cannot regain a standing position. No causative abnormality of structure or function has as yet been recognized. The condition is due to the homozygous state of a simple autosomal recessive gene, lo. Birds heterozyous for the gene are normal. In mating of heterozyous turkeys inter se the observed ratio of

T H E CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BROILER QUALITIES, T H E HERITABILITY ESTIMATES OF THESE QUALITIES AND T H E USE OF SELECTION INDEXES IN CHICKENS R. E. COOK, T. B. CLARK, R. S. DUNBAR AND C. J.

CUNNINGHAM

West Virginia University, Morgantown,

W.Va.

Offspring from four lines of New Hampshires, pen-pedigreed and individually selected, have been weighed and measured for breast angle at 10 weeks and at 6 months of age. Phenotypic correlations between the two traits at the two ages have been determined from 1545 progeny from 3 genera-

1138

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

tions. The coefficients averaged .29 at 10 weeks and .27 at 6 months of age. Heritability estimates were calculated from data on single-male matings of New Hampshires closely related to the flock above. The estimates were calculated from variance components using over 2000 progeny from 2 generations. The heritability estimates of body weight and breast angle at 10 weeks averaged about 50 and 30 percent, respectively, and at 6 months about 40 and 2S percent. From these data selection indexes have been constructed for use at 10 weeks and at 6 months of age to select for the two qualities, body weight and breast angle. The weighting factors determined for the indexes were designed to obtain maximum progress in both qualities. LABORATORY STUDIES ON ERYSIPELAS 4. DURATION OF IMMUNITY IN TURKEYS VACCINATED WITH AN ADSORBED BACTERIN M. S. COOPER AND G. R. PERSONEUS

American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River,

N.Y.

In preliminary work, 0.032 ml. of an adsorbed bacterin* immunized more than 50%> of turkeys challenged 3 weeks later. In further studies, bacterin was administered intramuscularly at dosages of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 ml., to 240 turkeys, and 58 were held unvaccinated as controls. All birds were challenged by injection.into the wing vein of 0.5 ml. of a 10~5 dilution of a virulent Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae culture. Fifteen birds from each of the vaccinated and control groups were challenged at 6, 9J/2, 12, and 15 weeks, respectively. In birds vaccinated with 4 ml., all challenged 9J4 weeks postvaccination survived, 8 of 15 at 12 weeks, and 5 of 14 at 15 weeks, compared with death of 13 of 15 controls at 6 weeks, 14 of IS at 9J4 weeks, and all challenged at 12 and 15 weeks. Survival of birds following challenge decreased as the immunizing dose decreased. These results suggest that the dose concentration and the longer persistence of the greater volume of vaccine used are critical factors in determining the duration of immune response, even in cases where the lower dosage is many times the minimal effective concentration. I t must be pointed out that the artificial intravenous challenge is usually considered extremely severe, and results cannot be construed as a definite statement as to duration of immunity to field exposure.

* DUOVAX" Erysipelas Bacterin

BUILDING PUBLICATIONS THAT WILL ATTRACT, EDUCATE AND MOTIVATE C. B. COPELAND

North Carolina State College, Raleigh,

N.C.

(No abstract submitted) USE OF ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT TO DETERMINE T H E APPARENT CONDITION OF FRESH POULTRY OWEN J. COTTERILL

Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa Ultra-violet light has received general use for the detection of "green rots" in shell eggs resulting from spoilage by Pseudomonas organisms. Exposing fresh poultry to ultra-violet light will demonstrate the proliferation of fluorescing organisms. These organisms fluoresce in the bluegreen region of the visible spectrum. This technique has been used to evaluate the effect of various packaging materials and aureomycin (10 ppm.) dip on the subsequent shelf-life of fresh fryers held in a refrigerated display case operating between 40 to S0°F. Carcasses packaged in polyethylene, pliofilm or cellophane (LSAT) started to fluoresce in localized areas after 3 days in storage. Packaging fresh fryers with the Cry-O-Vac process prevented development of fluorescence for as long as fourteen days. Treating cut-up poultry with aureomycin and subsequently packaging in polyethylene, pliofilm, or cellophane (LSAT), demonstrated localized fluorescence after eight days in storage. Aureomycin fluoresces in the yellow region of the visible spectrum. Under limited conditions, this technique can be used to detect poultry treated with this antibiotic. RETENTION OF INTERIOR SHELL EGG QUALITY WITH CARBON DIOXIDE OWEN J.

COTTERILL AND FRED GARDNER

Iowa State College, Ames,

Iowa

Previous reports concerning the deterioration of the thick white gel structure have demonstrated the beneficial effects of holding shell eggs in air-tight containers. Practical applications of this technique have been limited due to the development of microorganisms on the shell surface. This problem can be partially controlled by regulating the oxygen and carbon dioxide tension in the atmosphere surrounding the eggs. Attempts to reduce the microbial proliferation on the shell surface by lowering the relative humidity in the container with a desiccant have been successful. A diatomaceous earth, commonly

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

known as Chick-Bed, can be used for this purpose. Its high affinity for water will maintain the relative humidity low enough to suppress excessive bacterial and mold growth on the shell surface. This desiccant has no affinity for carbon dioxide. Gathering and holding eggs in a sealed bucket containing sufficient desiccant effectively maintains interior egg white quality and does not excessively dehydrate the eggs. It has previously been demonstrated that low concentrations of carbon dioxide will maintain the albumen quality of eggs stored at room temperature (7S°-80°F.) as effectively as refrigeration at 50°F. under normal atmospheric conditions. Holding shell eggs at temperatures higher than 80°F. requires much higher levels of carbon dioxide to produce the same effects. T H E LEVELS OF VARIOUS ANTIBIOTICS IN T H E SERUM AND TISSUES OF CHICKENS FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATION AT THERAPEUTIC LEVELS M.

S. COVER, D. LUDWIG AND E. F. WALLER

University of Delaware, Newark,

Del.

A study was made of the amount of procaine penicillin G, streptomycin sulfate, and chlortetracycline (Aureomycin) present in the blood serum and body tissues of chickens. Tests were conducted at intervals after the following methods of administration : single oral dose, single intramuscular dose, aerosol administration and continuous feeding levels. The antibiotic levels were determined by using a modification of the standard method of analysis as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. This method replaces the steel cylinders with a hole of standard size punched into the assay agar. At moderate dosage levels penicillin and streptomycin can be demonstrated in the blood serum in one half hours after administration and are usually not present after 6 hours. Aureomycin persists for a longer period in the blood serum. When administered by adding the medicament to the feed aureomycin produced detectable serum levels when fed at a rate of 400 grams per ton, penicillin at 800 grams per ton while streptomycin did not produce detectable levels when fed as high at 150Q grams per ton.

1139

POULTRY IN FARM AND HOME DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS:' OUR NATIONAL OBJECTIVE OTTO C. CROY

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. (No abstract submitted) NITHIAZIDE. 3. TOLERANCE STUDIES IN POULTRY A.

C.

CUCKLER, C.

C.

PORTER AND W.

Merck Institute for Therapeutic Rahway, N.J.

H.

OTT

Research,

Nithiazide, the generic name for l-ethyl-2(S-nitro-2-thiazolyl) urea, was found effective in controlling morbidity and mortality from enterohepatitis (blackhead) in turkeys. The results of laboratory and floor-pen trials showed that nithiazide was more potent therapeutically and better tolerated than 2-amino-S-nitrothiazole, a related compound. Nithiazide (0.012S to 0.05% in mash ration) was fed continuously to turkeys for 62 weeks without effect on growth rate, feed efficiency, sexual maturity, egg production, fertility or hatchability. Egg production was not affected when mature White Leghorn or New Hampshire chickens were fed nithiazide at concentrations of 0.05 to 0.28% for 14 to 19 weeks. Comparatively, the use of 2-amino-S-nitrothiazole in feed concentration of 0.1% for 3 weeks completely suppressed egg production. Histopathological and biochemical studies further demonstrated the safety of nithiazide for use in poultry feeding. THE INFLUENCE OF DIETHYLSTILBESTROL ON GROWTH, FINISH AND ACCEPTABILITY OF COOKED MEAT J.

A.

DAVIDSON, L.

E.

DAWSON,

MARY FRANG AND SUE WALTERS

Michigan State University,

East Lansing,

Mich.

White Rock and Leghorn fryers were raised in batteries and diethylstilbestrol (pellets, liquid, paste) was administered to appropriate birds at the age of 7-8 weeks. Birds were weighed and slaughtered at 10-13 weeks of age. After cooking, S replications of samples from each treatment were evaluated for appearance, aroma, flavor, tenderness, juiciness, general acceptability and abnormal odors or flavors. Drip loss and volatile loss was recorded. Tenderness was evaluated by the panel of judges and by a Warner-Bratzler shear force machine. Drip loss of pelleted birds was significantly greater for both Leghorns and

1140

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

White Rocks. Leghorn fryers were more tender than White Rock fryers. Significant differences in tenderness of breast muscles were found between type of treatments. FAT AND BLOOD CLOTTING IN CHICKS

thawing and after 24 hours, 36 hours and 48 hours in a household refrigerator. The fryers which had been frozen immediately after processing were found to be less tender than other groups, both by panel evaluation and by Warner-Bratzler shear force machine.

R. E. DAVIES AND B. E. MARCH

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada The vitamin K status of chicks was studied by the Quick-Almquist "prothrombin time" assay. Experimental vitamin K deficiency in chicks is usually produced with a purified diet or a diet of ether-extracted natural ingredients. In this study, diets consisting of unextracted natural ingredients were used. Beef tallow, hydrogenated animal fat, cottonseed oil and hydrogenated cottonseed oil, when added to vitamin K deficient diets, shortened "prothrombin time" of chick blood, and prevented haemorrhage. Vitamin K is labile to heat and alkali. Nevertheless, alkali treatment of fats did not alter their effect on "prothrombin time." Consequently, the effect of the fats on blood clotting was not considered to be due to vitamin K content. 0.5% of cholic acid or desoxycholic acid in the diets usually prolonged "prothrombin time." Thus an increase in bile secretion resulting in improved absorption of vitamin K could not explain the effect of dietary fat on "prothrombin time." Oral administration of oil one hour before drawing blood either prolonged or failed to affect "prothrombin time." The effect of dietary fat on "prothrombin time" could not, therefore, be ascribed to lipaemia. Moreover, injection of the lipaemia-producing surface active agent Triton WR-1339 lengthened "prothrombin time." THE EFFECTS OF TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN SLAUGHTER AND FREEZING ON TOUGHNESS OF FRYERS L.

E.

DAWSON, J.

A.

DAVIDSON,

MARY FRANG AND SUE WALTERS

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Mich.

White Rock fryers, eleven weeks old, were slaughtered and processed in the conventional manner for this experiment. Half-birds were placed in a freezer (—28°F.) at intervals of 40 minutes, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 24 hours after slaughter. After one month of frozen storage samples of the half birds from each group were cooked and evaluated for toughness. Samples from each treatment were cooked from frozen state without prior

THE INFLUENCE OF CHLORINE TREATMENTS ON BACTERIAL POPULATION AND TASTE PANEL EVALUATION OF CHICKEN FRYERS L.

E.

DAWSON,

W.

L.

MALLMAN,

MARY FRANG AND SUE WALTERS

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Mich.

The shelf life was determined for fryers which had been previously treated with chlorine in the various phases of processing. Bacterial swabs were taken from one half of each fryer in each treatment at daily intervals for periods up to three weeks. The same individual half-fryers were cooked and further evaluated for acceptability by a Home Economics taste panel. In trial 1, chlorine in the scalding water (25 ppm.) or in the rinse water (200 ppm.) had little effect on acceptable shelf-life. Chlorine in the cooling water (140 ppm.) for 2 hours increased acceptability approximately 5 days. After 10 days at 38°F., gross bacterial count was 140,000 for birds cooled in chlorine water and over 5,000,000 for all other lots. In trial 2, using 20 ppm. and 40 ppm. chlorine in cooling water, acceptable shelf life was extended 2 to 4 days beyond that of controls. Bacterial counts were lowest on birds cooled in ice water containing chlorine. FAT TOLERANCE IN CHICKENS W. E. DONALDSON, G. F. COMBS, G. L. ROMOSER, W.

C. SUPPLEE AND J. L. NICHOLSON

University

of Maryland,

College Park,

Md.

In four 4-week experiments, up to 30% fat (animal grease or corn oil) has given satisfactory results when added to practical or purified chick rations adequately supplemented with protein (amino acids), minerals and vitamins. However, fat levels of 15% have been slightly more effective in improving growth rate and feed conversion than either normal or higher levels. A broiler trial involving approximately 3900 Vantress Red and 3900 White Mountain day-old crossbred broiler chicks (both sexes) was conducted with rations containing from 4.3 to 15.4% fat. The average 8-week weights of the Vantress Reds and White Mountains receiving 15.4% fat

1141

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS were 3.05 and 2.81, respectively, as compared with 2.91 and 2.53, respectively, when fed 4.3% fat. The corresponding feed conversions for the above groups were 1.96 and 2.04 with 15.4% fat rations and 2.27 and 2.35 with 4.3% fat rations, respectively. Comparisons have also been made between the relative feeding values of animal fat, poultry fat, corn oil, hydrolyzed vegetable fat and a crude mixture of oleic and linoleic acids. THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF CHLORTETRACYCLINE APPLICATION ON THE SHELF-LIFE OF CHICKEN FRYERS M.

W.

EKLUND, J.

V.

SPENCER,

E. A. SAUTER AND M. H. GEORGE

State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. Applications of chlortetracycline in ice, as a spray, and as a dip were tested for their effect on the shelf-life of fresh chicken fryers held at 32-34°F. Concentrations of 1, 5, 10 and 15 ppm. of chlortetracycline ice were studied. There was little difference in shelf-life between chlortetracycline concentrations tested. An increase of approximately 4 days over the untreated controls was observed in all cases. A great deal of difference was noted in the flora causing spoilage, as the 1 and 5 ppm. treated birds showed a predominant flora of gram negative rods, whereas yeasts and molds predominated on 10 and 15 ppm. treated birds. Shelf-life comparisons between cut-up and whole eviscerated fryers using 100 ppm. chlortetracycline spray for 10 seconds were made. A shelflife increase of approximately five days over untreated controls was observed for both treatments. The organisms responsible for spoilage were predominantly yeasts and molds. Seven, 10 15, and 30 seconds dipping in 100 ppm., chlortetracycline was studied. There was no significant difference between dipping times. All treated birds showed an increase in shelf-life of approximately six days over untreated controls. The predominant flora was again determined to be yeasts and molds. STUDIES ON RECOVERY OF ANTIBIOTIC ACTIVITY FROM EGG ALBUMEN L.

E.

University

ELLIOTT AND G. L.

of Maryland,

ROMOSER

College Park,

Md.

It has been observed that in the assay of body fluids and eggs for antibiotics, activity which

would otherwise be masked is demonstrated upon dilution of the specimen. The obvious importance of this factor in studies involving antibiotic preservation of shell eggs warranted further investigation relative to the cause and nature of this phenomenon. Egg albumen containing 10 meg. per ml. of chlortetracycline was diluted with pH 4.5 phosphate buffer. A similar sample, not diluted, was hydrolyzed with a proteolytic enzyme. Results obtained using conventional assay techniques indicate that the phenomenon may be partially caused by a chemical binding of the antibiotic by the albumen. Further studies indicate that the mechanism may be related to the agar diffusibility of the albumen as an antibiotic carrier. Data pertinent to the relative stability of the tetracyclines in egg albumen stored at various temperatures are presented. CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE VITAMIN B^-DEFICIENT CHICK EMBRYO T. M. FERGUSON, W. F. ALEXANDER AND J.

R.

COUCH

Texas A. and M. College, College Station, Texas, and St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo. Histopathological studies of the Bi2-deficient embryo described by Ferguson et al. (A. M. A. Arch. Path. 60: 393) included cerebral hemorrhage and necrosis in the brain. Additional studies have been made on the peripheral nerves, spinal cord, spinal ganglia and sympathetic trunk ganglia of the Bl2-deficient embryo. Control embryos were obtained from hens fed a complete practical ration and from hens fed a Bi2-deficient diet whose eggs were injected with vitamin B12 prior to incubation. The number of myelinated fibers was markedly reduced in the spinal cord of the deficient embryos, and no myelinated fibers were observed in the sciatic nerve. Many myelinated fibers were found in both the spinal cord and sciatic nerve of embryos provided a source of vitamin BK. Multipolar cells in the spinal cord and sympathetic trunk ganglia were reduced in size and number in the deficient embryo.

1142

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

THE AMINO ACID REQUIREMENTS OF T H E LAYING HEN. 1. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FREE AMINO ACID DIET FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF EGG PRODUCTION H A N S FISHER AND DEWEY JOHNSON,

Rutgers University, New Brunswick,

JR.

N.J.

The amino acid requirements of the laying hen have not been established for all amino acids due to the lack of proper diets to study individual amino acids. Such a diet, containing eighteen free amino acids, minerals, vitamins, 12 percent corn oil and starch as the only carbohydrate source has been developed for the maintenance of egg production. Factors found to be of greatest importance in the formulation of this diet were the purity of amino acid source and the caloric level of the diet consumed. In the early studies birds developed bleeding ulcers in the crop and proventriculus as well as areas of hemorrhage and necrosis in the liver. When these difficulties had been overcome, egg production still could not be maintained unless the energy intake was greatly increased through the use of high levels of corn oil. An aluminum hydroxide-magnesium trisilicate preparation, originally added to control ulcers, was found necessary for proper consumption of the diet by hens. Egg production provided an extremely sensitive criterion of amino acid requirement since production always ceased within one week on a deficient diet. A COMPARISON OF SEVEN STRAINS OF PURE BREDS AND HYBRIDS IN CAGES D.

W.

FRANCIS

New Mexico College of A. & M. State College, N.M.

Arts,

The first six months' records of approximately 14,000 pullets at Stahmann Farms, Las Cruces, N.M., were compared for various production factors. All the groups represent commercially available hybrids or strains of S. C. White Leghorns. Each group was received as day-old chicks at about the same time, reared separately on the same farm, and received approximately the same management. The pullets were housed in batteries. Each group was kept separated in a four deck battery with feed and water available at all times. The house was windowless and mechanical ventilation was provided. This gave a uniform environment for all groups. Data are presented comparing strains for the

following economic traits: days to SO percent production, mortality, egg production, percent culled, egg size, body weight, and pounds of feed per dozen eggs for October and November. Analysis of the data indicates there is a considerable variation between seven egg production strains of chickens for economic traits kept in cages under the same environment. STRAIN DIFFERENCES IN T H E INCIDENCE OF CAGE LAYER FATIGUE D.

W.

FRANCIS

New Mexico College of A. & M. State College, N.M.

Arts,

Records of approximately 14,000 pullets, representing seven strains of pure breds or hybrids kept in cages were examined for cage layer fatigue. The period of the outbreak was October 21, 19SS, to December 31, 1955. The birds were approximately 12 months old at the end of the year. The smallest group had 881 and the largest 3675 pullets. Each group was maintained in a four-deck battery with feed and water available at all times. The house was windowless, and mechanical ventilation was used entirely. This provided for cooling during the hot periods and warmth during the cool periods of the day when necessary. The number of pullets on hand October 1 was used to calculate the percentages affected with cage layer fatigue at two week intervals and the total percent of the syndrome in each group. The incidence in percent between the groups ranged from 0.65 to 3.95. The differences between groups were significant when tested by analysis of variance. The results of this analysis indicate that the cage layer fatigue observed in individual flocks in the field will vary according to the strain of chickens kept in cages. A CASE OF FOWL SPIROCHETOSIS IN NEW MEXICO D.

W.

FRANCIS

New Mexico College of A. & M. State College, N.M.

Arts,

Bloody mucus from the upper respiratory passages of two S. C. White Leghorn pullets, 14 months of age, yielded a spirochete when stained with Grams stain. The spleen exhibited in typical swelling and mottled appearance described for this disease. Petechial hemorrhages were found at the junction of the ileum and ceca. There was congestion of the ovary. The intestine showed a greenish mucoid enteritis. The birds were listless and ex-

ABSTRACTS OF

hibited diarrhea which was bile stained. The farm was visited eight days after the birds were submitted to the laboratory. Similar lesions as previously described were observed in six other birds. In addition, temperatures ranged from 104.2° to 110.4°F. Mortality was about 10 percent. Egg production dropped from 30 percent to zero in less than 14 days after the birds became infected. An examination of the building yielded the fowl tick, Argas persicus. An old frame chicken house located 30 feet from the present building was grossly infested with the tick. The owner stated feather mites were bothersome, but mosquitoes and other insects were not observed. This is the first reported case of avian spirochetosis in New Mexico. The finding of the fowl tick in the poultry house suggests the disease may have been tick-borne. MANAGEMENT AND HOLDING CONDITIONS AS THEY AFFECT THE INTERIOR QUALITY OF EGGS JACK L. FRY AND GEORGE W.

NEWELL

Oklahoma A. and M. College, Stillwater, Okla. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of management practices and the time-temperature relationship on the deterioration of interior quality of eggs. In the management experiment, frequency of collection, container used for cooling, and frequency of marketing were studied. The eggs in the time-temperature experiment were placed in storage at 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees F., and one-seventh broken out each day for seven days. All measurements were made in terms of Haugh units. Of the management factors considered, only frequency of marketing was significant. (.001 level). In the time-temperature study, eggs stored at 60 degrees F. for one day were lower in quality than those stored for seven days at 30 degrees F. Eggs stored at 90 degrees F. for one day were lower in quality than those stored at 60 degrees F. for seven days. The initial drop in quality was the greatest, regardless of the temperature. At 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees F., the decrease in Haugh units during the first 48 hours of storage was significantly greater than the decrease for any1 succeeding 48 hour period. After an initial loss of three Haugh units the first two days of storage, eggs stored at 30 degrees F. maintained approximately the same quality throughout the test.

1143

PAPERS

INFLUENCE OF DIET COMPOSITION ON FEED SELECTION AND GROWTH OF CHICKS AND TURKEYS RAMON E.

FRY, JAMES M C G I N N I S AND LEO S. JENSEN

State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. A series of experiments with chicks and turkeys has been conducted to study the reasons for differences in feeding value of barley and corn. The results of these studies show that substitution of barely for corn depressed growth and feed efficiency. The addition of amino acids to the barley diet failed to improve growth. In contrast, when tallow was added to diets containing barley to make them iso caloric with diets containing corn, growth was approximately equal. When feeds containing corn or barley were offered ad libitum on free choice basis, both chicks and turkeys consumed about four times as much of the feed with corn as the feed with barley. Addition of tallow to the barley feeds caused consumption to be approximately equal. Developing turkeys offered corn or barley and mash on a free-choice basis consumed significantly more corn when fed a low energy mash than when given a high energy mash. Barley consumption on both mashes was quite low. The results of these studies indicate that the difference in available energy content of corn and barley accounts largely for the differences in feeding value of these grains. THE VALUE OF POULTRY BY-PRODUCTS AS SOURCES OF PROTEIN AND UNIDENTIFIED GROWTH FACTORS IN BROILER RATIONS HENRY L.

University

FULLER

of Georgia, Athens,

Ga.

Poultry by-product meal and feather meal have already been accepted as suitable ingredients for broiler rations, although not wholeheartedly, by a very critical feed manufacturing industry. HydroIyzed poultry litter and hatchery waste offer promise as additional sources of nutrients at a reasonable cost. Several trials have been conducted to test the supplemental value and limitations of these materials in a simplified corn-soy type ration and when used in commercial type rations under practical conditions. Poultry by-product meal, feather meal, and hydrolyzed poultry manure, were found to be as effective as fish meal in commercial type broiler

1144

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

rations fed to broilers under practical conditions. In one battery trial poultry by-product meal produced a growth response equal to that of fish meal or condensed fish solubles when used to supplement a simplified corn-soy ration. A lesser response was obtained in subsequent trials. Feather meal was found to exhibit unidentified growth factor activity consistently in several battery trials employing the corn-soy type ration when adequate methionine levels were maintained. Additional response was obtained by adding condensed fish solubles to the corn-soy-feather meal combinations whereas dried whey was ineffective in this respect. ADJUSTMENTS WE MUST MAKE TO MEET FUTURE INDUSTRY N E E D S : ALLIED INDUSTRIES ARTHUR

GANNON

University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. (No abstract submitted) THE USE OF POULTRY BY-PRODUCTS IN POULTRY RATIONS R. W. GERRY

University of Maine, Orono, Me. Tests with Maine produced feather meal started in 19S3. Good results were obtained when this meal replaced part of the fish and/or soybean oil meal in an all-mash broiler ration and when feather meal protein replaced some of the soybean protein. When feather meal protein replaced fish meal protein, growth rates were significantly poorer than the growth rates of the controls in about half of the tests. Methionine, lysine and tryptophane appeared to be of value. Meals from five processing plants gave quite similar results. All the animal products and a part of the soybean oil meal were successfully replaced by feather meal in an all-mash laying ration. A meal made from feet, heads, viscera and some whole chickens produced increased growth and feed efficiency when used to replace soybean oil meal or part of the fish and soybean oil meals on a protein basis, in an all-mash broiler ration. Results were not as good when all the fish meal was replaced by this meal on a protein basis. Combinations of the feather and by-product meal proteins in ratios of 1:4, 2:3, 3:2, but not 4:1, have satisfactorily replaced soybean oil meal protein in an all-mash broiler ration.

EFFICIENCY OF INDEX SELECTION FOR EGG WEIGHT AND FOR GROWTH RATE J O H N E. GHOSTLEY AND A. W. NORDSKOC

Iowa State College, Ames,

Iowa

Selection indices were constructed from estimates of genetic parameters involving egg weight, growth rate to eight weeks of age and mature body weight. An index based on these three traits, designed to maximize improvement in egg weight, was 4 percent more efficient than selecting on the basis of egg weight alone. Similarly, a selection index designed to maximize improvement in growth rate to eight weeks of age was 7 percent more efficient than selecting on the basis of eight-week weights alone. This study was based on an analysis of three years of data from six breeds and included 1668 daughters from 457 dams and 59 sires. Heritability estimates from full sib correlations adjusted for inbreeding were .72, .60 and .35 for egg weight, body weight and eight-week weights, respectively. Corresponding estimates from daughter-dam regressions were .46, .58 and .35, respectively. Phenotypic correlations were .32 for egg weight X body weight, .17 for egg weight X eight-week weight, and .29 for body weight X eight-week weight. Corresponding genetic correlations based on daughter-dam regressions were .51, .65 and .47, respectively, and when based on variance component analysis were .54, .40 and .47, respectively for the same combinations of traits. THE PROTEIN QUALITY OF TORULA YEAST FOR T H E GROWING CHICK C. GlTLER, C. A . BAtTMANN AND M . L . StTNDE

University

of Wisconsin, Madison,

Wis.

Day-old chicks (New Hampshire males X S.C.W. Leghorn females) were used in growth tests designed to determine the extent to which soybean oil meal could be replaced by torula yeast. Diets contained crude protein 20.7% (7.6% from cereals and 13.1% from various combinations of soybean oil meal and torula), methionine 0.05%, fish solubles 3 % , procaine penicillin, minerals and vitamins. Growth was not affected by the substitution of torula protein for 60% of the soybean oil meal, however, 75% replacement reduced the gain by 15%. Complete replacement of the soybean oil meal by yeast resulted in a 23% decrease in weight gain. With higher levels of the finely powdered yeast, the chicks developed pressure

1145

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS necrosis as the only symptom. No pressure necrosis occurred when the texture was improved by pelleting the yeast prior to incorporation into the diet. Under these conditions there were no differences in growth when from 0 to 100% of the soybean oil meal was replaced. Further evidence indicated that the heating process involved in pelleting the yeast may also have had a direct effect on the protein quality. The supplemental value of added amino acids to torula, alkali extracted torula and brewers' yeast was determined with purified diets. EXPERIMENTAL MODIFICATION OF THE GROWTH OF THE BURSA OF FABRICIUS BRUCE GLICK*

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Wooster, Ohio

Station,

The effects of cortisone acetate, testosterone propionate, and caponization on the bursa of Fabricius were studied in 166 Rhode Island Reds and 72 White Leghorns. All injections were into the pectoralis muscle. Daily amounts of 1.2S, 2.S0, 3.7S and 5.0 mg. of cortisone per bird and .625 and 1.25 mg. of testosterone per bird were administered. Forty-eight hours after the last injection all birds were killed and their body and bursae weighed. Cortisone reduced bursa size in 4- and 8-weekold Rhode Island Reds independent of this hormone's suppressing effect on body growth. However, the inhibition of bursa growth in 4-week-old Leghorns with cortisone is, in part, a reflection of the retarded body growth. Testosterone propionate significantly reduced the size of the bursa in 8-week-old Rhode Island Reds, while caponization slightly increased the weight of the bursa. A significant difference was not noted between the bursa of 4-week-old testosterone and control Rhode Island Reds. The reduction in mean bursa weight of 3-weekold Leghorns treated with a total amount of 7.50 mg. of testosterone can be explained by the accompanying reduction in body size. The lymphatic nature of the bursa is indicated by its reaction to cortisone. * Present address: Mississippi State College, State College, Mississippi.

PITCHIN' TAR IN THE TAR HEEL STATE CARL GOERCH

State Magazine, Raleigh,

N.C.

(No abstract submitted) ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES ON PLASMA AND EXUDATES OF VITAMIN E-DEFICIENT CHICKS J. GOLDSTEIN, M. L. SCOTT AND A. VAN TIENHOVEN

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

In chicks rendered vitamin E-deficient by feeding the torula yeast semi-purified diet in use in this laboratory (J. Nutr. 56: 387, 1955), it was found that, as the symptoms of exudative diathesis developed, a steady decrease in total plasma proteins occurred and that the decrease in plasma albumin was greater than the decrease in plasma globulins. Thus, the total protein level fell from 3.5% to about 2.0%, and the A/G ratio, which approximated 1.0 in normal chicks, decreased in vitamin E-deficient chicks to values of 0.2 or less. Electrophoretic studies conducted on the exudate fluid obtained from vitamin E-deficient chicks indicated that all of the plasma proteins escaped from the blood vessels into the tissues to some extent, but the A/G ratio in the exudates was higher than in the plasma, indicating a greater diffusion of albumin through the capillary walls. These results suggest an increased capillary permeability and a reduction in plasma osmotic pressure in vitamin E-deficiency, both contributing to the production of the severe edema. Administration of a single oral dose of 200 mg. of d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate per chick caused the exudates to disappear and the plasma proteins to return to normal levels within forty-eight to seventy-two hours. A GENERAL METHOD OF CALCULATING AMINO ACID REQUIREMENTS OF THE BROILER R.

S GORDON AND K. H.

MADDY

Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis 4, Mo. As previously reported, a calculated methionine requirement for the young chicken could only be demonstrated in practical rations when the Calorie-protein ratio (C/P) was in the range of 42-48 Calories (Productive Energy) per 1% dietary protein (N X 6.25). Within this range the methionine requirement was found to be 2.15 to 2.25% of dietary protein. Nutritional data are presented which compare the relative merits of calculating the me-

1146

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

thionine requirement as a function of C/P, as a function of Calories only, or as a function of protein level. Experimentally, the best correlation between growth performance and calculated requirement was obtained when the requirement was considered as a function of C/P. A good estimate of all amino acid requirements of practical rations at a C/P of 42-48 was made by means of the following relationship: 2.15 X % Protein X NRC Reqt. for Amino Acid = 0.45 Predicted Reqt. It was found by calculation that in many cases a deficiency exists hot only for the sulfur amino acids, but also for one or two other amino acids. Increased growth response to supplemental methionine or methionine hydroxy analogue was obtained when supplemental amino acids were added at levels predicted to be required. T H E PERFORMANCE OF A CONTROL STRAIN OF S.C. WHITE LEGHORN STOCK OVER FOUR GENERATIONS ON TEST AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS R. S. GOWE AND A. S. JOHNSON

Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ont., Canada In 1950, a strain was developed to act as a control on breeding experiments. A selected strain of Leghorns was divided at random into two flocks and one flock (the Control strain) was mated at random while selection for hen-housed egg production was continued in the other flock (Ottawa strain). These two strains along with a third selected strain have been brooded, reared and housed together at 6 farms for 5 generations. Data on viability and egg production were collected on an individual bird basis for this study. The Control strain has been reproduced by randomly breeding unselected males and females— approximately 40 males and 200 females were used each year. From 1950 to 1953, two shifts of males were used, naturally mating from 20 to 30 males per shift. Starting in 1954, the procedure was modified so that all the females were artificially inseminated. The Control strain on test at several locations has shown little tendency to change in the traits measured since it was formed. This strain enabled us to measure accurately, the genetic response to selection in two selected strains and to properly evaluate environmental fluctuations at the different locations.

DEGREE OF DENUDATION OF NECK AS INDEX OF SOCIAL RANK IN TURKEY FEMALES E.

B. HALE

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. Evaluation of the influence of social rank on production has been limited by the laborious procedure required to determine social rank. In ten pens of 17-22 female turkeys the extent of denudation was measured using the ear as standard point, and severity scored from 1 to 3. Denuded scores ranged from 0-21. The correlation between social rank and denudation score was 0.65. Average scores for birds pecked by 0-6, 7-12, and 13-19 others were 3.0, 7.9, and 13.0, respectively. On the basis of the denuded area alone, 81 percent of the birds were correctly classified in the upper or lower half of the social hierarchy. By selecting only the 5 birds with the least and 5 with the largest degree of denudation in each pen, the classification of birds as to the upper or lower half of the peck-order was 92.7 percent correct. The pattern of denudation was well developed after females were penned for 3 months. Later, in well integrated flocks, low ranking birds showed regrowth of the neck feathers. Reliability of the measure may be increased by use of photographic techniques. EFFECT OF SEASON AND THYROIDAL ACTIVITY ON T H E MOLT RESPONSE TO PROGESTERONE IN CHICKENS AND PIGEONS PAUL C. HARRIS AND C. S. SHAKFNER

University of Maryland, College Park, Md. New Hampshire pullets maintained in laying batteries were force molted with progesterone at five periods of the year from November to July. As the date of progesterone injections approached the normal molt period, the forced molt tended to be heavier; and the normal molt in the fall, which occurred in most cases, tended to be lighter. A large degree of variablity was measured for all observations of molt. Egg production ceased immediately following progesterone injections and returned to normal in approximately two months. The pause in egg production appeared to vary directly with dosage. Progesterone injections appeared to delay oviposition, and interfered with pigmentation and egg shell deposition, but did not influence body weight or mortality. Response to progesterone as measured by molt and the pause in egg production appeared to be influenced

ABSTRACTS or by altered thyroidal activity. Progesterone injections did not measurably stimulate feather growth in a slow feathering strain of Barred Plymouth Rock chicks. In the pigeon, progesterone failed to induce molt; although high levels of thyroxine caused a heavy molt. The hypothesis is advanced that progesterone or a progesterone-like hormone is the primary cause of molt in the fowl. THE EFFECT OF SEX HORMONES ON THE FAT AND MOISTURE CONTENT OF BROILER CARCASSES BRYAN A. HEBERT AND CLAYTON C. BRUNSON

Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Baton Rouge, La.

Station,

Diethylstilbestrol was implanted in males and injections of testosterone were administered to females to study the effect of sex hormones on the fat and moisture content of broiler carcasses. Twenty males and 20 females were randomly selected from five-week-old broilers. Each of ten males was implanted with one pellet containing IS mg. of diethylstilbestrol. Each of ten females was injected twice weekly with testosterone from five to nine weeks of age. Ten males and ten females served as controls. Three replications were used. At nine weeks of age, one-half of each eviscerated carcass was finely ground and samples were taken to be analyzed. Lot means for percentages of moisture and fat respectively were: 69.3 ± .32 and 9.1 ± .36 for control males, 66.3 ± .39 and 12.7 ± .49 for diethylstilbestrol treated males, 67.3 ± .40 and 11.6 ± .53 for control females, and 67.5 ± .33 and 11.2 ± .45 for testosterone treated females. Both groups of females yielded a significantly higher percentage of fat than did the control males. The diethylstilbestrol treated males yielded a significantly higher percentage of fat than did the testosterone treated females but did not differ significantly from the control females in this respect. Percentage moisture yielded results similar to percentage fat.

THE FLUORESCENT PROPERTY OF MEAT SPOTS IN SHELL EGGS N. V. L. HELBACKA AND M. H. SWANSON

University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Information collected at this station indicates that most meat spots of brown shelled eggs fluoresce, whereas only a few of the meat spots of white shelled eggs fluoresce under ultra violet light. To substantiate this evidence, 2245 eggs were broken out, and the spots were fluoresced with a

1147

PAPERS

blacklight candler. Fluorescence was scored visually on a scale of increasing intensity from one to five. Of this total 1539 eggs were white and 706 eggs were brown. Nearly all of the meat spots from the brown shelled eggs had fluorescent scores of 3, 4, or 5, while most of the meat spots from the white shelled eggs fluoresced only faintly or not at all. This red fluorescent material was extracted and identified as a porphyrin, the same pigment present on brown shelled eggs. Since there is a direct relationship between the amount of porphyrin present and the degree of fluorescence, it served as a rapid means of approximating the amount of porphyrin present in each meat spot. The intimate relationship between meat spot fluorescence, shell color, and meat spot color was also demonstrated by feeding a coccidiostat (Nicarbazin) which reduced shell color and meat spot color simultaneously. Fading of meat spot fluorescence closely paralleled these changes. STUDIES OF THE RELATION OF ENERGYPROTEIN BALANCE TO THE EFFICIENCY OF ENERGY UTILIZATION BY T H E CHICK F. W.

H I L L , L. B. CAREW, JR. AND RTJTH O. A. RENNER

Cornell University,

Ithaca,

N.Y.

The effect of the proportion of dietary energy supplied as protein on the fat content of the growing chi«k may be due either to, (1) differences in efficiency of tissue synthesis from protein and carbohydrate, or (2) differences in total voluntary energy consumption. This was investigated by feeding to growing chicks two series of diets graded in energy concentration. Cellulose was substituted for glucose in one series (constant protein) and at the expense of complete diet in the other (constant energy-protein balance). Energy gains were determined by carcass analysis at 6 weeks. Weight gains were progressively reduced, similarly in both series, as cellulose level increased. Metabolizable energy consumed per gram gain was nearly constant in the series with constant energy-protein balance. In the other series, energy consumption per gram gain decreased progressively with increasing cellulose. These differences were reflected in carcass fat content. Total energy gain was linearly and closely related to total metabolizable energy consumption. The close similarity of the regressions for the two series of diets showed that, (1) the proportion of energy supplied as protein did not affect

1148

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

the metabolic efficiency of energy utilization, and (2) the influence of energy-protein balance on body composition was mediated primarily through its effect on appetite. GENETIC COVARIANCE ANALYSIS OF EGG PRODUCTION, EGG WEIGHT, AND BODY WEIGHT I N T H E FOWL M . L . HOGSETT AND A. W . NORDSKOG

Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa Heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated by variance-covariance components and intra-sire regression of daughter on dam for winter egg production rate (P), March egg weight (EW), and March body weight (Wm). This study covered three years of data involving 1938 daughters, 566 dams and 85 sires from IS inbred lines of six breeds. Hatch effects were estimated to contribute 10 percent, 4 percent, and 5 percent to the total intra-line variation in P, EW and Wm, respectively. Heritabilities from the sires' and dams' components of variance, using an optimum weighing technique and adjusted for inbreeding were .30 for P, .68 for EW, and .64 for Wm. Corresponding regression estimates of heritability were .07 for P, .43 for EW and .58 for Wm. Genetic correlations computed by variance-covariance components and by intra-sire regression were respectively, + . 1 0 and — .75 for P x EW, + .29 and —.81 for P XWm, and +.56 and +.52 for EW X Wm. The phenotypic correlations were +.06 for P X EW, —.03 for P X W\n, and +.34 for EW X Wm. The regression estimates of the genetic parameters are believed to conform more closely to the true biological model than the variance-covariance estimates. In the case of heritability estimates for EW from the heavy-breed sires' component of variance, a substantial amount of sex-linked variation was indicated. Selection indices constructed from these estimates show that with respect to genetic improvement in any one trait, index selection is more effective than selecting on the basis of that trait alone. THE PROJECT-STUDENT COMPLEX IN GRADUATE EDUCATION R. GEORGE JAAP

Ohio State University, Columbus 10, Ohio In graduate education proof of research ability is the Ph.D. dissertation embodying the results of original research. A part of the originality of any research is that of deciding on the problem and planning the procedures. In research with "designated funds," as those of experiment stations,

the problem and procedures must, of necessity, be decided in advance of the student's appointment. This means that the student works on a problem in which the choice of subject and procedures have been previously delimited. How, then, may a graduate student prepare a dissertation embodying the results of his original investigation if it arises from an experiment station project? Poultry Science is not alone in the practice of stating that most of the duties of a research assistant may be of a nature suitable for inclusion in the Ph.D. dissertation. This practice has now become an economic necessity of graduate education. How many such students conceive a problem, plan the procedures, and follow them through to the conclusion of an original piece of research? How may we prevent the Ph.D. program from being merely the attainment of certain manual skills with little, or no originality? Project research and graduate training are not as incompatible as they would appear on the surface. Considerable thought, organization and procedures of graduate training under the project complex are necessary to accomplish the desired end products—an original student and a fruitful research project. GROWTH RATE AND PLUMAGE COLOR R. GEORGE JAAP

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Columbus 10, Ohio

Station,

AND J O H N F. GRIMES

Nichols Poultry

Farm, Kingston,

N.H.

The following conclusions are based upon eight week weights of 19,221 progeny produced by five different type of matings: The gene inhibiting deposition of black melanin in the plumage, /, interacts with the gene which extends black color throughout the plummage, E, to suppress body weight at eight weeks of age. Growth rate to eight weeks is suppressed further when the gene responsible for barred plumage, B, is present with genes / and E. The average effect of / and E is to suppress body growth by .03 to .04 lb. by the eighth week after hatching. Body weight at this age is further reduced by B to .06 to .07 lb. as compared to those chickens having the i* and e alleles. The homozygous action of E is no greater than that of its effect in the heterozygous state, Ee, when both / and B are present in the genotype. The wild-type ( + ) alleles of B appear to counteract the growth suppressing effect of B in the presence of / and E.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

The question arises whether this growth suppressing effect is a further extension of a similar effect on melanophore activity previously reported for the White Leghorn and Barred Plymouth Rock breeds. S which suppresses red plumage pigmentation, or K which delays chicks feather growth, may suppress body growth rate but do not increase the growth suppression due to interaction of / with E and B. QUANTITATIVE REQUIREMENT OF TURKEY BREEDER HENS FOR VITAMIN E LEO S. JENSEN AND JAMES M C G I N N I S

State College of Washington, Pullman,

Wash.

An experiment was conducted to study the amount of supplemental vitamin E needed for maximum hatchability of turkey eggs. Broad Breasted Bronze hens were divided into 12 groups of 10 hens each and duplicate groups were given the following supplements to the basal ration: (1) None; (2) 3 I.U./lb. alpha tocopheryl acetate ( E ) ; (3) 6 I.U./lb. E ; (4) 12 I.U./lb. E ; (S) 24 I.U./lb. E ; (6) 0.025% butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT). The latter treatment was included to study the effectiveness of this antioxidant in replacing the need for vitamin E. The basal ration was composed of 65% corn, 18% soybean oil meal, 2.5% dehydrated alfalfa, 3 % fish meal, 3 % dried whey, and vitamin and mineral supplements. In addition, 1% fish liver oil was included in the ration to accentuate the deficiency of vitamin E. The hens were naturally mated with one male per group and the males were rotated weekly. The average percentage fertility of all eggs laid during an 18-week period for the above treatments was: 88, 91, 94, 89, 90, and 91, respectively. The average percentage hatchability of all fertile eggs during the 18-week period for the same treatments was: 57, 62, 67, 72, 77, and 66, respectively. The results showed that fertility apparently was not affected by a deficiency of vitamin E. The requirement for supplemental vitamin E for maximum hatchability was between 12 and 24 I. U. per pound under the conditions of this experiment. The level of BHT used was not effective in bringing about maximum hatchability.

1149

T H E PERFORMANCE OF EIGHT STRAINS OF WHITE LEGHORNS AT T H R E E LOCATIONS WITH RESPECT TO EGG QUALITY TRAITS A. S. JOHNSON AND R. S. GOWE

Canada Department oj Agriculture, Ottawa, Out., Canada Eggs from eight commercial strains of White Leghorns were hatched at Ottawa and equal samples of these strains were distributed to several stations, where they were reared under similar management conditions. Quality determinations of eggs from these strains were made at three stations in January, March, June and August, 1955. These measurements were egg weight, albumen height, Haugh units, specific gravity and blood spot incidence. A total of 13,442 eggs from 998 birds was used. Significant strain and "location" differences were observed for all traits, with strain differences being greater for albumen height, Haugh units and blood spot incidence. Differences between locations were larger than strain differences in the case of egg weight and specific gravity. Significant interactions between strain and location were evident in the case of egg weight and blood spot incidence; these interactions were of little or no importance in the albumen quality and specific gravity data. STUDIES ON T H E EFFICACY OF SOLUBLE FURACIN AGAINST CECAL COCCIDIOSIS CORNELL A. JOHNSON

Howard

University, Washington,

D.C.

Soluble Furacin Mix Veterinary dissolved in water was tested against cecal coccidiosis. Concentrations varying from 0.0033% to 0.02% were employed. Concentrations of 0.01% to 0.02% gave substantial protection but decreased weight gains indicated a probable toxic effect. The concentrations below 0.00S5% showed no promise as being coccidiocidal. The 0.008% level of Furacin when administered in drinking water on the day of infection, the day after infection, and two days after infection prevents mortality from cecal coccidiosis. When administered three and four days after infection deaths occur but in lesser numbers than is observed in the infected, non-medicated controls. This level does not interfere significantly with normal growth as determined by average weight gains. Furacin in drinking water does not interfere with immunity in chickens to E. tenella infection under the conditions of this experiment. The results obtained under the conditions of

1150

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

this experiment indicate that Soluble Furacin Mix in drinking water is a valuable agent in preventing or reducing mortality in outbreaks of cecal coccidiosis.

The results indicate that the chicken has a sense of taste. It is fairly well developed, judging from the sensitivity to relatively small concentration changes of some flavors. It is fundamentally different from taste as recognized in man.

T H E AMINO ACID REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAYING HEN 2. CLASSIFICATION OF THE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS REQUIRED FOR EGG PRODUCTION

ADJUSTMENTS WE MUST MAKE TO MEET FUTURE INDUSTRY N E E D S : TURKEY PRODUCTION

DEWEY JOHNSON, J R . AND H A N S FISHER

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.

Rutgers University, New Brunswick,

NJ.

The classification of the essential amino acids required by the laying hen has been studied using a free amino acid diet containing arginine, glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, trytophan, tryrosine and valine with nitrogen held constant at 2%. Normal egg production on this diet was maintained for experimental periods of thirty days. Omission of one of the following amino acids— arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, trytophan or valine caused the birds to stop eating the diet. Birds were force-fed the diet with one amino acid removed for five days and then returned to a practical laying ration. This resulted in an average lapse of production of 9.8 ± 1.40 days per bird. On the complete diet, no lapse of production occurred. Thus, for the laying hen, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, trytophan and valine are essential amino acids. On omission of glutamic acid, normal egg production could not be maintained. Tyrosine could be replaced when high levels of L-phenylalanine were fed. Unlike the growing chick, the hen does not require glycine for maximum production. T H E SENSES OF TASTE AND SMELL IN T H E FOWL MORLEY R. KARE AND A.

STEINSCHNEIDER

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

There are a sizeable number of references available on the senses of birds. Very few conclusions can be offered on taste and the related senses of the domestic fowl. An experiment was conducted on over 4000 individual chicks, in about 200 individual trials with almost 4 dozen different flavors and substances. Experimental methods were developed that could classify the response of the animal to the various flavors.

H. H. KAOTEMAN

(No abstract submitted) ESTIMATING VALUE OF POULTRY MANURE IN HOUSES H. H. KAUEEMAN

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. (No abstract submitted) STUDIES ON T H E EFFECT OF ANTIBIOTICS ON THE WEIGHTS OF THE SMALL INTESTINES OF CHICKS A. D. KEELING, C. H. H I L L AND J. W. KELLY

North Carolina State College, Raleigh, N.C. Studies have been conducted to determine the effect of feeding high levels of antibiotics on the weights of the small intestines of White Plymouth Rock and New Hampshire chicks. The chicks were placed on the experimental diets at one day of age and at intervals throughout the experimental period samples of chicks were drawn from the lots, sacrificed, and the small intestines removed and weighed. In one experiment the body weights, small intestinal weights and relative intestinal weights (gmyiOO gm. body wt.) at one week of age for the control group were, respectively, 65.2 gm., 5.43 gm., and 8.37%; while those receiving the antibiotic (chloretracycline HC1 100 mg./lb.) were 82.3 gm., 5.20 gm., and 6.35%. As the experimental period progressed the differences between the absolute weights of the small intestines of the two groups increased, reaching a maximum difference of 2.7 grams at four weeks of age. At five weeks the difference had declined to 1.9 grams. In a second experiment it was found that the differences in relative weights of the small intestine became apparent at five days of age, which was as soon as a definite growth stimulation was observed. In another experiment in which no growth response was observed to antibiotics, there was also no intestinal response.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

POULTRY STATISTICS—HOW THEY ARE DETERMINED AND EVALUATED E.

S M I T H KIMBALL

US. Department of Agriculture, Washington,

D.C.

(No abstract submitted) CONFINEMENT VERSUS RANGE REARING OF PULLETS FOR EGG PRODUCTION Q. B. KINDER AND MAYNARD YOES

University

of Missouri, Columbia,

Mo.

A total of 1,220 eight week old pullet chicks from 30 breeding groups of crosses and hybrids were randomized and grown from 8 to 22 weeks in a 24' X 60' confinement growing shelter and on clean range equipped with 10' X 12' range shelters. Using a free choice system of feeding, a 20% protein growing mash, and corn and oats, the feed requirement was identical (17.6 lbs. per pullet) with both groups during the growing period. Of the pullets started at 8 weeks of age, 93.3% from range reared and 93.1% from confined reared were suitable for housing. The confinement grown pullets were 5% heavier at housing, and sexual maturity was 4 days earlier than the range reared pullets. Egg production from housing at 22 weeks to December 1 was 54% for each group, but egg production from sexual maturity favored the range reared group— 71.9% as compared to 65.8%. Viability in range reared birds after housing favored the range reared birds with 95.1% compared to 92.7% for the confinement reared birds. REARING AND LAYING HOUSE FEED CONSUMPTION STUDIES UTILIZING RANDOM SAMPLE TEST DATA STEVEN C. K I N O

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. Most random sample tests rear the test chicks with entries intermingled. In order to evaluate estimation procedures used to charge feed to various strains reared intermingled, actual feed consumption and body weight data were obtained from the Canadian and California Random Sample Tests. Regressions of rearing feed consumption in pounds on housing body weight in pounds were: Y = 4,409 + 3.521 X (Canadian data) and ¥ = 6.973 + 3.587 X (California data). The correlation between estimated and actual feed consumption was .985 and .938 respectively. Multiple regressions of laying feed consumption on hen day egg production (Xi), body weight in

1151

pounds (Xs) and egg weight in ounces per dozen (X s ) gave Y = 36.73 + .097 X, + 6.363 X 2 + .108 Xs for heavy breed entries in the 4th New York Test and Y = - 1 7 . 3 0 + . 1 4 1 Xi + 8.138 X2 + 1.551 X 3 for the light breed entries. Light breeds in the California Test gave Y = —10.214 + .114 X , + 8.915 X 2 + 1.416 Xs. The multiple correlations were .68, .88 and .98 respectively. Thus, estimation procedures can determine both rearing and laying house feed consumption with considerable accuracy and little hereditary variation among entries remains after adjusting feed consumption for the traits studied. FEATHER PIGMENTATION OF CHICKS FED LYSINE DEFICIENT DIETS G. J. KLAIN, D. C. H I L L AND H. D. BRANION

Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ont., Canada Feeding a lysine deficient diet, based on sunflower seed oil meal, resulted in the development of white feathers (less than normal amount of pigment) in both sexes of Barred Plymouth Rock, Black Minorca and New Hampshire X Barred Plymouth Rock chicks. Black Australorp chicks did not show the symptom to the same degree. Reducing the protein in a lysine adequate diet to approximately 8% and keeping the lysine level unchanged relative to other amino acids did not alter the normal pigmentation pattern. The addition of folic acid, copper sulfate, tyrosine and iodinated casein to the lysine deficient diet did not prevent the white feather development. An analysis of normal and abnormally pigmented feathers revealed no differences in their content of total protein, 13 amino acids or copper. SOME BACTERIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN T H E PREPARATION OF A COMMERCIAL FROZEN STUFFED POULTRY R. W. KLINE, A. B. ROGERS, R. L. NIBLACK AND L. A. HARRIMAN

Armour and Company, Chicago, III. Home stuffed and institutionally prepared stuffed turkeys have been, on occasion, the source of food poisoning epidemics. This is probably due to a combination of factors: the contamination of the dressing from the turkey or from human sources; the action of the stuffing in serving as a nutrient medium more favorable to the organisms than the meat surface; and the method of stuffing and handling providing temperatures ad-

1152

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

vantageous for the multiplication of organisms. A commercial operation for the stuffing of poultry has been developed in which the stuffing mixture is prepared at temperatures far below the growth range and deposited in the cavity of the chilled poultry within a few minutes with minimal opportunity for human contamination. The effect of this system in reducing the possibility of bacterial multiplication will be discussed. Data are presented on the effect of the method of stuffing, the subsequent handling of the bird, and the cooking procedure, on the numbers of organisms present. EFFECT OF PROCESSING FACTORS ON T H E TENDERIZATION OF POULTRY A. A. KLOSE, M. F. POOL, M. B. WIELE AND D . DEFREMERY

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Albany 10, Calif. Occurrence of inadequate tenderization in some commercially processed poultry prompted an extensive evaluation of various factors in handling, dressing, chilling, freezing, and thawing as they affect the ultimate cooked tenderness of chickens and turkeys. Studies reported in 1955 on required aging times have been extended and additional data have been obtained on the marked toughening induced by the beating action of rubber fingers in mechanical feather pickers. Both chickens and turkeys were subjected to various combinations of scalding temperature, scalding time, type of picker and time and severity of exposure to picking action, and chilling or holding time above freezing before cooking. Chicken fryers and turkey fryers-roasters fried from the frozen state required about 12 hours holding above freezing for optimum tenderization. Prolonged periods in frozen storage had no appreciable tenderizing effect on inadequately chilled birds. Elevated scalding temperatures and prolonged scalding times had adverse effects on tenderization. Results indicate that toughness induced by excessive beating cannot be resolved completely by prolonged aging; and that the effects of beating are cumulative and may be reduced by limiting the beating action to that barely essential for complete feather removal.

SOME FACTORS AFFECTING T H E SHORT^ T E R M STORAGE OF EGGS H. J. KORSLUND, W. W. MARION AND W. J. STADELMAN

Purdue University, Lafayette,

Ind.

The effects of temperature, humidity and shell treatment on shell eggs stored for two weeks were determined. Concentrations of sulfuric acid were used to maintain relative humidities of 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% at S0°F. and 75°F. One-third of the eggs were non-treated, one-third were washed by an immersion washer, and one-third were oiled prior to storage. The lower temperature maintained egg quality and weight with less loss than did the higher temperature. Higher humidities minimized weight losses but had no significant effect on interior quality as measured by Haugh units. Oiling maintained egg quality and weight at a higher level than did the other shell treatments but washing at 120° with a commercial detergent had no significant effect on egg quality and weight when compared to non-treated eggs. SHELL QUALITY AND BACTERIAL INFECTION OF EGGS A. A. KRAFT, E. H. MCNAIAY AND A. W. BRANT

U. S. Department

of Agriculture, Beltsville,

Md.

Studies of the role of the shell in bacterial infection of shell eggs have been conducted. Characteristics of the shell examined were porosity, thickness, percent of total egg weight, and weight loss of stored eggs. Of these criteria of shell quality, porosity (as indicated by the dye method) was the most promising index for determining differences in susceptibility of shell eggs to bacterial infection. On the average, the greater the shell porosity, the greater was the degree of infection. When the dye method was used, a linear relationship was found between shell porosity over a specific range and the percent of eggs infected within porosity groups. This relation held for fresh and stored eggs. Porosity was affected by storage temperature, and increased from an inital average score of 5.6 for fresh eggs to 6.6 after 2 weeks in storage at 10°C, and to 7.2 after 2 weeks at 25 °C. In addition to storage temperature, the age and breed of hen and the season of the year were important in influencing porosity and infection. Eggs collected from older hens in the summer and early fall had a greater incidence of internal contamination within porosity classes than was observed with eggs obtained from pullets in the fall months.

1153

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS THE ARGININE LEVEL FOR CHICKS AS INFLUENCED BY INGREDIENTS B. A. KRAUTMANN, S. M. HAUGE, E. T. MERTZ AND C. W. CARRICK

Purdue University, Lafayette,

lnd.

Several trials were conducted using purified diets containing 21 percent casein, glycine, methionine and the necessary vitamins and minerals. There was an increased growth response with added L-arginine HCl at different levels up to an assayed arginine level of 1.65 percent of the diet. When gelatin was added as a source of arginine, the arginine was adequate at about 1.4 percent of the diet. A corn-casein diet containing 1.25 percent of arginine produced growth comparable to that obtained from the casein diet containing 1.65 percent of arginine. No growth response was obtained by the addition of L-arginine HCl to either a corn-soybean meal diet containing 0.94 percent or a corn-soybean-meal-corn-gluten meal diet containing 0.8S percent arginine by assay. Indications point to the presence of an unidentified factor of plant origin which enhances the utilization of the amino acid or otherwise renders the arginine of casein more available to the young chick. Apparently the level of arginine necessary for maximum growth is much more in a purified diet than in a corn-soybean meal diet. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTROLYTE LEVELS I N T H E CHICK AFTER HATCHING E. M. KRAVIS AND MORLEY R. KARE

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

Analyses for sodium and potassium were carried out on brain, skin, muscle, liver, and blood. These were done daily for the first seven days after hatching, and at longer intervals after this period. Observations were made on the relationships between the changes of the concentrations of sodium and potassium in the various tissues, and at what point the homeostatic regulatory mechanisms of the animals appeared to exert a more complete effect. The reciprocal adjustment of the electrolyte levels in the muscle with age was studied intensively. The sodium level in the pectoral muscle was observed to steadily decrease from a high of 102 milliequivalents on the first day of life to 15 milliequivalents 35 days later. There was a reciprocal change in the muscle potassium from 31 milliequivalents on the first day rising to 87 milliequivalents on the 35th day. There appeared to be less variation in the values

for the individual samples as the age of the experimental animals advanced. PERFORMANCE OF TOPCROSS PROGENY FROM INBRED MALES HOMOZYGOUS AND HETEROZYGOUS FOR B BLOOD GROUP ALLELES W. F. KRTJEGER, W. E. BRILES AND J. J. WOODS

Texas A. & M. College System, College Station and Prairie View, Texas Males from three inbred Leghorn lines were topcrossed with non-inbred females of an unrelated Leghorn line. Replicate matings were made, except that sires of each inbred line were separated into homozygous and heterozygous classes for the B blood group alleles. The sires for inbred Lines 22 and 24 were sorted into B'B' and B'B1 classes while for inbred Line 23 the sires were sorted into B2B2 and B2B" groups, respectively. Cross-progeny from these topcross matings were reared in three locations. Negative relationships between performance of the inbred lines and their corresponding topcrosses were observed for sexual maturity, early livability, and adult livability. Egg production of inbred Lines 22, 23, and 24 was 28.9, 29.8, and 30.9 percent, respectively. Corresponding production of topcrosses was 53.2, 54.6, and 54.1 percent, respectively. Topcrosses excelled the non-inbred control Leghorn line in sexual maturity, adult livability, and egg weight. Progeny produced by heterozygous males had a two percent higher livability during the rearing period and five percent higher egg production. These data suggest some favorable B2 allele effect on early livability and production for Line 22 and 24 crosses and for the B* allele in the Line 23 cross. Strain-location interactions for egg production and livability of the topcrosses were evident. THE EFFECT OF LOW HUMIDITY DURING HATCHING ON T H E HATCHABILITY OF CHICKEN AND TURKEY EGGS W. F. KRUEGER, GUILLERMO CORRAL AND J . H . QUISENBERRY

Texas A. and M. College System, College Station, Texas The effects of low humidity (82° wet bulb) during the nineteenth and twentieth days of incubation on chicken eggs were compared with the conventional method of hatching using 90° wet bulb from the nineteenth day through completion of the hatch. In the low humidity group moisture

1154

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

was increased to 90" wet bulb after 5 percent of the eggs had hatched and maintained until the hatch was completed. Mean differences in hatchability obtained from three experiments comparing low and high humidities were 1.11, 1.10, and 3.83 percent favoring 90° wet bulb during the hatching period. These differences, though in the same direction, were not of sufficient magnitude to be statistically significant. No significant differences were noted in incidence of embryos dying during the third week, in pipped eggs, chick weight, or chick quality. A similar comparison with B. B. B. turkey eggs gave no difference in hatchability due to the two hatching period humidities. However, a wet bulb temperature of 87.5° from setting to transfer time gave approximately 3 percent higher hatchability than a wet bulb reading of 86°. Poult weights and quality were not affected by setting or hatching humidities.

A COMPARISON OF TUBE AND TROUGH FEEDERS FOR BROILER PRODUCTION RAINO K. LANSON, J. ROBERT SMYTH AND CECIL E. HOWES

The University of Maine Agricultural Station, Orono, Me.

Experiment

Three experiments were conducted during the past year to compare tube and metal trough feeders for broiler production. Six pens of 400 sexed broilers, a total of 2400, were involved in each test. One square foot of floor space was allotted per broiler. Two sizes of metal trough feeders were used, a small feeder for the first four weeks, and a large feeder for the remainder of the rearing period. In the first, second, and third tests, the amount of trough feeder space per broiler amounted to 2.8S, 2.8S, and 3.45 linear inches respectively. The amount of tube feeder space was 1.37, 1.37, and 1.47 linear inches respectively. Mash was fed for the first three weeks, and pellets for the remainder of the rearing period. Weekly determination of feed consumption and a sample weighing of 100 birds in each pen per week, plus total final broiler weights revealed little or no difference between types of hoppers used, in growth rate and feed consumption. As a result, there were no significant differences in feed conversion and performance efficiency. Each type of hopper possessed its own peculiar characteristics helpful in the daily care and management of broilers.

EVALUATING CONSUMER GRADES OF EGGS AND POULTRY H.

E. LARZELEEE AND L. E.

DAWSON

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. A panel composed of about 100 representative homemakers in Detroit was used to determine their ability to distinguish between Federal-State grades of eggs and chicken fryers. The tentative results indicate a rather wide variation in the quality selections made by the different members of the panel. In instances where the consumers' opinions differed significantly from the presently established grades, sample selections were used to determine in what individual characteristics of quality the homemakers did not agree with the present grade specifications. Egg samples were ranked on the basis of shell texture, color of shell, cleanliness of shell, and broken out appearance both fried and uncooked. The chicken fryers were ranked in accordance with the present grade specifications of conformation, bruising, fleshing, finish, pin feathers, and broken bones. The preliminary analysis indicated that the homemakers used the factor of fleshing more often than the other factors in making their quality rankings. Tentative synthesized grade specifications, which take into account more of the consumers' wishes regarding quality than is done with present grades, have been established. These revised grades were also tested with price differentials to measure the decisions that homemakers are likely to make regarding premiums for superior quality or discounts for inferior quality produce. DEMONSTRATIONS IN CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION: FEED MICROSCOPY M. F. LAWATSCH

Larro Research Farm, Indianola, (No abstract submitted)

Iowa

1155

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

HOW PRODUCTS RESEARCH CAN INCREASE CONSUMER DEMAND FOR POULTRY AND EGGS

U. S. Department

LINEWEAVER

of Agriculture, Albany 6, Calif. MEMBERS

W. J. STADELMAN

Purdue University, Lafayette,

Ind.

RAY CRAY

Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio A. W. BRANT

U. S. Department

of Agriculture, BeltsvHle, Md. CARL KOONZ

Swift & Co., Chicago, III. J. M.

Poultry

GWIN

and Egg National

Board, Chicago, III.

EVALUATING RANDOM SAMPLE LAYING TEST RESULTS D. R. MARBLE

Cornell University, Ithaca,

W. W. MARION, W. J. STADELMAN AND L. A. W I L H E L M

A Panel Discussion Chairman—HANS

REACTION OF DAY-OLD CHICKS TO EXTREMES OF ENVIRONMENT

N.Y.

We have been more successful in the management of random sample tests than in training the public to interpret the data. The most common errors in interpretation by commercial poultrymen are: 1. Over-emphasis on the winning pen. 2. Acceptance of part-year or single year results on an equal with three or five year results. 3. Failure to study the reported data in detail. Statistical analysis of the data has been made by the management of some of the tests but statistical measures mean little to the non-statistician. The answer is not less statistical analysis but more attention to translating the results. Test supervisors have repeatedly cautioned thenreaders about placing too much emphasis on partyear or single year results. Too frequently, these words of caution are omitted when the data are reported in poultry papers or are used in advertisements. A drastic change in the method of reporting data may be necessary before this problem can be solved. Poultrymen like the present method of reporting the results in terms of income. However, it has the tendency to blind the poultryman to strain weaknesses which would be revealed by study of the data on egg production, egg size, body weight, feed consumption, mortality or egg quality.

Purdue University, Lafayette,

Ind.

Several experiments were conducted in an attempt to determine the effects of adverse temperatures, various box depths and delayed feeding and watering on growth and mortality of young chicks. Approximately 200O White Leghorn male chicks were used. When chicks were subjected to environmental temperature ranging from 38°F. to 99°F. for a period of two hours, no significant weight differences existed between groups at the end of two weeks. There were no significant differences in the mortality of chicks in the various groups. Similar results were obtained when these temperatures were used in conjunction with a twelvehour treatment period. Box depth, when tested at temperatures ranging from 40°F. to 90°F., appeared to have an effect on chick weights at the end of 1, 4 and 6 weeks. Chicks held under these conditions in boxes of four inch depth for 12 hours were significantly heavier than similar chicks held in boxes of five and one-half inch depth. No differences in mortality were noted. The effects of starvation were pronounced on both body weight and mortality of chicks. Chicks starved for 100 hours had significantly smaller weights than those given feed and water immediately. These differences existed up to 6 weeks of age. Mortality differences between the two groups were highly significant up to two weeks of age. A SECOND FLOCK HISTORY AFTER IMMUNIZATION AGAINST NEWCASTLE DISEASE AND INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS AND OBSERVATIONS ON CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE F. S. MARKHAM, W. H. PATTON, A. HAMMAR, C. A. BOTTOREF, P.

H.

E.

GINGHER, E. D. PERRY AND W. C. TESAR

American Cyanamid Co., Pearl River,

N.Y.

A laying flock that was brooded and reared on as isolated island is described. The birds were vaccinated with a combination Newcastle disease —infectious bronchitis vaccine at 8 days of age. Their immune response to both viruses were determined at various intervals for approximately one year. In the absence of exposure, substantial levels of antibody were maintained and increases

1156

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

in antibody associated with reproductive activity were observed. At the end of the year the flock was exposed to infectious bronchitis virus. The resulting inapparent infection re-activated chronic respiratory disease which was latent in the flock. Egg production fell to approximately two-thirds of the pre-exposure level, and 3.8 percent of the layers died. The observations and implications of this experience are discussed in relation to vaccines, immunity and the general problem of chronic respiratory disease. EFFECT OF CONTROLLED LIGHT DURING T H E GROWING PERIOD UPON SUBSEQUENT PERFORMANCE OF BREEDER TURKEYS J. E. MARK, F. W. GARLAND, JR., J. L. M I L L I GAN AND H . L . WlLCKE

Ralston Purina Company, St. Louis, Mo. Experiments employing Beltsville Small White turkeys hatched in January, March and September, 19S4, January, 1955 and White Hollands in May, 1955 have been conducted to determine the effect of reducing the duration of daily light during the growing period on subsequent laying performance. The length of lighted day was reduced to a constant level of 8 consecutive hours starting at 14 or 16 weeks of age and continuing to 28 or 30 weeks respectively. Each day the treated birds were driven into darkened pens at 4:00 a.m. where they were confined until 8:00 a.m. the following day. At 28 or 30 weeks of age, length of day was increased to 14 hours. All birds had access to small outside runs each day. Commercial growing and breeder rations were used. In a subsequent production period of 19 weeks, the hens hatched in January of both years and subjected to controlled daily light during the growing period laid an average of 59 eggs per hen as compared to 35 eggs for the controls. The difference in egg production was small between treatments for birds hatched in March. Controlled lighting had no beneficial effect on performance of hens hatched in May or September.

STUDIES ON CHICK UTILIZATION OF CAROTINOID PIGMENTS FROM ALFALFA IN T H E PRESENCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS L.

D.

MATTERSON, L. M.

PUDELKIEWICZ,

DORIS

POTTER, W.

J.

CARLSON AND

E . P . SlNGSEN

University

of Connecticut,

Storrs,

Conn.

Diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) were compared as to their influence on the utilization of carotinoid pigments from alfalfa as a precursor of vitamin A and as a source of skin pigments. Growth, plasma and liver vitamin A, and skin carotinoids were used as criteria of measurement. Alfalfa was incorporated into a semi-purified vitamin A-low diet (Poultry Sci. 34: 1080) in geometric progression to furnish 50-12,800 I.U. of vitamin A per pound. For the criteria of measurement used, it was found that: 1. DPPD and BHT were not significantly different in their effects. 2. Using Hegsted's method of evaluating minimum vitamin requirements, it was found that, for equal growth 50% less provitamin A was required, and for equal levels of vitamin A in liver and plasma, 38% and 40% less provitamin A were needed, respectively, in the presence of the antioxidant. 3. These results compare favorably with those of Matterson et ah, 1955, (Poultry Sci. 34: 1080), who showed on dosage response curves that 3 3 J i % less vitamin A from fish oil was required for equal growth in the presence of DPPD. CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELEVISION FOR TEACHING UNIVERSITY CLASSES A. J. G. M A W Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. (No abstract submitted)

COPPER TOLERANCE OF YOUNG CHICKENS R.

H.

MAYO, S. M.

HAUGE, H.

F. N . ANDREWS AND C.

Purdue

University,

W.

Lafayette,

E.

PARKER,

CARRICK

Ind.

A study was made of the copper tolerance of young chickens. Growth rate, mortality, and occurrence of muscular dystrophy served as indicators of copper tolerance. A purified diet, consisting primarily of cerelose, casein, and gelatin,

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

and a corn-soybean oil meal diet were both used in the study.. Chicks fed the corn-soybean oil meal diet grew significantly faster than chicks fed the purified ration containing the same amount of elemental copper. In one trial the corn-soybean meal diet with 324 p.p.m. copper caused muscular dystrophy and a significant inhibition of growth at 4 weeks of age. In another trial a level of 520 p.p.m. decreased growth at 4 weeks of age, but the males had an average weight equal to those in the control lot when 8 weeks old. When copper was included as copper-boundcasein instead of copper sulfate, a significant growth increase resulted, but the incidence of muscular dystrophy remained the same. No relationship between the incidence of muscular dystrophy and vitamin E level of the ration was established. A marked increase in mortality occurred in the chicks when either a practical or purified diet contained 1270 p.p.m. copper. REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN SIX STRAINS OF TURKEYS M.

G.

MCCARTNEY, V.

D.

CHAMBERLIN

1157

T H E GENETIC CORRELATION OF ALBUMEN QUALITY IN FRESH AND STORED EGGS C. F. MCCLARY AND G. E. BEARSE

Western

Washington Experiment Puyallup, Wash.

Station,

Eggs produced by about 1600 hens during six consecutive days were used in the study. More than 500 dams and 73 sires were represented among hens having albumen quality measured. Haugh unit value of day old eggs was determined on those eggs laid on alternate days. The remaining three days production was stored for nine days at 50°F. followed by seven days at 70°F. After the storage period the remaining eggs were broken and the Haugh unit value was measured. Two groups of hens differing in age by five weeks were represented in the Haugh unit measurements. The genetic correlation between Haugh unit value of fresh eggs and stored eggs of one age group was +.94. The same correlation for the second group was +.99. Heredity had no measureable effect on the rate of loss in albumen quality of eggs from hens involved in the study reported in this paper.

AND J. W. W Y N E

The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Wooster, Ohio

Station,

Two strains each of three varieties of turkey breeders (Bronze, Large White and Small White) were selected on November 10, 1955 and housed in duplicate pens of 12 to 18 females each. All females were exposed to artificial lighting at 4 A.M. on January 9, 1956. Each female was mated twice by artificial insemination with 0.05 ml. of undiluted semen either from an individual male of the same strain or from one of the other five strains of males. One insemination was made prior to and one at the time of the beginning of the collection of hatching eggs. Hatching eggs were collected over a 28-day period beginning on February 20, 1956 and set at 14-day intervals. Data were collected on feed consumption, body weight, egg production, egg weight, fertility and hatchability. Percent fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs was best for the two strains of Small Whites. There was a significant difference among the six strains for egg production and for feed required to produce hatching eggs.

FEED EFFICIENCY FOR EGG PRODUCTION AS INFLUENCED BY BREEDING, BODY SIZE, EGG SIZE, AND RATE OF PRODUCTION DON F. MCCRACKEN, MARSHALL MILLER AND J . H . QUISENBERRY

Texas A. and M. College System, College Station, Texas Two commercial inbred hybrids and one strain of White Leghorns, involving a total of 176 birds in the first year and 328 birds in the second year were fed individually. Individual body weights, egg weights, and daily egg production were recorded. One of the major objectives was to determine if breeding influenced feed efficiency other than through body weight, egg weight, and rate of production. Data were recorded by four-week periods. Of the four variables related to feed consumption (1) body size, (2) egg size, (3) number of eggs, and (4) breeding, the standard partial regression was the smallest for breeding, —0.113, and the largest for body size, 0.646. When the maximum feed efficiency has been attained by the breeder through adjustment of body size and rate of production, improvement through selection for inherent feed efficiency may be utilized.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

1158

COUNTY POULTRY SCHOOLS J N NEW YORK STATE DEWEY MCNIECE

Cornell University,

Ithaca,

N.Y.

The College Poultry Commodity Committee decided a new approach was needed in our Extension Program to be of greatest service to county agents and poultrymen of the state. This new approach called for a series of meetings. This series, composed of six lessons, was planned around "management," and involved all angles of this important phase of the poultry business. The Departments of Agricultural Economics and Poultry Husbandry each gave two lessons, and the Department of Agricultural Engineering and College of Veterinary Medicine each gave one. The advance sign-up, planning, and publicity were probably as important in making the series successful as was the new approach. Plans were started six months in advance, and requests for the series by counties had to be in the scheduling office two months before the meetings were to begin. Each county was required to have a minimum of twenty poultrymen signed up. Mimeographed material was sent out in advance so poultrymen could study it before each meeting. Each lesson was presented by a different specialist on the same night every week for six consecutive weeks. Twenty-three different series were held; poultrymen from 32 counties attended with an average attendance of 34 at each meeting. This covered the important poultry areas of the state. The series of meetings were so well received by the poultrymen and agents that plans are now being formulated for a new series with major emphasis on "marketing." SOME ASPECTS OF WATER METABOLISM IN THE CHICKEN WILLIAM MEDWAY AND MORLEY R.

Cornell University,

Ithaca,

KARE

N.Y.

The fragmentary nature of the literature pertaining to the many aspects of water metabolism in the domestic fowl led to the study. White Leghorn pullets from an inbred strain at Cornell University were used throughout. The various aspects were studied on pullets of 1 day, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 16, and 32 weeks of age. The aspects of water metabolism that were studied were the combined cutaneous and respiratory water loss, total body water and blood volumes. Along with these the basal metabolic rates, specific gravities of whole blood and plas-

mas and hematocrits were determined. The evaporative water loss as mgms. H2O/ ml.CVhr. was 0.64 on the first day of life. This dropped to 0.38 for the next two weeks, then rose gradually to that of the adult or 1.08 at 32 weeks of age. The metabolic rate was 611.2 Cal./sq. m / d a y on the first day. This reached a peak at about two to three weeks of age, then gradually decreased to that of the adult. An attempt was made to correlate the fluctuations of the aspects studied with the establishment of homeostasis in the fowl. HEREDITARY EXENCEPHALY IN T H E FOWL W. J.

MELLEN

University of Delaware, Newark, Del. Mild to severe exencephaly was noted in chicks hatched from six S. C. White Leghorn hens during the 1954 hatching season. These chicks were sired by two half-brothers; the dams and sires had common ancestry. Since that time, nearly 3S0 chicks have been produced from single-male matings of the six females to the two males. 8.9% of all classifiable chicks (hatched chicks plus late-dead embryos) were exencephalic, with a range of 4.1% to 17.6% from individual dams. There was a wide range of expression of the trait, varying from a scarcely noticeable hydrencephalocele to massive herniation of the brain. No other gross abnormalities were apparent. The incidence of exencephaly was no greater in late-dead embryos than in hatched chicks, but the condition proved fatal to most chicks during early life. The lethality was due largely to susceptibility to mechanical damage. A few exencephalic birds were reared to maturity. During early 19S6, one such cockerel was mated to the two original carrier females still alive (mating A ) ; another was mated to two exencephalic pullets (mating B). From mating A, one hen produced 8 exencephalic chicks out of 40; the other, none out of 19. From mating B, one pullet produced 12 exencephalic chicks out of 24; the other, none out of 6. The exencephaly described here is apparently inherited as a recessive trait, but the underlying genetic mechanism is obscure. There is no evidence of sex-linkage.

1159

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

BLOOD PROTEIN-BOUND IODINE IN THE FOWL W.

J.

M E I X E N AND L.

University

of Delaware,

B. HARDY, J R .

Newark,

Del.

A modification of the method of Brown et al. (J. Clin. Endocrinol. 13: 444, 1953) has been used for determination of the amount of proteinbound iodine (PBI) in chicken serum and plasma. The method involves alkaline ashing of washed serum or plasma protein, acid leaching of iodide from the ash, and colorimetric determination of the iodide by its catalytic effect on the reduction of eerie ion by arsenious acid. The outstanding result of these studies has been the discovery that PBI level in the chicken, as determined by this method, is much lower than in mammals. The following data on average PBI levels (u.g. per 100 ml.), all obtained in our laboratory by the same technique, illustrate this difference: 3 N.H. pullets, 1.22; 7 W.P.R. pullets, 1.15; 3 S.C.W.L. hens, 1.13; 6 young Pekin ducks, 1.14; 5 Holstein cows, 4.12; 5 Holstein calves, 4.90; 6 Guernsey cows, 3.91; 6 Guernsey calves, 6.67; 3 mature albino rats, 3.50; 2 young rabbits, 2.16. Comparisons of serum vs. plasma yielded the following mean PBI values (u.g.%) in W.P.R. pullets and N.H. hens: serum, 1.02; oxalated plasma, 1.02; heparinized plasma, 0.97. The unexpectedly low avian PBI values raise the question of whether PBI is a good criterion of circulating thyroid hormone (thyroxine?) in birds. PBI data obtained in this laboratory from experiments involving thiouracil-fed and thyroxine-injected chickens suggest that it is not.

PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON T H E ARGININE AND GLYCINE NEEDS IN LAYING DIETS H.

MENGE, L.

J.

MACHLIN AND

ROBERT J. LILLIE

U. S. Department

of Agriculture, Beltsville,

lnd.

Barred Rock pullets were housed in laying cages in an air-conditioned room and fed a complete practical diet for a 10-week period. The birds were than distributed into 5 comparable groups of 9 each on the basis of egg production and body weight. Group 1 was continued on the practical diet. Group 2 was fed a basal synthetic diet calculated to be adequate in all nutrients except arginine and glycine. Groups 3, 4, and 5 were fed the synthetic diet supplemented with

0.4% glycine, 0.3% arginine and a combination of the two, respectively. The egg production for a 24-week period was 64, 47, 48, 54, and 60 percent, for groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The pounds of feed consumed per dozen eggs was 5.6, 5.7, 5.6, 5.6, and 4.6, respectively. The body weight gain was influenced to a certain degree by glycine but not by arginine or a combination of the two. EXPERIENCE WITH SOLAR HEATED HOUSES LEONARD S. MERCIA

University

of Vermont,

Burlington,

Vt.

(No abstract submitted) MINIMUM PROTEIN REQUIREMENT OF LAYING PULLETS AT DIFFERENT ENERGY LEVELS E. C. MILLER, M. L. SUNDE AND C. A. ELVEHJEM

University

of Wisconsin, Madison,

Wis.

Three experiments were conducted to study minimum protein requirements at different energy levels with Leghorn pullets kept in laying batteries. Egg production, body weight, and feed efficiency data were obtained. The experimental periods varied from twelve to fifteen weeks. The diets in the first experiment contained 12, 13, or 14% protein and 940 Calories of productive energy per pound. Average egg production was 71, 76, and 74% and the pounds of feed required per dozen eggs were 5.7, 4.9, and 5.0 respectively. The 12% protein group lost body weight while the other groups gained. In the second experiment, the diets contained approximately 940 Calories per pound, with the protein levels at 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14%. Body weight was maintained in all groups except at the 10% protein level. Average egg production dropped below 60% in the groups fed 10 and 11% protein. Levels of 640, 745, and 930 Calories per pound were fed in the third experiment. The protein levels used ranged from 12 to 2 1 % for each energy level. No differences in body weight or egg production were observed. Feed efficiency increased as the caloric content of the diet increased.

1160

ABSTRACTS O F

THE PATHOGENICITY OF EIMERIA ACERVVLINA NEAL F.

MOREHOUSE AND W.

Dr. Salsbury's Laboratories,

C.

MCGTJIRE

Charles City,

Iowa

A single crop inoculation with approximately 5 million oocysts of the intestinal coccidia species, Eimeria acervidina, produced 6.3% mortality among 16 chicks while the same quantity given on 2 and 3 consecutive days resulted in 12.2 and 21.1% mortality of 74 and 19 chicks respectively. Mortality as high as 75% was obtained when chicks were infected on 4 or 5 consecutive days with 5 million oocysts. Twenty million oocysts on 2 consecutive days also produced 75% mortality. Chicks receiving a single infection with S and 10 million oocysts discharged 6.47 and 7.74 million oocysts per gram of feces during a single 24 hour period with daily averages of 4.81 and 4.72 million oocysts per gram during the first 4 days of the patent period of the disease. White opacities resulting from colonies of developing parasites were visible through the serosa of the small intestine of lightly infected chicks but the mucosa was not extensively reddened by inflammation. Such white opacities were rarely seen in the intestines of chicks receiving at least one million oocysts. The mucosa usually had a bright red color resulting from extensive inflammation. A MUTATION DILUTING MELANIN IN BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS

PAPERS

IMPROVED UNIVERSITY TEACHING THROUGH THE USE OF STUDENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES LAWRENCE MORRIS

Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah More and more students majoring in animal husbandry are coming from urban areas. These students have little or no farm background. It is the responsibility of the College or University to provide facilities for these students to receive practical training and experience. At the Brigham Young University, courses have been initiated whereby students may enroll for credit in practical projects. Courses in Poultry and Dairy Production have been given and facilities are being provided for all phases of animal husbandry. Basically the plan is for the University to provide all facilities and to help with financing where necessary. All work is done by the students under competent supervision. Expenses and profits are shared by the University and the student. A bonus plan is worked out as an incentive for superior work. Results to date justify the following: 1. Better qualified students are produced where the classroom lecture is supplemented with practical projects. 2. The projects when carefully managed should be self sustaining. 3. Animal Husbandry projects of all kinds— poultry, dairy, beef cattle, swine, and sheep—lend themselves very satisfactorily to project activity.

WALTER MORGAN AND DEAN JONES

South Dakota State College, Brookings, S.D., and DeKalb Hybrid Seed Co., Sycamore, III. In a closed population of Barred Plymouth Rocks several birds appeared which had light barred patterns. Subsequent matings resulting in the production of all light barred chicks from two such parents. Further breeding tests indicated that the diluting mutant was recessive to both the extension factor (E) and the restriction factor (e). The mutant subline has been maintained as a non-inbred strain for approximately five years. Phenotypically their plumage is whiter in appearance than that of typical Barred Rocks. The gene not only alters adult feathers, it also effects chick down color. The dark brown chicks are easily identified as pullets and the light grey chicks as cockerels.

STUDIES ON ISOLATION OF T H E CHICK GROWTH PROMOTING FACTOR(S) IN THE ASH OF UNIDENTIFIED GROWTH FACTOR SUPPLEMENTS A. B. MORRISON, L. C. NORRIS AND M. L. SCOTT

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

Results have been reported which showed that the ash of unidentified growth factor supplements significantly increased chick growth at 4 weeks of age when added to purified diets containing adequate amounts of nutrients known to be required. In further work ash prepared by digesting unidentified factor supplements with concentrated nitric acid was as growth-promoting as ash prepared by incineration. Ash prepared at either 800° or 1000°C. was not as active as ash prepared at S2S°C, indicating that the active mineral (s) was lost by sublimation or converted

1161

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS into an unavailable compound. Treating ash prepared at 525°C. with boiling water showed that the active mineral (s) was insoluble under these conditions. On dissolving the ash in nitric acid •and passing the solution through a cation exchange resin in the hydrogen form, results were obtained which indicated that the active factor (s) is cationic in nature. The elutrient promoted an increase in growth equal to that obtained with the original ash, while the effluent was inactive. The results of spectrographs analyses of these fractions indicated that the effects obtained from the elutrient were not due to minerals known to be required, in confirmation of previous findings. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATERAND CCvLOSS DURING STORAGE AND ALBUMEN AND YOLK QUALITY AFTER STORAGE WERNER J. MUELLER

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. One set of 64 eggs was stored for 14 days at 12°C. and another set of 64 eggs for 4 days at 37.5 °C. in an atmosphere free of C0 2 and at relative humidities ranging from 0% to 100%. Except for 100% relative humidity, the relative humidity of the storage environment had no effect on Haugh unit score, yolk height, and C0 2 content of the albumen of either set. Eggs which were kept at 100% relative humidity had moist shells and their Haugh unit scores, as well as the C0 2 content of their albumen, were significantly ( 1 % level) higher than the respective measurements of eggs kept at lower humidities. In another experiment eggs were kept for seven days at 28°C. over CaCl2 and a small cup containing KOH. The following correlation coefficients were found: between C0 2 -loss and Haugh unit score —.341; between water-loss and Haugh unit score —.155, between C02-loss and waterloss +.534. From these experiments it is concluded that there is no causative relationship between waterloss during storage and Haugh unit score after storage. It seems probable that the negative correlation between water-loss and Haugh unit score is due to the positive correlation between C0 2 loss and water-loss. The limited solubility of C0 2 in water is proposed as an explanation for the higher Haugh unit score and higher CO2content of eggs kept at 100% relative humidity.

SYNOVITIS CONTROL. 5. INTRAMUSCULAR STREPTOMYCIN AND A COMPARISON OF CONTINUOUS AND INTERMITTENT FEEDING OF AUREOMYCIN AND FURAZOLIDONE(NF-180) D.

A.

MUNRO, N.

O.

OLSON, D.

C.

SHELTON

AND C. E. WEAKLEY, JR.

West Virginia University, Morgantown,

W.Va.

Streptomycin fed continuously to birds and started prior to inoculation with the infectious synovitis agent did not control the infection. To test whether streptomycin, if injected, would control the disease, intramuscular injections of 25 mg. of dihydrostreptomycin sulfate per pound of body weight were given as follows: group 1— one treatment at time of inoculation, group 2— as group 1 plus repeated injections every fourth day, group 3—one treatment when signs appeared and group 4—as group 3 plus repeated injections every fourth day. Streptomycin was about 75 percent effective in the birds of group 1 and 2 but was not effective when given to group 3. Repeated injections as given in group 2 and 4 were not beneficial. Continuous and intermittent feeding of aureomycin and NF-180 were compared at three levels of treatment—100, 200 and 300 gms./ton. Continuous feeding began at day old whereas the intermittent feeding began after signs of infection appeared. With either aureomycin or NF-180, continuous was superior to intermittent feeding. Continuous aureomycin was superior to continuous NF-180 medication. In this study all levels of treatment with aureomycin given on the intermittent schedule proved to be more effective than the same levels of NF-180 fed continuous from day old. Control of the infectious synovitis in laboratory birds has best been attained at this station by continuous feeding of aureomycin. FAT AND AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENTATION OF CHICK STARTING RATIONS CONTAINING COTTONSEED MEAL EDWARD C. NABER AND C. L. MORGAN

Clemson Agricultural College, Clemson, S.C. Degossypolized cottonseed meal can replace substantial quantities of soybean oil meal in chick starting rations without impairing growth. Efficiency of feed utilization, however^ is frequently impaired when cottonseed meal is fed. Chicks were reared in batteries and fed experimental rations. The basal ration consisted of 58% corn, 34% soybean oil meal and small amounts of fish

1162

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

meal, dried whey products, minerals, vitamins and antibiotic. When one-half the soybean oil meal in the basal ration was replaced by several types of cottonseed meal, growth was comparable to that of the controls but feed utilization was impaired. Methionine or methionine plus lysine failed to affect growth but did slightly improve feed utilization on the cottonseed meal containing rations. White grease (2%) improved feed utilization on the cottonseed meal ration making it comparable from the standpoint of both growth and feed utilization to the basal ration. Poultry grease, crude cottonseed oil and crude cottonseed soapstocks were found to be equivalent to white grease. A comparison of 44% and 50% protein cottonseed meals with corresponding soybean oil meals revealed that the fiber content of the 44% cottonseed meal appeared to be responsible for the impaired feed utilization associated with the feeding of this meal.

EFFECT OF PROGESTERONE ON EGG PRODUCTION A. V. NALBANDOV

University

of Illinois, Urbana, III.

In a preliminary experiment Leghorn pullets of unknown age injected with !^ to 1 mg. of progesterone daily began to lay on the average 20 days before the controls. In a second experiment 14 crossbred pullets (New Hampshire X Columbian females), aged 136 days, were implanted with a single pellet of progesterone weighing 25 mg.; IS untreated pullets served as controls. All birds were kept in a laying battery under similar conditions. Within five days after implantation 10% of the implanted birds and only 1% of the controls had laid. In the treated group the rate of production increased very rapidly and within 45 days after implantation the treated hens laid at 75% while the controls laid at 45% of maximum. During the whole period (45 days) treated hens laid an average of 25 eggs per hen, the controls 15 eggs per hen; total production was 372 eggs vs. 224 eggs for the controls. Clutch size: 2.7 eggs vs. 1.55 eggs for the controls; intervals between clutches: 1.18 days vs. 1.48 days for the controls; average weight of single yolked eggs: 47.1 gms. vs. 50.5 gms. for the controls; 2.2% of eggs in treated group were double yolked vs. 5.6% in control group. For unknown reasons both groups laid many soft

shelled eggs: 20% for the treated group and 28% for the controls. All differences were significant. STUDIES ON THE RELATION OF VITAMIN K DEFICIENCY TO T H E FIELD HEMORRHAGIC SYNDROME T.

S. NELSON AND L.

C.

Cornell University, Ithaca,

NORRIS

N.Y.

Studies were conducted, using sulfaquinoxaline as a stress factor, to determine if vitamin K deficiency is implicated in the field hemorrhagic syndrome. Chicks 4 to 5 weeks of age were fed a diet composed of corn, soybean oil meal, methionine, minerals, and all vitamins except vitamin K. Vitamin K deficiency developed in chicks fed the basal diet and those fed the basal diet containing sulfaquinoxaline. The drug accelerated the development of the deficiency and greatly increased the mortality. Hemorrhages were observed in chicks supplied sulfaquinoxaline plus 0.5 and 1 mg. of menadione as menadione sodium bisulfite per 100 gms. of diet. Blood clotting time of these chicks, however, was within the normal range. Higher levels of menadione prevented the development of hemorrhages. Without sulfaquinoxaline, 0.5 mg. menadione prevented the development of hemorrhages and prolonged blood clotting time. Hypoplastic bone marrow was observed in chicks supplied the basal diet either with or without sulfaquinoxaline, but the incidence was greater in chicks given the drug. Vitamin K reduced the incidence of hypoplastic bone marrow. Abnormal bone marrow was revealed by visual examination and by determination of bone marrow hemoglobin. Closer correlation was observed in the symptoms of vitamin K deficiency and the field hemorrhagic syndrome than previously reported. THE EFFECT OF FAT IN T H E RATION ON FAT DEPOSITION IN BROILERS GEORGE W.

NEWELL, JACK L. ROLLIN H.

FRY AND

THAYER

Oklahoma A. and M. College, Stillwater,

Okla.

Chickens were fed rations with different percentages of added fat to broiler age. Males from each of these groups were selected at random, killed and eviscerated by splitting down the back. The specific gravity of the entire carcass was determined by the water displacement method. Although the actual fat content was not determined, the specific gravity was used as a measure of

ABSTRACTS O F PAPERS

differences in fat content of the birds on the various rations. The rations contained 0, S, 10 and IS percent of added fat. The test was replicated. Statistical analysis of the specific gravities, using Duncan's multiple range F test showed that the IS percent group was significantly different (S percent level) from the 0 and S percent groups in both trials. In one trial, the 10 percent group did not differ significantly from the 0 and S percent groups, but was significantly different from the IS percent group. In the other trial, the 10 percent group was not significantly different from the IS percent group, but was significantly different from the 0 and S percent groups. It was evident from these results that adding fat to the ration increased the deposition of fat in the carcass of the eviscerated broiler. It also appeared that maximum fat deposition may occur with an added fat level somewhere between 10 and IS percent. ADJUSTMENTS WE MUST MAKE TO MEET FUTURE INDUSTRY NEEDS: EGG PRODUCTION W. E. NEWLON

University

of California, Berkeley, Calif.

(No abstract submitted) RECIPROCAL CROSS COMPARISONS INVOLVING LEGHORNS, HEAVIES AND FAYOUMI A. W . NORDSKOG

Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa Four strains of Leghorns, three heavy breeds (Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, and White Rock) and the Egyptian breed (Fayoumi) were used to obtain reciprocal crosses involving these three principal groups. In addition, Leghorn strain crosses, heavy crosses and pure Fayoumi birds were included in the experiment. From 7020 chicks hatched in 1955, a total of 1839 pullets were placed in 23 pen replications at housing time. Statistically significant differences between reciprocal crosses were noted for body weight of pullets at 8 weeks of age but not for adult body weight. Egg production of the heavy male X Leghorn female crosses exceeded their reciprocals by 10 percent (68 percent vs. S8 percent). Laying house mortality to March 1st of the Leghorn male X heavy female crosses was 8 percent greater than the reciprocal cross (1S.4 percent vs. 7.3 percent). Differences in brooder and range mortal-

1163

ity among all the reciprocal crosses were not statistically significant. Reciprocal crosses involving the Fayoumi breed were not statistically different in egg production and laying house mortality. However, laying house mortality was least for the pure Fayoumi and for the Fayoumi X heavy breed crosses (pure Fayoumi, 7 percent and Fayoumi X heavy crosses, S percent). STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF NICARBAZIN ON REPRODUCTION I N CHICKENS W. H. OTT, A. M. DICKINSON AND A. C. PETERSON

Merck Institute for Therapeutic Rahway, N.J.

Research,

Continuous feeding of 0.0125% or less nicarbazin from day-old to maturity or to the end of 3-4 months of egg production showed no effect on sexual maturity, egg production or egg weight with New Hampshire chickens. Concentrations as high as 0.07% had no effect on fertility, or feather or body pigmentation. On the other hand, the normally brown eggs were markedly depigmented and hatchability was greatly reduced when hens were fed 0.0125% nicarbazin continuously. Shell pigmentation was detectably reduced when as little as 0.003.% nicarbazin was fed, while a slight decrease in hatchability was noted with as little as 0.001% nicarbazin in the feed continuously. However, it was necessary to feed 0.07% nicarbazin continuously to produce chalk white egg shells and to reduce hatchability to zero. The sudden introduction and subsequent continuous feeding of 0.008% or more nicarbazin caused a lowering of egg production, suggesting that nicarbazin was less well tolerated in this respect than when fed continuously since before maturity. Shell color returned to normal in 3 days and hatchability and egg production became normal in 3-4 weeks after withdrawal of nicarbazin from the feed. The severity of these effects was directly related to the nicarbazin concentration in the feed. THE EFFECTS OF WASHING ON T H E HATCHABILITY OF HEN EGGS JACK R. PALMER AND TILL M. HUSTON

University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. The study was designed to determine the influence of washing on the hatchability of clean and dirty eggs held for one week prior to incubation. Fourteen hatches involving more than 16,000 eggs were made between April, 1954 and June,

1164

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

1955. Eggs were separated into two groups—dirty and clean. If an insufficient number of dirty eggs were available, some eggs were partially coated with a water mixture of litter and droppings and allowed to dry. Each hatch consisted of four groups of eggs: unwashed clean, washed clean, unwashed dirty, washed dirty. Eggs were washed in a commercial washer for 5 minutes and dried before a fan. A commonly used detergent was added to the wash water. No significant differences were found between the groups when compared for percent hatch of fertile eggs, percent hatch of total eggs or percent of early dead embryos. The data suggests that hatching eggs washed properly will hatch as well as unwashed eggs. IONIZING IRRADIATION OF FRESH SHELL EGGS RICHARD W. PARSONS AND WILLIAM J. STADELMAN

Purdue University, Lafayette,

bid.

Five tests, consisting of six levels of irradiation, have been run using a 5J4 million volt linear accelerator. Haugh unit measurements were used in evaluating the effects of the irradiation treatments. An analysis of variance has been applied to these data. The following levels of irradiation (treatments) were included in each of the five tests: (1) 13 seconds 1 X 103; (2) 42 seconds 3 X 103; (3) 54 seconds 1 X 104; (4) 54 seconds 3 X 104; (5) 108 seconds 1 X 10" and (6) 166 seconds 3 X 10". Deterioration of the thick albumen resulted from irradiation treatment. An off odor accompanied this physical change in thick albumen which has tentatively been identified as an ozone odor. Treated eggs held under refrigeration for 24 hours had deteriorated significantly from eggs broken out immediately following irradiation. The differences in albumen height for treated eggs broken out immediately were significant at a 1 percent level. Differences between treatment means 1, 2, 3, and 4 or between 5 and 6 were not significant. However, differences between treatment means 1, 2, 3, and 4 were significantly different from treatments 5 and 6.

THE GROWTH AND FEED EFFICIENCY OF CHICKS FED DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FAT M. W. PASVOGEL AND H. B. HINDS

University of Arizona Experiment Tucson, Ariz.

Station,

A vegetable fat, animal fat, dry animal fat and a fish-vegetable fat mixture were fed to chicks to four weeks of age. The fats were used in both a corn and a milo-soybean oil meal-fish meal diet containing 20.6 percent protein and 870 Calories per pound of diet. The substitution of 3 percent fat for 3 percent of the corn or milo raised the productive energy level to 926 Calories per pound of diet. Supplementing the diets with the animal or the fish-vegetable fat mixture improved growth slightly. The greatest improvement in growth was obtained with the addition of vegetable fat. The weight of the chicks receiving the dry animal fat did not equal the weight of the chicks receiving the basal indicating that the carrier used may have affected the efficiency of the diet. INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIETARY TALLOW AND T H E PHYSICAL FORM OF FEED FOR BROILERS AND TURKEYS W. F. PEPPER, S. J. SLINGER AND J. D. SUMMERS

Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ont., Canada. Duplicate groups of 140 broiler type chicks or 44 Broad Breasted Bronze poults were fed diets containing 0, 2.5 and 5.0 percent added tallow in both mash and either crumble or pellet form. All broiler starters contained 43 and all finishers 53 Calories for each 1 percent protein. The protein level of the turkey diets was maintained constant at 28 percent during the first 8 weeks and at 20 percent from 8 through 24 weeks of age. The turkey diets were fed along with grain from 8 through 24 weeks of age. The results of the broiler experiment at 10 weeks of age indicated that tallow caused a significant weight increase when included in mash diets but caused no weight increase in pelleted feeds. The weight increase due to pelleting was highly significant as was the interaction between tallow and physical form. The results of the turkey experiment at 24 weeks were similar to the broiler results in that tallow caused an increase in weight with mash diets and no increase when the feed was pelleted. However, the interaction between tallow and physical form did not prove to be significant in this experiment.

1165

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS THE EFFECT OF NICARBAZIN ON PORPHYRIN AND YOLK FORMATION D. POLIN AND C. C. PORTER

Merck Institute for Therapeutic Rahway, N.J.

Research,

Porphyrin formation by tissues from hens that normally lay brown or white eggs and fed diets with and without nicarbazin has been studied, in vitro. Uterine and liver tissue homogenates of hens fed control diets form porphyrins in buffersaline or plasma when incubated with delta-aminolevulenic acid (DAL), a porphyrin precursor. Uterine tissue homogenates produced about 114 V/100 mg. tissue compared to 60 y/100 mg. of liver; muscle homogenates formed only a trace of porphyrin at the largest amount employed (1.6 cc. of 1 gram glandular tissue homogenized in 25 cc. buffer-saline). Uterine and liver homogenates prepared from tissues of hens fed nicarbazin at .008 and .02%, and laying depigmented shells, formed as much porphyrin as those from hens on a control diet. Mottling (oily, transparent-appearing blotches within or on the yolk) occurred as a natural phenomenon in fresh eggs obtained from a commercial flock of White Rock pullets. There was a high incidence (42%) of mottling during the first few weeks of production and then a gradual decrease to a low of about 15% by the 11th week of production. Nicarbazin, fed at levels of about .005% and higher, increased the severity and incidence of mottling above that of the control pens. Levels as high as .03% were fed, and a direct relationship was found between the degree of mottling and the percent nicarbazin in the diet. The mottling caused by feeding high levels of nicarbazin, .02-.03%, was associated with a marked decrease in the viscosity of the yolk, a decrease in neutral and vitellin lipid and a slight decrease in total nitrogen.

STUDIES ON T H E EFFECT OF VARYING PROTEIN LEVELS AND CALORIE-PROTEIN RATIOS IN POULTRY RATIONS ON GROWTH AND FEED EFFICIENCY L. M. POTTER, L. D. MATTERSON, DORIS CARLSON AND E . P . SlNGSEN

University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn. A block design experiment was conducted with varying protein levels from 20 to 30% and varying Calorie-protein ratios from 32 : 1 to 56 : 1 . An attempt was made to maintain protein quality by

adding a mixture of casein:gelatin:methionine, at the expense of wood flour. To increase the Calorieprotein ratio at any protein level, beef tallow was added at the expense of wood flour. Constant ingredients were: 36.38% yellow corn, 5.0% fish meal, 2.5% alfalfa meal, minerals, vitamins, DPPD, and penicillin. Productive energy values as revised by Titus were used to calculate Calorie content of diets. Each of the 32 diets was fed to 18 White Plymouth Rock male chicks, in batteries, through 6 weeks of age. Conclusions: 1. As the productive energy and protein increased in diets of a constant Calorie-protein ratio ( 3 2 : 1 to 5 6 : 1 ) , or as the Calorieprotein ratio increased in diets of a constant protein content (from 20-30%) growth rate consistently increased until the diet contained approximately 1150 Calories, and gain to feed ratio constantly increased throughout the entire experiment. 2. Both chick growth rate and gain to feed ratio were more closely related to productive energy level than they were to the Calorieprotein ratio. EFFECT OF ANTIBIOTICS AND ARSONIC ACIDS ON EGG PRODUCTION J. D. PRICE, H. D. STELZNER, B. L. REID AND J. R. COUCH

Texas A. and M. College System, College Station, Texas Reports from this laboratory have shown that the addition of bacitracin, penicillin, aureomycin, terramycin and streptomycin as well as arsanilic acid has increased egg production and improved feed efficiency when added to the laying diet. Recent experiments have been carried out with a practical type laying diet which was thought to contain adequate levels of all nutrients including unknown growth factors. The feeding of aureomycin, 25 mg. per pound, increased egg production 5% over that -obtained with the 2J4 mg. per pound level. Four groups of approximately 100 hens, in which egg production had decreased, were fed 0, 5, 25 and 50 mg. of aureomycin per pound for a period of three months after which time the percent production was 15, 16, 25 and 45%, respectively. Egg production was increased 10% by feeding 25 mg. per pound aureomycin and was not further increased by feeding 50, 150 and 200 mg. of the antibiotic per pound. The feeding of 3-nitro-4-hydroxy phenylarsonic acid,

1166

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

22.5 mg. per pound, increased egg production 4 to 6% and improved feed efficiency. RESPIRATORY TRACT FLORA IN CRD K. E. PRICE, Z. ZOLLI, JR., W. B. HARDIE AND M. J. GALLIAN

Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., Terre Haute,

Ind.

Chickens artificially infected with CRD were sacrificed two to three weeks after exposure and specimens for bacteriological examination obtained from three regions of the respiratory tract: the nasal passageways, the trachea, and the pleural cavity contents. Serial dilutions of tissue suspensions or swabbings were cultured in tryptone glucose agar using pour plate techniques for total organism counts. Blood agar plates were inoculated from various dilutions for identification of genera. As compared with uninfected controls, the infected birds were found to show a marked increase in bacterial counts (on the order of 75 : 1 ) , and there was a shift to a predominantly gram-negative flora due to a marked increase in coliforms. The effect of antibiotic feeding on the disease was studied. Terramycin at 500 gm. and 100 gm. per ton of ration markedly reduced coliform invasion in infected birds and had some influence on the course of the disease. Penicillin at the same levels failed to suppress coliform invasion in infected birds and had little influence on the course of the disease. A COMPARISON OF T H E PERFORMANCE OF THREE STRAINS HOUSED IN REPLICATED FIFTY BIRD PENS AND AN INTERMINGLED GROUP F. G. PROUDFOOT, R. S. GOWE AND B. F. CHENEY

Canada Department of Agriculture, Kentville, N.S., and Ottawa, Ont., Canada This study was designed to estimate the magnitude of the pen effects and to compare the performance of 3 strains in 12 small pens (SO bird size) and a large intermingled group (a pen of 677 birds). There were no significant pen effects for any trait. The repeatability (intraclass correlations) estimates for all traits measured were relatively high: hen-housed egg production .83, survivor egg production .77, 160 day body weight .93, March body weight .94, laying house mortality .47 and feed efficiency .84. Although strain differences were highly significant, there was no difference in egg production

or mortality for the birds in the small pens and in the large intermingled group and no evidence of any strain X replicate interaction. On the basis of this study, it was concluded that there is no advantage in intermingling strains after housing. There are several disadvantages, particularly the loss of the feed efficiency data. Pen effects may be important, however, if properly designed uniform pens are not available for such comparative tests and if great care is not taken to see that the equipment and management of the pens are very uniform. THE RELATIONSHIP OF PROTEIN, FIBER AND FAT IN THE DIET OF THE GROWING CHICK N. T. RAND, H. M. SCOTT AND F. A. KUMMEROW

University of Illinois, Urbana, III. Crossbred (New Hampshire X Columbian) female chicks were fed purified diets with graded levels of protein ranging from deficient to adequate protein content each with 0, 10 and 19% fiber (Solka floe). With ad libitum feeding 10% fiber improved growth wherever protein was deficient but depressed growth where protein was adequate. Nineteen percent fiber depressed growth in all instances. However, when using both deficient and adequate protein levels and equalizing feed intake, growth was depressed when 10% fiber was substituted for cerelose, whereas no difference was observed when the fiber was added on top of the basal diets. The diet containing 10% fiber and 7% added corn oil improved growth markedly when compared with the basal diet of the same protein and energy content. This effect appears to be due to the fat only. The results indicate that fiber does not seem to have any nutritional role for chick growth since its beneficial effect in protein deficient diets can be fully explained by the increased consumption of nutrients. Fat, however, seems to have a specific beneficial effect not attributable to essential fatty acids, energy, protein or other nutrients.

1167

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS MEASUREMENT AND OF UNIDENTIFIED FACTORS USING PURIFIED

DIFFERENTIATION CHICK GROWTH A NEW SEMIRATION

R. A. RASMUSSEN, PAUL W. LUTHY, J. M. LANEN AND C.

VAN

S. BORUFF

Hiram Walker & Sons, Inc., Peoria, III. A new and relatively inexpensive semi-purified diet has been devised and used in a study of unidentified chick growth factors. Chicks fed this diet fortified with either the ash of an unidentified factor carrier, or unidentified factor carriers which produce only an ash response, grew at the same rate as other chicks fed the basal diet. Additive growth responses, however, were secured with this diet for three unidentified, apparently organic factors. One factor is found in alfalfa meal and dried whey, a second in fish solubles and liver residue, and a third in distillers dried solubles. Average four-week mixed sex weights for chicks fed the basal approximated 340 grams while chicks fed the ration fully fortified with unidentified factors averaged approximately 560 grams. Supplement additions were made at the expense of cerelose. Keeping the productive energy content of supplemented rations equal to that of the basal by use of animal fat resulted in a greater expression of unidentified factors. Equating productive energy to protein (41 Cal. P.E. per each percent protein) with the same supplements lowered growth responses and caused high death losses. POULTRY IN FARM AND HOME DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: ITS APPLICATION I N STATE EXTENSION PROGRAMS C. B. RATCHFORD

North Carolina State College, Raleigh,

N.C.

(No abstract submitted) INORGANIC GROWTH PROMOTING SUBSTANCES—MOLYBDENUM B. L.

RETD, A. A. KURNICK, R. L.

SVACHA AND

J. R. COUCH

Texas A. and M. College System, College Station, Texas The addition of 0.0126 ppm. molybdenum to a purified diet increased the growth of depleted chicks 10 to 18%. Mineral mixtures which simulated the ash of distillers dried solubles have been found to produce growth responses in both chicks and poults. The omission of molybdenum from

such mixtures did not appreciably affect the growth promoting properties. The chemicals used in the reconstituted ash mixtures may not have been free of molybdenum. The molybdenum content of the purified basal diet was 1.0-1.1 ppm. There is reason to assume that this molybdenum was largely unavailable. Richert and Westerfeld (J. Biol. Chem. 203: 915, 1953) have indicated that the molybdenum of soy flour was firmly bound and unavailable for the rat. In the feeding tests with chicks and poults involving the addition of molybdenum, increased growth was obtained in 15 out of 20 experiments. Although the evidence is not conclusive, it appears that the chick and poult may have a requirement for this element. ADJUSTMENTS WE MUST MAKE TO MEET FUTURE INDUSTRY NEEDS: BROILER PRODUCTION WADE H.

University of Maryland,

RICE

College Park,

Md.

(No abstract submitted) ENERGY STUDIES WITH BROILERS: THE EFFECT OF USING VARIOUS FIBROUS FEEDSTUFFS, WITH AND WITHOUT ADDED FAT, IN A PRACTICAL BROILER RATION C. E. RICHARDSON, A. B. WATTS AND E. A. E P P S

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. In two experiments, involving 1120 chicks in groups of 10 males and 10 females per deck in batteries, the effect of replacing corn and soybean meal in a practical broiler ration with ground rice hulls, ground oats, extracted rice bran, and wheat bran was studied. The fibrous feeds were incorporated in the ration at two levels which were calculated from average analyses to be isofibrous with 6% and 12% rice hulls. In addition 6% and 12% fat was incorporated with the low and high fiber levels respectively at the expense of corn. Finely ground rice hulls exhibited a single deleterious effect, that of an energy diluent. According to their performance, the sources of bulk could be ranked in the following order: (1) basal or corn, (2) oats and rice hulls, (3) extracted rice bran, and (4) wheat bran. A series of correlations indicate that the chief limiting effect of the fibrous materials for both gain and feed efficiency was their effect upon Calorie/protein ratio. These data indicate that for a protein level of 21.5%23.5% the optimum C/p ratio lies between 41 and

1168

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

43. There was a great deal of evidence to indicate a difference in the composition of the fiber of the materials used. There was a fat X fiber interaction resulting in improved performance. The addition of vegetable fat will counteract all or part of the performance depressing effect of the fibrous feedstuffs used in these experiments. PROTEIN REQUIREMENT OF CHICKS FOR MAINTENANCE OF NITROGEN BALANCE AND GROWTH E. J.

ROBEL, G. F.

University

COMBS AND G. L.

of Maryland,

ROMOSER

College Park,

Md.

The effect of varying protein and energy intakes on the retention of dietary protein was studied in four 2-week experiments with 0, 2, 4, and 6-week old chicks, respectively. Four isocaloric diets containing 24, 18, 12 and 6% protein, respectively, were fed free-choice to single groups. Others were pair-fed modified diets to insure identical protein intake but only 75, 50 or 25% of the energy consumed by the respective freechoice controls. The protein mixture contained 80.83% Drackett C-l assay protein, 15.06% casein, 2.19% DL-methionine, and 1.92% glycine. Carcass fat content increased with each increase in energy intake while moisture and protein contents decreased. Increased caloric intake consistently improved the retention of dietary protein. Protein retention was related to protein consumption of chicks having similar carcass composition. From this the average daily protein requirement for maintenance of nitrogen balance averaged 0.005 grams of dietary protein per gram of body weight. The average daily protein requirement for gain averaged 0.337 grams of dietary protein per gram gain. Hence, the average daily protein requirement in grams per chick = /initial weight (gms.) + final weight (grns.A 0.0051 ——— ) : \ 2 X no. days in period / +0.337 (av. daily gain, gms.). EFFECT OF DIETARY PROTEIN LEVEL ON THE METHIONINE-ENERGY RELATIONSHIP IN BROILER DIETS HANS R.

ROSENBERG AND J. T.

BALDINI

E. I. du Pont De Nemours and Co., Inc. Newark, Del. A study of the effect of protein level on the methionine-energy relationship has shown that, when sufficient energy is available, methionine requirement, expressed as percent of the diet, increases as protein level increases. At lower energy

levels protein increases do not result in proportional increases in methionine requirement. These conclusions are based on the results of seven experiments on growings male chicks fed diets based on corn, soybean oil meal and pea meal, supplemented with graded doses of DL-methionine at each protein and energy level. In three of these experiments when protein was increased from 20 to 26 percent in a diet containing approximately 1000 Calories of productive energy the increase in methionine requirement was proportional to the increase in protein. But the same protein change at 900 Calories did not result in a corresponding increase in the methionine requirement. In four other experiments, protein levels of 20, 24 and 28 percent were fed at energy levels of 890 and 1050 Calories of productive energy. Again, on the higher energy diet, the estimate of methionine requirement at each protein level showed an increase approximately proportional to the increase in protein. On the lower energy diet, however, the increase in methionine requirement with the increase in protein was much less and was not proportional to the protein level. TURKEY MEAT COOLING AND FREEZING STUDIES E. A. SAUTER, J. V. SPENCER, M. W.

EKLTJND

AND W. E. MATSON

State College of Washington, Pullman,

Wash.

Experiments were conducted to study the effects of different cooling procedures, freezing temperatures, and packaging materials on appearance, weight change, tenderness, and freezing rate of turkey meat. The cooling procedures tested were: (1) Ice water; (2) Bird packaged in an evacuated shrinking polyvinylidene bag and air cooled; (3) Bird sprayed with mineral oil and air cooled. Freezing temperatures tested were 0°, —20°, and —40°F. All cooled birds were essentially equal in tenderness. Turkeys not subjected to cooling were observed to be less tender than cooled turkeys except when frozen at 0°F. Cooled carcasses ranked on best appearance were: (1) Ice water; (2) Polyvinylidene packaged; (3) Oil sprayed. Packaging films tested were: (1) Non-evacuated polyethylene; (2) Evacuated heat shrinking polyethylene; and (3) Evacuated heat shrinking polyvinylidene. These films may be ranked on the basis of superior carcass appearance as follows: 3, 2, 1.

1169

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

When frozen in —40°F. air blast, 13-lb. birds reached —20°F. in the following order: (1) Unpackaged—5 hrs; (2) Evacuated shrinking polyvinylidene—6.5 hrs.; (3) Evacuated shrinking polyethylene—7.5 hrs.; and (4) Non-evacuated polyethylene—9.5 hrs. T H E ARGININE REQUIREMENT OF T H E CHICK FOR EARLY GROWTH J . E. Savage and B. L. O'Dell University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. Day old Single Comb White Leghorn male chicks were reared in batteries to four weeks of • age on purified diets which contained 35 percent of casein, 0.5 percent of DL-methionine, 10 percent of soybean oil, glucose, and essential minerals and vitamins. Supplemental arginine was supplied at graded levels from 0.3 to 1.2 percent with and without 1.5 percent of added glycine. Microbiological assay showed this ration contained 1.15 percent arginine. As the arginine content was increased to levels that produced maximum growth, the magnitude of the response to added glycine was diminished. Supplements of guanidoacetic acid and creatine were also tested in diets that contained added glycine. A large portion of the supplemental arginine required for maximum growth can be replaced by creatine and guanidoacetic acid. For this portion of the arginine requirement it appears that, on a weight basis, these supplements are about one-third as effective as arginine. EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS SINUSITIS IN TURKEYS WITH FURAZOLIDONE 1 S. C. SCHMITTLE AND WILLIAM B. PUTNAM

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Mich.

Soon after infectious sinusitis made its appearance, 2000 eight-week-old Bronze poults were given 100 mg. dihydrostreptomycin sulfate in each sinus as well as 50 mg. intramuscularly in an attempt to control the air sac syndrome. The response to this treatment was disappointing. A trial using furazolidone in the severely swollen sinuses was set up eight weeks later. Each sinus was injected, without previous aspiration, with one ml. of a suspension containing 50 mg. of furazolidone. Of 47 birds (94 sinuses) treated with furazolidone, 37 (78.7 percent) recovered completely. Of 1 Supported in part by a grant from Dr. Hess and Clark, Ashland, Ohio.

69 (138 sinuses) lanced and swabbed with silver nitrate, recovery occurred in 32 (46.3 percent). In a series of trials under laboratory controlled conditions with artificially induced infectious sinusitis, several preparations of furazolidone were compared for efficacy with streptomycin sulfate. Based on complete regression of swelling during a three week observation period following treatment, the following results were obtained: seventy-eight sinuses involving 48 birds were treated and streptomycin sulfate in doses of 10C and 200 mg. resulted in from 0.0 to 11.1 percent recovery whereas furazolidone in doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg, resulted in 50 to 100 percent recovery. Untreated infected and uninfected treated controls were maintained. The results indicate that furazolidone in doses of 100 to 200 mg. was superior to similar doses of streptomycin sulfate against the agents of infectious sinusitis of turkeys under study. STUDIES ON PURIFIED DIETS. 1. SUPPLEMENTAL MAGNESIUM LEVELS H. M. SCOTT, M. W. MOELLER AND S. W. HINNERS

University of Illinois, Urbana, 111. Snyder (1954) demonstrated that chick growth was not improved by increasing the magnesium content of a cerelose-casein type of diet from 0.025% supplemental magnesium to 0.04%. This was true for both arginine deficient and arginine adequate diets. Additional experiments have been conducted with a cerelose-Drackett protein diet. When the basal diet was supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 600 ppm. of magnesium maximum growth was obtained with 100 ppm. of supplemental magnesium. Higher levels did not depress growth. EVIDENCE THAT EXUDATIVE DIATHESIS AND ENCEPHALOMALACIA DIFFER ETIOLOGICALLY M. L. SCOTT, T. S. NELSON AND H. E. BUTTERS

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

Using a purified diet containing isolated soybean protein, 27.7; glucose (cerelose), 57; vitamin E-free lard, 5; cellulose (Solka-floc), 3 ; and all minerals, amino acids and vitamins required by the chick except for vitamin E, symptoms of both exudative diathesis and encephalomalacia occurred in chicks in high incidence during the first four weeks of growth. Supplementing the diet with 20 mg. per pound of vitamin E (d-alpha-

1170

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

tocopheryl acetate) or 10% of dried brewers' yeast completely prevented exudative diathesis but did not prevent encephalomalacia. Supplementation with the antioxidant, diphenyl-pphenylene diamine (DPPD) prevented encephalomalacia but did not prevent exudative diathesis. Addition of these materials together prevented both symptoms. When the vitamin E-free lard was omitted from the basal diet, DPPD failed to prevent either exudative diathesis or encephalomalacia, whereas both were prevented by vitamin E. Since encephalomalacia appeared to be related to the occurrence of active rancidity in diets containing fat, its occurrence in chicks receiving a fat-free diet may have been due to active rancidity of chick body fats in the absence of vitamin E, which was not prevented by DPPD due to lack of absorption of this material from the fat-free diet. These results indicate that in chicks exudative diathesis is a more specific symptom of vitamin E deficiency than encephalomalacia. THE INFLUENCE OF AUREOMYCIN® ON THE PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF BROILERS • K. C. SEEGER AND R. J. PRICE

American Cyanamid Company, Georgetown, Del., and Pearl River, N.Y. A total of 38,640 chicks in four flocks were divided into groups receiving continuous levels of aureomycin* chlortetracycline in the feed, water, or both, varying from 50 mg. in either feed or water, to both 100 gm. per ton of feed and 400 mg. per gallon of water. Data summarized at 10 weeks of age indicated that aureomycin intake at 100 gm. per ton of feed or the equivalent in water gave an increased growth response and feed efficiency as compared with controls. Under the conditions of the experiment, levels of aureomycin higher than 100 gm. per ton of feed or water equivalent did not improve beneficial effects over the 100 gm. per ton level. This same trend appeared to follow, to a lesser degree, with the total mortality. Where Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis vaccine were used, it appeared that deaths characterized by respiratory lesions were reduced in proportion to the aureomycin intake. The addition of 90 grams of arsenilic acid in the presence of 100 grams of aureomycin chlor* The trademark of American Cyanamid Company for the antibiotic chloretetracycline is Aureomycin.

tetracycline per ton of feed did not materially improve growth or feed efficiency over the controls. Feeding similar levels of aureomycin for the first two weeks only did not appear to improve the average weight, feed efficiency, or mortality at ten weeks of age when compared with controls. AUREOMYCIN IN T H E CONTROL OF BACTERIAL SPOILAGE OF EVISCERATED POULTRY AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES W. G. SHANNON AND W. J. STADELMAN

Purdue University, Lafayette,

Ind.

Five temperatures were used in the experiment — 32°, 37°, 42°, 47° and 68°F. Six chickens for each temperature were eviscerated and then divided into halves. One half of each bird was immersed for IS minutes in water only to serve as controls while the other half was immersed for IS minutes in a solution of aureomycin in water at 10 p.p.m. Each half was then enclosed in a gas-proof plastic bag and stored at the appropriate temperature. Spoilage was measured by taking a smear from each half-bird each day and by noting the presence of odor and slime. At 68°F. control birds gave positive slides after two days storage while the treated halves were positive after three days storage. At 47 °F. the corresponding storage times were 4 days and 7.16 days, on the average, while at 42°F. the days to spoilage were 6.16 and 11.48 respectively. The 47° temperature held controls for 9.66 days but the treated birds at this temperature took IS.16 days to spoil. This was longer than the control birds at 32 °F. which showed positive at 13.88 days. At this temperature treated birds kept 28.S8 days. In all cases the difference between treatments were significant at the 1% level. Evaluation by slime and odor showed a similar relationship except that at high temperatures offodor and slime appeared simultaneously with or only one day after positive slide while at 37° and 32° there was a lag of from one to five days after positive slides were obtained before off-odor and slime could be classed as positive.

1171

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS STUDIES ON THE VITAMIN K REQUIREMENT OF T H E CHICK D. C. SHELTON, G. C. ANDERSON, T. B. CLARK AND C. E. WEAKLEY, JR.

West Virginia University, Morgantown,

W.Va.

Using a corn-soybean oil meal ration supplemented with dried whey, vitamins (except vitamin K) and minerals, studies were conducted to determine more accurately the vitamin K requirement of the chick and the relative efficacy of a fat and a water soluble form of 2-methyl1,4-naphthoquinone. For this purpose the soybean oil meal was exhaustively extracted with petroleum ether to remove the fat and residual vitamin K. Chicks were depleted for two weeks and were placed on rations containing 2.7% and 5.7% fat (corn oil) supplemented with 2-methyl-l,4naphthoquinone (menadione) from 0 to 0.63 mg./ lb. ration or menadione sodium bisulfite from 0 to 0.63 mg./lb. Results to date indicate that the menadione requirement is approximately 0.54 mg./lb. in the presence of 5.7% fat and up to 0.63 mg./lb. in the 2.7% fat ration. However, irrespective of fat level 0.09 mg./lb. menadione sodium bisulfite was adequate. When the relative menadione content of the menadione sodium bisulfite is considered, the efficacy of this form is approximately 18 times greater than that of menadione.

SYNOVITIS CONTROL. 4. ANTIBIOTICS AND FURAZOLIDONE (NF-180) D. C. SHELTON, N. O. OLSON AND

marked aid in evaluating the efficacy of the various drugs. FURTHER STUDIES ON EFFECT OF NICARBAZIN ON REPRODUCTION OF CHICKENS D. H.

SHERWOOD, T. T. MILBY AND H. L. WITZ

Larro Research Farm, lndianola,

Iowa

Nicarbazin, an equimolecular complex of 4,4'dinitrocarbanilide and 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine has become widely used in the last 1-J4 years as a coccidiostat for starting and growing chickens. An experiment has been conducted in which this drug was fed to six groups of White Rock laying hens in a complete breeder ration at levels of 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 70 ppm. There were about 50 hens per group. After an adjustment period of one week eggs were set at weekly intervals for three weeks. Previous hatchability data from all pens were available. At the 20 ppm. level hatchability was 74% compared to 89% for the control group. At the 70 ppm. level hatchability was only 30%. Fertility was not affected. No post-experimental sets were made, but the authors have previously shown that hatchability returns to normal within a week of discontinuing the drug. Shell color was decreased at all levels within three days after starting to feed the drug and at the two upper levels eggs became nearly white. Normal color was restored within about 3 days after discontinuing the drug. Egg size was reduced slightly at levels of 50 and 70 ppm. Shell texture did not appear to be affected. The 70 ppm. level had a slight adverse effect on egg production.

C. E. WEAKLEY, JR.

West Virginia University, Morgantown,

W.Va.

The evaluation of the efficacy of the medicants in the control of infectious synovitis was based on the degree of swelling in the inoculated leg (given a numerical value of 0 to 9), extension to other articulations, mortality and weight gains. The following drugs were given continuously at 100, 200 and 300 gms/ton of feed: aureomycin, terramycin, achromycin, NF-180, Chloromycetin and NF-153 in the approximate order of efficacy respectively. All levels of aureomycin completely controlled the infection. With the other drugs there was 100 percent infection in the birds receiving the 100 gram level. The general condition of the birds tended to improve gradually as the level of terramycin, achromycin and NF-180 was increased. Chloromycetin and NF-153 appeared to be of no practical value. The classification of the degree of swelling in the inoculated leg was a

T H E COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE J0F SINGLE CROSS AND 4-WAY CROSS WITH ADVANCED GENERATION AND ADVANCED GENERATION CROSS IN POULTRY R.

N.

SHOITNER, S. NARAYANAN AND A. M.

PILKEY

University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Four White Leghorn inbred line populations designated as A, B, C and D, were crossed to produce two single crosses. The cross ( A x B ) and ( C x D ) were mated reciprocally to make the 4way cross. Concurrently the Fi(AB) and the Ft (CD) were so mated that the F 2 was produced of the AB as well as a cross with the FiCD and reciprocally. The ensuing generations after the Fi are called advanced generations. The crosses between these populations are called advanced generation crosses.

1172

ABSTRACTS O F PAPERS

The single crosses A x B and C x D maintained characteristic performance each generation at two locations. The reciprocal advantages were noticeable and consistent in the advanced generation population, indicative that the characteristics of the single cross were perpetuated in the advanced generations through the F 5 . The advanced generation declined somewhat in performance from that of the F t . The cross between F n or advanced generations were as productive as the newly made 4-way cross. Thus it appears that controlled heterozygous populations may be made with reasonably predictable performance from segregating generations of single crosses at least through four generations. POULTRY IN FARM AND HOME DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: SPECIFICALLY APPLIED TO POULTRY PROGRAMS J. W. SICER

Purdue

University,

Lafayette,

lnd,

(No abstract submitted) TRANSMISSIBLE ENTERITIS OF TURKEYS (BLUECOMB DISEASE): 1. PRELIMINARY STUDIES J O H N McN.

SIEBURTH AND E. P. JOHNSON

Virginia Agricultural Experiment Blacksburg, Va.

Station,

The purpose of this paper is to present data on the characterization of a transmissible enteritis indistinguishable from bluecomb disease of turkeys. A flock of 3,500 Beltsville White poults experienced a 36 percent mortality by the second week at which time the feed was medicated with nf-180 and oxytetracycline. Mortality continued and reached 72 percent by the eighth week. Intestinal material obtained at this time exhibited a catarrhal enteritis, which was free from Salmonella, Hexamita, and Coccidia and produced 80 percent mortality in orally inoculated day-old poults. The agent appeared to be very labile as thorough washing of modified Horsfall-Bauer isolation units, used to house experimental poults, rendered these free from infection. Infectivity of intestinal homogenates was maintained in the supernatant after centrifuging at 15,000 X g for 30 minutes and in the EK Seitz filtrate of the supernatant. Seitz filtrates were infective when administered orally, ocularly, and intraperitoneally. Treatment of Seitz filtrates by either penicillin or oxytetracycline failed to reduce their infectivity, while oxytetracycline treatment of

filtrate inoculated poults reduced mortality markedly. Convalescent serum neutralized the infectivity of infective filtrates. Embryonic chick heart and intestinal cell cultures, as well as the yolk sac of embryonated chicken eggs, failed to maintain the infectivity of the Seitz filtrates. The primary agent which appears to be filterable and antibiotic resistant, may incite an intestinal infection aggravated by the antibiotic susceptible intestinal microflora. THE EFFECT OF DIET AND SUPPLEMENTARY FAT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BELTSVILLE SMALL WHITE TURKEYS J . R. SlZEMORE, S. J . MARSDEN AND C. A. DENTON

V. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md. This experiment was set up to determine the effect of an all-vegetable protein diet and an animal protein supplemented diet with and without added fat upon growth, feed conversion, and degree of finish of Beltsville Small White turkeys. 280 unsexed Beltsville Small White turkey poults were divided into five equal groups and reared to 16 weeks in a multiple-unit brooder house. All-mash diets, calculated to contain 28 percent of protein, were fed. Groups 1 and 2 were fed the animal protein supplement diet (Diet 225) without and with four percent added fat, respectively. Group 3 was fed an all-vegetable protein diet (Diet 101). Groups 4 and 5 were fed the same diet with four and eight percent added fat, respectively. The growth of the poults to 16 weeks on diet 101 was equal to that obtained on diet 225 with or without added fat. Added fat further improved the growth of poults on diet 101. Feed conversion and finish was improved on both types of diet containing added fat. The best finish was obtained on diet 101 plus eight percent added fat. EFFECT OF ZINC ON GROWTH AND FOOT DERMATITIS IN TURKEYS S. J. SLINGER, J. D. SUMMERS AND W. F. PEPPER

Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Out., Canada Duplicate groups of 19 Broad Breasted Bronze turkey poults were fed a practical turkey starting diet containing 2.0 percent calcium and supplemented with 0, 25 and 50 p.p.m. of zinc in

both the absence and presence of 25 p.p.m, of

ABSTRACTS OF

aureomycin. Additional groups received the same basal diet with 3.0 percent calcium and supplemented with 0 and SO p.p.m. of zinc in both the absence and presence of aureomycin. The addition of SO p.p.m. of zinc to the basal diet, which contained by analysis, 58 p.p.m. of zinc resulted in a significant increase in the 4 week weight of the males and tended to depress the weight of the females fed diets containing either 2.0 or 3.0 percent calcium and no antibiotic. There was no significant interaction between zinc and calcium level. Aureomycin enhanced weight significantly while zinc had no significant effect on weight in the presence of the antibiotic. A dermatitis affecting the bottoms of the feet and which could not be prevented by riboflavin or biotin, had previously been observed on this diet. Zinc exerted no effect on the condition. DEMONSTRATIONS IN CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION: ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION UTILIZING KING'S TECHNIQUE J. H.

SMITH

Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. (No abstract submitted) T H E EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PACKAGING MATERIALS ON THE SHELF-LIFE OF ANTIBIOTIC TREATED CHICKEN FRYERS J.

V.

SPENCER, M.

W.

EKXTTND, E.

AND M. M.

A.

SAUTER

HARD

State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. Chicken fryer halves were dipped in solutions of S and 10 ppm. of aureomycin for 10 and 20 minutes. Half birds from each antibiotic treatment group were packaged in cellophane, polyethylene, evacuated heat shrinking polyethylene, and evacuated heat shrinking polyvinylidene. These birds were held at 32 °F. until spoilage. The shelf-life of untreated control birds packaged in both evacuated heat shrinking films showed an increase of approximately two days over those packaged in cellophane or polyethylene. Shelf-life increased as antibiotic concentration or dipping time was increased. When dipped in S ppm. aureomycin for 10 min., shelf-life was increased for birds packaged in both evacuated heat shrinking films. When dipped in 10 ppm. aureomycin for 20 min., those birds packaged in shrinking polyvinylidene exhibited a S-day increase in shelf-life over those packaged in shrinking polyethylene. The predominant microflora at

1173

PAPERS

spoilage for birds so treated was yeasts and molds. It appears that the less permeable polyvinylidene film offers an unfavorable atmosphere for the growth of these organisms. There was little difference in shelf-life between cellophane and nonevacuated polyethylene packaged birds. Taste tests revealed no difference between fresh controls and treated birds. THE

EFFECT OF HORMONIZATION MEAT YIELD OF CHICKENS

W. J. STADELMAN, W.

W.

LUND AND F. J.

Purdue

University,

MARION, H.

ON

J. KORS-

SCHMIDT

Lafayette,

Ind.

Meat yield has different meanings for the producer, the processor and the consumer. The meat yield looked for by each of these groups was determined using 6 week old and 10 week old chickens. The studies involved 100 chickens of each sex, hormonized or not hormonized, for each age group, for growth and processing yield data. Meat to bone ratios were determined on 2S chickens of each sex, treatment, and age group. Hormone paste injection of chickens processed at 6 weeks of age had a slight effect on body weight of live or eviscerated birds. The difference approached the S percent level of significance. Hormonization significantly increased the percentage of edible meat on this age chicken. Hormonization by paste injection of chickens processed at 10 weeks of age significantly increased live and eviscerated body weights, and percentage of edible meat. The differences in percent of edible meat of cooked weight between hormonized and non-hormonized chickens amounted to about 2 percent on 6 week old birds and 1 percent on 10 week old birds. Differences of similar magnitude were observed with both males and females. TV—MAKE IT SIMPLE, POINTED IMPORTANT R. D.

AND

STEPHENS

Georgia State College of Agriculture, Athens, Ga. (No abstract submitted) AMINO ACID E. L.

University

INTERRELATIONSHIPS STEPHENSON

of Arkansas, Fayetteville,

Ark.

Recent experiments conducted at the University of Arkansas indicate that ir broiler feeds the

1174

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

balance between certain amino acids is extremely critical. The relationships reported in this paper" concern lysine, methionine and tryptophan. The ratio of lysine to methionine (2:1) has been known for some time but few have apparently realized the sensitivity of this relationship. Numerous reports have been published concerning amino acid supplementation of broiler feed. The diets to which these materials were added varied widely and the responses obtained were erratic. Data presented indicate that much of this apparent disagreement between workers can be explained by amino acid ratios and imbalances. Increasing the energy through use of high levels of fat appeared to magnify the imbalance. When high levels of fat (10%) were added a toxic effect was observed. This was prevented by the addition of methionine. SEASONAL, HATCH AND STRAIN EFFECTS ON EGG QUALITY J.

H.

STRAIN AND A. S. JOHNSON

Canada Department of Agriculture, Morden, Man., and Ottawa, Ont., Canada Albumen quality and shell strength of 8,514 eggs from three hatches of three different strains of White Leghorns (totalling 937 birds) were sampled in October, February and June, 19S4-SS. Albumen quality was measured in Haugh units and specific gravity was used to indicate shell strength. In addition, the blood and meat spot incidence of all eggs laid (a total of 63,192) by the third hatch was observed from October to August. Albumen quality differed significantly between strains and hatches in all three periods, with a strain-hatch interaction in October. Specific gravity differed between strains and hatches, with a strain-hatch interaction early in the season, but only the strain differences were significant in February and June. Blood and meat spot percentages showed similar seasonal trends with a peak in March. The peak was due, in each case, more to the increase in large inclusions than to an overall increase regardless of size. Variations between strains, seasonal periods, sizes of spots, and interactions between period and size and strain and size were highly significant. The incidence of blood spots, with regard to clutch position, was 12.9 and 10.1 percent on the first and second days of the clutch, respectively. This was higher than on any of the succeeding 23 days. The regression of blood spot incidence on

clutch position was —.1208 and was significant at the 1% probability level. The corresponding regression for meat spots was not significant. EFFECT OF QUANTITY AND SOURCE OF DIETARY NITROGEN ON UTILIZATION OF METHIONINE HYDROXY ANALOGUE BY CHICKS T. W. SULLIVAN AND H. R. BIRD

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Methionine-hydroxy-analogue (MHA) and DLmethionine, as supplements to a 20% protein diet deficient in methionine, were reported by F. H. Bird (Poultry Sci. 3 1 : 1095) to support equivalent growth in chicks. Chicks fed diets composed largely of sucrose and isolated soybean protein (Drackett C-l) and ranging in protein from 11 to 13%, showed greater response to supplementary DL-methionine than to MHA. Final five week weights of birds on a 13% protein diet were 247 grams in response to .336% DL-methionine and 200 grams for an equivalent level of MHA. Urea and ammonium citrate added with DLmethionine or MHA to a diet containing 1 1 % protein resulted in a marked improvement of response to MHA. Response to DL-methionine was not effected by the addition of either nitrogen supplement. Final five week weights (in grams) of birds in a typical experiment were: DL-methionine 164; DL-methionine + -06% urea 160; DL-methionine + .23% ammonium citrate 168; MHA 128; MHA + .06% urea 166; and MHA + .23% ammonium citrate 163. Results suggest that chicks fed a low protein diet are more tolerant to dietary urea and ammonium citrate in the presence of MHA than in the presence of DL-methionine. T H E USE OF LOW PROTEIN DIETS FOR TURKEYS ON RANGE M . L . SUNDE, J . M . StFND AND M . J . WRIGHT

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Three experiments were conducted with Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys under different pasture conditions. All groups were fed mash and grains free choice. A basal mash containing 9.8% protein (calculated) was used after six weeks of age. This contained oats, corn, minerals, vitamins and penicillin. When this diet was fed with good range, the males averaged 22-23 pounds and the females 14-15 pounds. With poor pasture the males and

ABSTRACTS OF-PAPERS females averaged 17-18 pounds and 14 pounds respectively at 26 weeks. If either a 15.9 or a 20.6% protein mash was fed with good pasture, the males averaged 25-27 pounds and the females 15-16 pounds. Pasture was most effective in improving feed utilization and gain when the diet was low in protein. Feed costs per pound of turkey were decreased considerably through the use of diets which forced the birds to graze more. When the turkeys were fed the low protein diet with poor pasture, 16-week-old turkeys showed typical lysine deficiency symptoms. Additions of lysine to this diet improved weights and feed utilization through 20 weeks. The combination of methionine and lysine produced slightly better growth than lysine alone. UNKNOWN FACTOR STUDIES WITH PURIFIED DIETS W.

C.

SUPPLEE, O.

D.

KEENE, G.

F. COMBS

AND G. L. ROMOSER

1175

QUALITY PRESERVATION OF SHELL EGGS BY TREATING WITH CARBON DIOXIDE PRIOR TO OILING M.

H.

SWANSON, H. J.

H.

N.

BENSON AND

SKALA

University of Minnesota, St. Paul,

Minn.

Studies were made of the possibility of "charging" shell eggs with carbon dioxide and oiling immediately thereafter as an aid to quality preserva-1tion for short periods of storage. Additional lots of eggs which had been merely oiled or had received no treatment were held for comparison. The carbon dioxide-oiling treatment was more effective than oiling alone in retarding quality loss as measured by Haugh units and yolk index. However, the carbon dioxide treated eggs scored lower with respect to percent thick white. Measurements of pH indicated that the carbon dioxide readily penetrated the shell during the charging treatment and that the oiling was effective in retaining the carbon dioxide within the egg under the holding conditions of these experiments.

University of Maryland, College Park, MA. Chicks fed a highly purified basal diet (washed Drackett C-l assay protein-sucrose type) and distilled water have shown relatively good gains that were improved approximately 13% by the addition of unknown factor supplements. Supplementation of the basal ration with the ash of certain unknown factor supplements has resulted in improved gains averaging about 5%. Chicks from commercial sources have shown responses to both supplements and ash equal to that of chicks from dams maintained on raised floors and fed rations containing no animal protein supplements. In an identical environment, however, poults fed a similar purified basal diet have grown poorly and shown a high incidence of hock disorder. Neither growth nor hock disorder has been improved significantly by varying the levels of known nutrients. Supplementation with a mixture of condensed fish solubles, distillers' dried solubles, distillers' dried yeast, dried whole whey and molasses distillers' dried solubles improved the hock condition and increased gains by as much as 40%. A water extract of the mixed supplements was highly active both in improving growth and hock conditions. The ash of the supplements improved growth but was without effect on the hock disorder. Data obtained in efforts to concentrate the factor or factors concerned are presented.

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX HORMONE ON CIRCULATORY GLUCOSE IN THE CHICKEN DANIEL N. TAPPER AND MORLEY R. KARE

Cornell University, Ithaca,

N.Y.

This study indicates a plasma-cell glucose partition. Most or all of the circulatory glucose in vivo is in the plasma. As a consequence of this partition, fluctuations in cell concentration vary whole blood glucose values for animals in which the plasma glucose levels are the same. By applying the partition phenomenon to the reported sex difference in whole blood glucose levels, it is shown that the plasma levels are the same; the whole blood difference is a result of the variation in red cell concentration. Androgen studies indicate that the hormone effects a change in red cell concentrations but has no effect on plasma sugar concentration. Work is in progress to further elucidate the extent to which circulating hormones affect the total and partition of sugar in the blood of the chicken.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

1176

THE EFFECT OF ADDING CERTAIN FEED SUPPLEMENTS TO PRACTICAL BROILER RATIONS ROGER A. TEEKELL AND A. B. WATTS

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge,

La.

This study, consisting of four trials and 6,000 chicks, was initiated to determine the effects of additions of DL-methionine, fish meal, dried whey, and methionine hydroxy analogue to broiler rations in regard to growth rate and feed efficiency. Two feeding experiments were conducted in which the plant protein of the rations was sup' plied by two kinds of cottonseed meals. It would appear that the effect of additions of DL-methionine and dried whey to cottonseed meal rations may have a growth stimulating effect, depending upon the nature of protein furnished by cottonseed meal. Rations containing equal parts of soybean oil meal protein and cottonseed meal protein proved to be equal to rations whose major source of plant prbtein was soybean oil meal. The beneficial effects of adding DL-methionine to soybean rations appear to be dependent upon the nature of protein furnished by the soybean oil meal in the rations. The addition of 0.05 and 0.1 percent of methionine and methionine hydroxy analogue appeared to produce no beneficial effects to a soybean oil meal-fish meal ration. Supplements of dried whey (Ribolac) gave no improvements in growth rate or beneficial improvements in feed efficiency when added to a soybean oil meal or soybean oil meal-fish meal ration. The addition of menhaden fish meal to soybean oil meal rations did not appear to aid in the growth rate or feed efficiency, over that of the basal ration, in the diet of eight-week-old broilers. INPUT-OUTPUT RELATIONSHIPS IN TURKEY FEEDING EXPERIMENTS ROLLIN H.

THAYER, JAMES S. PLAXICO, GEORGE

W. NEWELL, GEORGE G. JUDGE AND K E N N E T H DUNKLEGOD

Oklahoma A. and M. College, Stillwater,

Okla.

Using an input-output type of analysis, weight gains and feed consumption of turkeys were analyzed for; (1) feed (mash and grain) required per four-week period and per pound gain, (2) replacement values of different grains and grain mixtures, and (3) determination of "break-even" price for deciding advantage of immediate sale or additional feeding period.

Turkeys, Broad Breasted Bronze and White Hollands, were range reared from 11 to 32 weeks of age. Feed consumption and individual bird weights were recorded each two weeks. All lots were fed the same mash with five different grain treatments consisting of corn; oats; milo; 80 percent corn and 20 percent oats; and 80 percent milo and 20 percent oats. Weight gain and feed efficiency data indicated that oats alone did not produce gains as economically as did the other four grain treatments. Analysis indicated that relative price and availability of grains are the considerations in the choice of grain or grain combination to use. However, where home grown oats is available its feeding value may be greatly enhanced by mixing it with milo. Sample size for accurately determining average weight of the flock, within specified precision limits and probability levels, has been calculated. A table has been prepared which presents "breakeven" prices which will assist producers in evaluating the economic feasibility of an additional feeding period. INTESTINAL TRANSIT AND NET RETENTION OF S R ^ Y " I N T H E YOUNG CHICK P.

A.

THORNTON, 1 P. J.

SCHAIBLE AND

L. F. WOLTERINK

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Mich.

The rate of transit from the upper bowel (esophagus, crop, proventriculus and gizzard) to the lower bowel and the net retention by the skeleton of Sr^Y 8 0 was studied. Studies were conducted with two week-old S.C. White Leghorn cockerels reared in electrically heated batteries. Determinations for SrM-Y*° content were made at definite time intervals after injection into the crop of this material. Tissues analyzed for Sr^Y 9 0 content included the upper bowel, lower bowel, bone and blood. Results indicated that Sr^Y 8 0 moved from the upper bowel at an exponential rate which was highly correlated with time. Retention of Sr"-Y" by the skeleton was found to be highly correlated with the amount passed to the lower bowel or absorptive segment but was not related to the concentration in the blood. Addition of C.P. lactose at 25% of the total ration or procaine penicillin at 15 p.p.m. had no effect of intestinal transit rate, blood concentration or net retention of Sr^-Y™ by the skeleton. 'Present address: Colorado A. & M. Poultry Dept., Fort Collins, Colo.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS THE EFFECTS OF DIETARY PROTEIN LEVEL ON EGG PRODUCTION, EGG SIZE, EGG QUALITY AND FEED EFFICIENCY P. A. THORNTON, R.

E. MORENG, L.

G.

BtAYLOCK1 AND T . E . HARTUNG

Colorado A. & M. College, Fort Collins, Colo. Observations were made on 720 S.C. White Leghorn hens for nine 28-day periods. The pullets were housed in wire cages and fed from individual magazine type feeders. The pullets were divided into groups of 20 and placed on four different all-vegetable basal rations of 11, 13, IS and 17% protein. Each of these basal rations was supplemented with different levels of amino acids. There were no statistical differences in egg production between the four basal rations. Supplementation with amino acids also gave no consistent effects. Egg size was reduced with a reduction in dietary protein, however these differences became less as age of the hens increased. Internal egg quality as measured by Haugh units and shell thickness was not effected by the different levels of protein. Gain in body weight over the experimental period was slightly lower in those hens fed the 1 1 % protein ration than the three higher levels. Feed efficiency tended to vary with egg production as expected; therefore no large differences were observed between rations of different protein levels.

THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON T H E R E COVERABILITY OF SALMONELLA GALLINARUM FROM INOCULATED CHICKENS 2 CHARLES W. TITKEMEYER AND S. C. SCHMITTLE

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Mich.

A study was made to determine the effects of six drugs in feed or water on the recoverability of 5. gallinarum from chickens given the organism. Sulfaquinoxaline at levels of 0.05 and 0.0175 percent in feed or 0.025 percent in water and sulfamethazine at 0.1 percent in water reduced death losses but did not significantly prevent iso1 Present address: International Milling Company, New Ulm, Minn. 2 Supported in part by a grant from the Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River, N.Y.

1177

lation of the causative organism. Chlortetracycline at 18 and 108 gm. and penicillin at 4 gm. per ton of feed neither reduced losses nor prevented recovery of the organism. Chlortetracycline at 200 gm. per ton of feed or 400 mg. per gallon of water and neomycin at 500 gm. per ton of feed had little or no effect on death losses or recovery of the organism. A combination of chlortetracycline at 100 gm. and neomycin at 500 gm. per ton of feed resulted in greater death losses and higher incidences of recovery of the organism than no medication at all. Furazolidone at 100 gm. per ton of feed prevented death losses and almost completely prevented recovery of the organism. Results of oral administration of the organisms were essentially the same as intraperitoneal inoculation, but the oral results were not as uniform in that not as many chickens became infected. Time of administration of the drugs did not alter their effect on the recoverability of the organism. Conclusions are that sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethazine, penicillin, chlortetracycline, and neomycin did not prevent recovery of 5. gallinarum from chickens given the organism either orally or intraperitoneally as compared with controls, but that furazolidone prevented recovery of the organism in most cases. THE EFFECT OF DEHYDRATED GREEN FEED ON FERTILITY AND HATCHABILITY OF EGGS FROM T H R E E GENERATIONS OF CHICKENS S. TOUCHBURN, J . BlELY AND B . MARCH

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada Three generations of chickens were maintained on five dietary regimens: (1) basal diets with no green feed, (2) and (3) with 2.5 percent of dehydrated cereal grass and alfalfa respectively, (4) and (5) with 5.0 percent of dehydrated cereal grass and alfalfa. The protein and mineral contents were adjusted according to the age of the birds. The first generation was started with day-old chicks from a high hatchability strain. The chicks were reared in battery brooders and transferred to floor pens on deep litter. Cockerels were raised with each pen of pullets. Two further generations were managed similarly. Fertility and hatchability of eggs from each generation were determined. 24,247 eggs were set over the three-year period. Eggs which did not hatch were broken and examined.

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A B S T R A C T S O F PAPERS

The average fertility was 97% and was not affected by the diet. The average hatchability of fertile eggs was 85.7% on the basal diet. With 2.S and 5.0 percent of cereal grass hatchability was 87.4 -and 87.7% and with 2.S and 5.0% of alfalfa hatchability was 87.1 and 87.4% respectively. There was no decline in fertility or hatchability of eggs, or in vigour and livability of the birds over the three generations. INFLUENCE OF NUTRITIONALLY COMPACT DIETS AND SUPPLEMENTARY AMINO ACIDS ON POULT PERFORMANCE P. E. WAIBEL

University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Battery-reared turkey poults (B. B. Bronze or B. B. White) were fed corn-soybean oil meal diets containing 6% fish meal, 3% alfalfa, 3% distillers' solubles, 2% whey, minerals and vitamins, 2S ppm. chlortetracycline, and 0.05% methionine to four or six weeks of age. Percentage protein was regulated by adjusting corn and soybean meal levels. Tallow (bleachable fancy, stabilized) was included in certain diets. The 28% protein control ration did not contain added tallow. (Fraps Calories/% protein, 28). Neither increasing the protein level to 32% (C/P, 23) nor including 10% of dietary tallow (C/P, 33) resulted in consistently faster growth. However, the combination of 32% protein and 10% tallow (C/P, 27) resulted in marked growth responses. These occurred with 44% and 50% protein soybean oil meals. The improved performance could not be explained on a basis of altered energy-protein ratios, but appeared to result from increased nutrient density. Further improvement in growth rate was achieved by supplementing a 32% protein-15% fat diet with a mixture of amino acids. In this respect, methionine was determined to be the principal limiting amino acid. When studying the supplementary amino acid effect using a 28% protein-15% fat diet, methionine was the first limiting amino acid, and lysine appeared to be next limiting.

THE FUTURE OF THE POULTRY INDUSTRY—AS I SEE IT CHARLES W. WAMPLER

Harrisonburg, Va. (No abstract submitted)

ADULT MORTALITY IN RECIPROCAL CROSSES OF LEGHORNS AND HEAVY BREEDS DON

C. WARREN* AND C. H. MOORE

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Lafayette, Ind. The data here summarized were largely obtained at the Central Testing Station of the Northcentral States Regional Poultry Breeding Project. It has been noted that although crossbreeding frequently improves other performance traits, it appears not to reduce adult mortality. The data here compared were obtained from birds hatched at the same time and managed under comparable conditions. The groups compared had from 25 to 50 pullets in them. Despite the fact that these are rather small groups in which to measure percentage mortality, the 22 paired comparisons of offspring of reciprocal crosses agreed (with 2 exceptions) in showing higher mortality when the heavy breed was used on the maternal side of the cross. For all crosses the mean adult mortality during 48 weeks in the laying house was 39.4 percent when the heavy breed was the mother and 20.8 percent for the reciprocal matings. The results cannot readily be explained either on the basis of sex-linked or maternal inheritance. The data obtained would support the recommendation that the Leghorn female rather than the male be used in the mating to reduce adult mortality when crossing with heavy breeds. TRENDS IN 4-H POULTRY CLUB WORK RICHARD WARREN

University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H. (No abstract submitted) THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS ANTIBIOTICS ON TRANSOVARIAN PASSAGE OF PLEUROPNEUMONIA-LIKE ORGANISMS C. R. WESTON, R. G. STROUT AND W. R. DUNLOP

University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H. The data are concerned with various antibiotic treatments that were administered by selected routes to adult breeders for the prevention of hatching egg transmission of pleuropneumonialike organisms (PPLO). Each treatment was duplicated and several meat type strains of chickens were involved in the experiments. According *Now at Kimber Farms, Inc., Niles, Calif.

1179

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS to serological tests there was a variable incidence of PPLO infection in the breeders ranging from 80% to 100% positive. Hatching eggs were saved from these breeders and their respective progenies were placed in isolated units according to the treatment of the parents. Serological tests were conducted on these offspring at various ages. The results indicate that chlortetracycline fed in the feed for three days at levels of 1000 and 2000 grams per ton or the dusting of approximately 500 milligrams per breeder of dihydrostreptomycin sulfate was ineffectual in preventing hatching egg transmission of PPLO. However, one injection of dihydrostreptomycin sulfate at the rate of 200 milligrams per breeder prevented hatching egg transmission of PPLO for a period of two weeks. The two week period began nine days following treatment. STUDIES OF STRESS IN POULTRY PRODUCTION. 1. THE INTERRELATION OF PROTEIN, ENERGY, FOLIC ACID AND ANTIBIOTIC R.

H.

WHITE-STEVENS, H.

N.

E.

WALKER AND R.

G.

ZEIBEL,

GILBERT

American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River, 6

N.Y.

A large 2 factorial experiment involving 9600 broilers was conducted under conditions of endemic chronic respiratory disease (CRD) infection. Applied treatments comprised two levels each of protein 20 and 27%, energy 900 and 1100 Cal./lb., folic acid 0.3 and 1.8 mg./lb. and antibiotic (chlortetracycline) 0 and SO mg./lb. in a completely orthogonal replicated design. Major differences in growth, feed conversion and mortality occurred, significantly related to treatment. Protein, antibiotic and folic acid produced significant positive main effects, while energy was negative. Several interactions were significant; increased energy (fat) depressed yield when protein was low, increased it when protein was high; antibiotic increased yield more when protein was low than when it was high; antibiotic increased yields more at high energy levels; antibiotic showed its greatest effect when the diet was unbalanced by high energy (1100 Cal./lb.) combined with low protein (20%). The data suggest that an imbalance in protein : energy ratio may induce a severe nutritional stress predisposing the birds to endemic disease. This stress effect was significantly reduced by chlortetracycline at SO mg./lb. of diet fed continuously.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES ADAPTED TO FIELD TRIALS IN POULTRY RESEARCH R. WHITE-STEVENS, H. G. ZEIBEL, N. E. WALKER AND B. R. McCONVILLE

American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River,

N.Y.

A practical, statistically valid, and economic procedure has been devised for studying under farm conditions the efficacy of diet supplements —and management procedures on flocks of from 2,000 to 20,000 birds. Pen units are 100-300 birds permitting multiple replicated treatments and allowing the "population factor" of a straight run flock to exert its effect. The factorial experiment has proven most efficacious, particularly when multiple interactions between methods and supplements are involved, and where reduction of comparisons to a single degree of freedom is informative. Precisions have been adequate, with coefficients of variation ranging from 0.03 to 0.1S. Studies of sampling techniques for weight data indicate 2 X 5% random samples per pen, equated for sex, provide valid weight values. Measurements include weight per bird, feed: gain ratios, mortality and yield per 14-day interval. Analysis of variance involves the period factor—tested in its interactions against a split plot error term. Many factors, e.g., antibiotics, are more active at one time than another. Endemic infections are usually present on commercial farms more than in "cleaner" environments. This is useful in measuring effects of dietary supplements under practical conditions. T H E EFFECT OF THE MAJOR EGG WHITE PROTEINS IN THE FERTILIZING ABILITY OF AVIAN SPERM F. H. WILCOX, JR. AND C. S. SHAFFNER

University of Maryland,

College Park,

Md.

The lack of success in storing avian sperm in vitro is in sharp contrast to the remarkable capacity of the oviduct to store sperm for relatively long periods of time. These observations suggested that a simulation of the chemical milieu of the oviduct might yield better results in preparation of a diluent for use in semen storage. Accordingly the effect on sperm motility of a wide range of concentrations of the following egg white proteins was studied: ovalbumin, conalbumin, ovomucoid, lysozyme, and ovomucin; furthermore the effect of all possible combinations of

1180

ABSTRACTS OF

the optimum concentration of each protein was likewise investigated. Subsequent tests of the fertilizing ability of semen diluted 1 : 10 with the most promising concentrations and combinations showed that after storage for one day at 12°C. there was no reproducible enhancement of fertilizing ability as compared to the control diluted with a buffer solution. Similar results were obtained with milk, fructose, and glucose, even though fructose greatly enhanced motility. High dilutions of egg white were slightly beneficial. In all cases the proteins were dissolved in a S0rensen's sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.4, which had previously been shown to be as effective as Ringer's solution in maintaining fertilizing ability. BREAST ANGLE MEASUREMENTS OF TURKEYS CLETIS WILLIAMS, GEORGE W.

NEWELL

AND ROLLIN H. THAYER

Oklahoma A. and M. College, Stillwater,

Okla.

At the time of slaughter, width of breast was measured on 94 male and 85 female turkeys. The turkeys used were inbred lines of the strain of White Holland turkeys raised at Oklahoma A. and M. College. Breast widths thus obtained were converted to breast angles, which were correlated with breast angles measured on the same birds at eight weeks of age. The breast angles of the eight-week-old poults were measured with the West Virginia breast meter. Correlation coefficients as determined from these two angle measurements were: r = .353 for males, r = .494 for females, and for sexes combined r = .407. All three of these coefficients were significant at the 1 percent level. It would appear from this study that the measurement of breast angle at eight weeks of age could be used as a basis for individual selection for breast width at maturity. Because of the smaller size and ease of measurement at the younger age, such a practice is desirable. Attempts to correlate breast width and dressing percentage corroborated previous published work by other authors that there is little correlation between these two measures. HOW THE EXTENSION POULTRYMAN CAN USE MARKET NEWS MELVIN L. WILSON

Purdue University, Lafayette,

lnd.

The purpose of Poultry Market News is to gather and disseminate current market prices, supply and demand information. Poultry Market News is an important tool by which the exten-

PAPERS

sion poultryman can keep his producers informed. Market News price information is used as a guide in making marketing decisions. Producers, buyers and others use the price information to determine when, where and how to buy or sell. For many years Market News was restricted to the larger terminal markets. However, in recent years the USDA found it necessary to extend the reporting to production areas because of requests from the field. Producers and buyers want timely, complete and accurate reports. In order for the producer to make the best decision as to when and where to market his products he must know the alternatives. He should have the supply situation at two or three outlets available to him and also the price offered for each grade and class. With this information a wise decision can be made. The poultry specialist, after knowing the workings of Market News, can be in a better position to explain marketing facts to the rural folks he works with throughout the year. SOME MANAGEMENT FACTORS FOR BROODING AND REARING TURKEYS I N CONFINEMENT J.

W.

WYNE, M. V. D.

G.

MCCARTNEY AND

CHAMBERLIN

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Wooster, Ohio

Station,

Approximately twelve hundred small type turkey poults were divided into four replicate groups and reared to eight weeks of age with 1 or 2 square feet of floor space and 1 or 3 linear inches of feeder space per poult. Water space was constant at 0.6 inch per poult. A 26% protein starter containing 800 Calories per pound was fed during this period. At eight weeks 1080 poults were randomized into eight groups in a pole shelter with 3.2 or 5.5 square feet of floor space and 1.6 or 3.2 linear inches of feeder space per poult. The poults were reared to twenty-four weeks of age. Water space for this period was 0.9 inch per poult. An all-mash ration of 16% protein and 900 Calories per pound was fed from sixteen to twenty-four weeks of age. In both phases of the experiment, each group was composed of equal numbers of both sexes and the numbers kept constant by replacing any losses from a spare pen. There were no significant differences between the various groups for weight, gain, or feed conversion in either phase of the experiment.

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

USE OF NYSTATIN (MYCOSTATIN) WITH BROAD SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTICS TO PROLONG T H E SHELF LIFE OF POULTRY MEAT H. YACOWITZ, F. PANSV, S. W I N D , H. STANDER, H. L. SASSAMAN, J. PAGANO AND W. H. TREJO

The Squibb Institute for Medical Research, New Brunswick, NJ. Ziegler and Stadelman (Food Technology, 9: 107, 1955) reported the growth of yeasts on aureomycin-treated poultry halves. We have confirmed these observations using chicken parts and found that yeast growth and yeasty odors can be controlled by combining mycostatin, an antifungal antibiotic, with aureomycin. Combinations of 10 p.p.m. of aureomycin plus 15 to 30 units

1181

(5 to 10 p.p.m.) of mycostatin per milliliter of dip solution resulted in adequate control of bacteria, yeasts and molds as determined by plate counts and odor tests. The results of several experiments demonstrated that competition exists between bacteria and yeasts on the surface of refrigerated chicken parts. The suppression of bacterial growth through the use of broad spectrum antibiotics results in increased growth of yeasts. These data indicate that adequate control of spoilage can be accomplished by controlling yeasts as well as bacteria. Assays of the residual mycostatin on various parts of uncooked chickens showed that there was little or no diffusion of mycostatin through the skin or muscle.

NUNC DIMITTIS Chester Slbetn Slerrtcfe Professor C. A. Herrick died on October 14, 1955 at Madison, Wisconsin. He was born on April 2, 1893, at Kirwin, Kansas, and graduated from Kansas State College in 1921 with a B.S. degree, following an interruption of his course by two years of service in the Signal Corps of the U. S. Army in World War I. In 1923 he received a M.S. degree from Kansas State, his work there, under Professor James E. Ackert, first establishing the principle of host age resistance to worm parasitism. Continuing his studies on host-parasite relations at Johns Hopkins University, he received a Sc.D. degree in 1925, and spent the following summer in research for the International Health Board in Alabama. ~ He remained at Johns Hopkins, first as Research Associate and later, as Instructor, until he joined the staff of the University of Wisconsin in 1927. His first appointment was in the Department of Zoology, but was made a joint one between Zoology and Veterinary Science in 1931. He became Associate Professor in 1936 and Professor in 1942 in the two Departments. The main courses which Dr. Herrick taught were: animal parasites of man, helminthology, and medical entomology. His major research contributions resulted from investigations in poultry coccidiosis, in which he was a recognized authority,

and in helminth infections of ruminants. During his twenty-eight years at Wisconsin, twenty-three students completed their work for the doctorate under his supervision. His knowledge and skills were widely appreciated, as evidenced by the continual requests for his help in solving parasitological problems and by his off-campus service, participating in the parasitological instruction offered at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. At the time of his death, the Faculty of the University adopted a resolution which read, in part: "He is remembered by both his undergraduate students and his research assistants as a man of continuous and infectious enthusiasm. His laboratory reflected the exhilaration of a research worker who revelled in the challenge of the unknown. He excelled in devising techniques to meet that challenge, even to the point of personally building some of the special pieces of apparatus used in his investigations. He and his students worked together as a congenial team, more like contemporaries in a field of research than as professor and assistants." "Much of his research effort never appeared under his own name, but only in the publications of his students. Great as his contributions to science were, his influence on the lives of others was, if possible, an even greater accomplishment."

NEWS AND NOTES (Continued from page 1124) of the Pennsylvania State University. He will work chiefly in the field of turkey production and marketing. He obtained a B.S. degree at Kansas State Col-

lege in 1949, a M.S. in 1949 and a Ph.D. degree in 1956 from Purdue University, having served as Instructor (in full-time research) since September, 1955.