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Effect of Dietary Level of Soybean Meal on Hatchability
Effect of Dietary Level of Soybean Meal on Hatchability D. WHITSON, 1 H. W. TITUS, 2 AND H. R. BIRD
Bureau of Animal Industry, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication, August 17, 1945)
T
52
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HE conflicting reports in the litera- plement. Christiansen, Halpin, and Hart ture concerning the effect of soybeans (1939, 1940) demonstrated that this low and soybean meal on hatchability indicate hatchability was overcome by the addia need for additional study, especially in tion of manganese sulphate or synthetic view of the fact that in recent times the riboflavin to the diet. They concluded that latter material has been the most widely the diet was deficient in riboflavin arid available protein supplement for use in that in some way manganese acted to alleviate this deficiency at least in part poultry feeds. Byerly, Titus, and Ellis (1932, 1933) Wilgus and Gassner (1941) reported a found that hens receiving diets containing very low hatchability of eggs produced by 20 percent of soybean meal produced eggs hens receiving a diet containing 16 percent having a low hatchability. Nestler, Byerly of soybean meal. When this level was Ellis, and Titus (1936) presented data reduced to 6 percent and 5 percent of indicating that the low hatchability of meat scrap was added, hatchability was eggs produced by hens in confinement satisfactory. The basal diet was apreceiving diets containing 20 percent parently adequate with respect to ribosoybean meal was not alleviated by. the flavin and manganese. addition of 10 percent of dried whey to In an experiment conducted at the increase the riboflavin intake. Byerly, Agricultural Research Center during the Titus, Ellis, and Nestler (1937) were able 1942-1943 season with a diet containing to demonstrate an increase in hatcha- 33 percent of soybean meal, 47 percent bility when beef scrap replaced the 20 of corn and supposedly adequate vitamin percent of soybean meal in the diet of and mineral supplements, there was a 61 confined hens, or when the hens receiving percent hatch of the fertile eggs collected either diet were exposed to direct sun- between November 2 and February 25 light. In their study a seasonal variation and an 84 percent hatch of fertile eggs in hatchability was observed when the collected between April 19 and August 9. diets contained 20 percent soybean meal. Diets containing corn were significantly Deobald, Halpin, and Holmes (1937) better for egg production than similar reported a low hatchability during the diets containing wheat. The wheat used winter months when the diet contained in these diets was of low quality and soybean meal as the only protein sup- produced inferior growth when used in a chick diet. It had been subjected to long storage and probably had undergone some 1 Present address: Swift and Co., Research Labo- deterioration. In view of these results it ratory, Union Stock Yards, Chicago 9, Illinois. seemed desirable to investigate further 2 Present address: Limestone Products Corpora- • the effect upon hatchability of diets tion of America, Newton, New Jersey.
53
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
consisting largely of soybean meal and corn or wheat. It also seemed desirable to determine whether vitamin E would improve the results obtained when stored wheat was fed. PROCEDURE
Sixteen lots, each consisting of 22 Rhode Island Red pullets confined in colony houses, were first given the ex-
5, steamed bonemeal 4.5, butyl fermentation solubles (250 micrograms riboflavin per gram) 0.5, limestone .flour 2, manganized salt (6 percent MnS0 4 ) 0.5, iodized salt 0.2, and vitamin A and D oil (400 A.O.A.C. units of vitamin D and 2000 I.U. of vitamin A per gram) 0.3. The iodized salt had the following composition: NaCl 100 parts, K.I 0.3, Na 2 S 2 O 3 -5H 2 0 0.4, CaC0 3 3.3 and corn-
TABLE 1.—Egg production and hatchability
No.
Description Grain, Soy% bean meal
296 297 298 299 300
corn 87 77 67 57 47
0 10 20 30 40
30.4 46.8 53.1 43.9 50.6
301
1943 wheat 67
20
52.0
By Pens
Hatchability
% Hatch
By Diets % Hatch
631 1124 1121 1197 1279
83.2 82.8 79.8 70.8 64.7
86.4 82.8 78.6 69.4 65.0
84.0
1177
83.2
83.6
85.6 90.4
1130 1055
86.5 87.2
86.0 88.8 5.0
By Pens No. % Hatch fertile eggs
By Diets
No. fertile eggs
30.4 46.9 47.1 53.2 51.2
30.4 46.8 50.1 48.5 50.9
677 1176 1472 1024 1181
89.7 82.9 77.5 68.1 65.3
51.6
51.8
1178
1937 wheat 302 67 20 51.5 51.1 303 67* 20 57.1 54.3 Least s ignificant differe ace (19:1 odds)
51.3 55.7 5.0
1073 1044
%
.
* Plus 10 mg. alpha tocopherol per lb. of feed.
perimental all-mash diets on September 22, 1943. They continued to receive the same diets until June 28, 1944, with the exception of the lots fed diets 302 and 303, which were discontinued on May 3. The pullets were hatched on March 26 and April 2, 1943; they had access to range during the growing period; and they, were placed in the laying houses from 7 to 9 days before the beginning of the experiment. The pens were artificially lighted to provide a 14-hour day. The basal diet was designated #296 and had the following composition: ground yellow corn 87, alfalfa leaf meal
starch 6.0. This diet and each of seven modifications of it were fed to duplicate pens of pullets. The modifications are indicated in Table 1. The 1937 wheat had been placed in experimental storage bins at the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station in July, 1937. When removed from the bins, it was musty, heavily damaged by weevils, and contaminated with rat feces. It was cleaned before being fed. Both the 1937 and 1943 lots were soft red winter wheat. The soybean meal used during the first 24 weeks of this experiment had been processed by the hydraulic method. I t
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Egg production, %
Diet
54
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
except for one week's production in each month, and all eggs produced during the remainder of the experiment were incubated except for two weeks' production in each month. Two Rhode Island Red males were kept in each pen and rotated from pen to pen at intervals of four weeks. All eggs produced during the weeks ending October 31, November 7, February 6, February 13, April 30, and May 7 were weighed.
TABLE 2.—Proximate chemical composition of diets Diet No.
Moisture,
296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303
9.88 9.69 9.74 9.53 9.25 10.54 10.34 10.14
%
Crude protein,
% 8.94 12.56 16.23 19.98 24.04 18.93 17.77 17.72
Crude fiber,
Fat,
% 3.98 4.00 4.16 4.33 4.24 2.62 2.46 2.43
% 2.87 3.20 3.52 3.86 4.08 3.82 3.89 3.87
nature of the experiment the protein content of some of the diets differed rather widely from the usual recommendations. Diet 296 was very low in protein and Diets 299 to 301 were high. The results of other analyses did not differ greatly from the figures that characterize the usual diet for laying hens. The birds were weighed at intervals of four weeks and feed consumption records were kept for the same periods. Trapnest records were kept and a large proportion of the eggs produced were incubated, each setting consisting of the eggs laid during a period of one week. All eggs produced during October and November, 1943, were incubated. All eggs produced during December and January were incubated 8 The authors appreciate the cooperation of Mr. W. L. Kellogg, who made these analyses.
Nitrogen free extract, % 65.69 63.35 58.33 54.30 49.99 55.98 57.59 57.97
Ash,
Ca,
P
%
%
%
8.72 7.31 8.19 8.27 8.66 8.38 8.20 8.14
2.29 2.37 2.37 2.45 2.45 2.36 2.37 2.38
0.94 0.98 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.09 1.05 1.02
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The records of the first two birds that died in each group were eliminated completely when the average live weights and percent egg production and hatchability were calculated. The records of birds that died subsequently were eliminated for the 28-day period in which they died and for prior periods if a decrease in live weight or other observations indicated they were in a state of debility. The number of birds surviving to the end of the experiment in the individual groups ranged from 13 to 20. The effects of the diets on egg production and hatchability are indicated in Table 1, and the hatchability by periods is represented in Figures 1 and 2. The egg production permitted by Diet 296, which was low in protein, was significantly poorer than that obtained with any
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Simon Fraser University on June 7, 2015
gave a positive test for urease, indicating that it had been subjected to heat treatment of less than the desired intensity (Caskey and Knapp, 1944). After 24 weeks, expeller soybean meal was substituted for the hydraulic in the diet of one pen of each of the pairs of duplicates, the other pen being continued on the original diet. The expeller meal did not give a test for urease. The results of proximate analyses of the diets are given in Table 2.3 Because of the
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
other diet. Among the corn-fed pens there were no other significant differences in egg production. Among the diets containing 20 percent soybean meal with different grains, the only significant difference was between Diets 298 and 303, in favor of the latter. I t is interesting and rather surprising that the pens fed Diet 296 which contained no protein supplement and only 8.94 percent crude protein achieved an average egg production as
contained the same level of corn. The 1937 wheat was supplemented with vitamin E to see if its expected inadequacy would be corrected thereby, but the excellent performance of the unsupplemented wheat defeated the purpose of this part of the experiment. This same sample of wheat was found to be excellent as an ingredient of chick diets (Whitson et al. 1945). Figure 1 reveals some seasonal varia
of high levels of hydraulic and expeller soybean meals on hatchability Percent hatchability by periods ending:
Diet No.
Soybean meal
Oct. 19
Nov. Dec. 16 14
Jan. 11
Feb. 8
Mar. 7
Apr. 4
May 2
May 30
June 27
299 299 299 299 299 299 300 300 300 300
330% 0 % hydraulic 30% 30% hydraulic 30% expeller 30% 40% 4 0 % hydraulic 440% 0 % hydraulic
76.3 76.3 76.5 76.5
79.3 79.3 63.4 63.4
67.5 67.5 70.3 70.3
76.5 76.5 62.7 62.7
65.7 65.7 70.1 70.1
48.0 48.0 59.3 59.3
45.5 45.5
68.9 68.9
73.2 73.2
52.5
83.8 83.8 86.0 86.0
65.7 65.7 60.9 60.9
53.8 53.8 63.7 63.7
60.4 60.4 74.5 74.5
55.9 55.9 66.1 66.1
60.2 60.2 50.0 50.0
71.4 71.4 56.7 56.7
71.9 71.9 74.0 74.0
78.2 78.2 83.0 83.0
88.2 81.4
52.4
58.3
67.1
74.1
300
40% expeller
high as 30.4 percent for the 40-weeks' period covered by this experiment. This result is of interest as an indication of the egg production that can be achieved when feeding a diet of corn and mineral and vitamin supplements. Hatchability was significantly lower when 20, 30, or 40 percent of soybean meal was fed than when no soybean meal was fed. This fact, by itself, would be of academic interest only, since these levels are higher than one would be likely to encounter in practical diets even if soybean meal were the sole protein supplement. However, consideration of the step-wise decrease in hatchability with increasing levels of soybean meal, shown in Table 1 and in Figure 1, would lead one to believe that even 10 percent soybean meal had a slight depressing effect on hatchability. Each of the three diets containing wheat produced eggs of higher hatchability than did Diet 298 which
tion in hatchability of eggs produced by hens fed the diets containing corn. The eggs produced during the first 8 weeks ending November 16 were considered as the October-November hatches. Those produced during the 12-week periods ending February 8 and May 2 were considered as the November-January and February-April hatches, respectively. Those produced after May 2 constituted the May-June hatches. In view of the importance of riboflavin and manganese in maintaining hatchability and in view of the reported relationship between these nutrients and seasonal fluctuation in hatchability, it seems worthwhile to point out that Diet 296 was calculated to contain at least 275 micrograms of riboflavin per 100 grams. This figure, which is supposedly higher than the requirement, would be increased somewhat by substitution of soybean meal for corn. The manganized salt alone would
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TABLE 3.—Effect
55
56
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
furnish 108 parts of manganese per million of diet, or more than twice the requirement. Since there was evidence that the hy-
NOV.-JAN ( 8 4 DAYS)
FE8.-APR ( 8 4 DAYS)
MAY-JUNE ( 5 6 DAYS)
FIG. 1. Effect of season and level of soybean meal on hatchability. 100
o o Ul
, „ - ^ * - ^ ' 9 3 7 WHEAT + PC - TOCOPHEROL
„
— -
90 -1937 WHEAT
£ o 80 >•£ t-°<
70
X
o I-
< x
60 OCTrNOV ( 5 6 DAYS)
NOV.-JAN ( 8 4 DAYS)
FE8-APR ( 8 4 DAYS)
MAY-JUNE ( 5 6 DAYS)
. FIG. 2. Effect on hatchability of variation in the grain component of a diet containing 20 percent soybean meal.
draulic soybean meal fed to all groups at the beginning of this experiment was not properly heated, the performance of the pens that were changed to expeller soy-
meal are given by 4-week periods. Although it might appear that changing to expeller meal at the level of 30 percent had beneficial results, there certainly was
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OCT.-NOV. ( 5 6 DAYS)
bean meal after 24 weeks of the experiment is quite important. In Table 3 the hatchability percentages for each of the four pens fed 30 or 40 percent of soybean
57
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
• ^
TABLE 4.—Average live weight of females Sept. 22 Nov. 17 Feb. 9
May 3 June 28
296 297 298 299 300
grams 2203 2197 2127 2212 2203
grams 2209 2348 2458 2597 2503
grams 2422 2618 2700 2602 2551
grams 2421 2524 2670 2741 2639
grams 2246 2253 2494 2379 2535
301 302 303
2303 2214 2258
2644 2546 2518
2711 2732 2683
2849 2693 2631
2803
variation throughout the experiment. In the February-April period, the pens fed the 1943 wheat showed some decrease in hatchability but did not fall much below 80 percent. The data summarized in Table 4 show that average live weight increased less in the pens fed the low protein diet, 296, than in the other pens. The average live weights for all pens were greater at the termination of the experiment than at the beginning. The figures for average daily feed consumption in Table 5 show the same relationships among the groups as do the average live weights, the pens receiving Diet 296 having consumed the least feed per bird. A low average egg weight was also associated with Diet* 296, as shown in Table
TABLE 5.—Feed consumed per bird per day Diet No.
Sept. 22- Nov. 17- Feb. 8 May 3 Nov. 17 Feb. 8
May 3 June28
296 297 298 299 300
grams 112.4 120.7 128.8 132.6 132.7
grams 113.2 129.9 125.8 135.3 134.4
grams 110.4 125.4 127.7 130.1 131.1
grams 98.4 112.3 107.7 119:8 114.7
301 302 303
135.9 132.0 135.6
142.9 136.1 136.1
134.8 130.8 134.5
115.8
6. Among the other groups there was little difference in this respect. The reports of several investigators that low protein diets result in low egg weight have been reviewed recently by Hill (1944). In the past, low hatchability associated with diets high in soybean meal has generally been ascribed to deficiency of riboflavin or manganese or both, and in specific cases evidence in support of this explanation has been obtained. The results obtained here make it evident that there is at least one other aspect of the problem. Either soybean meal has a direct depressing effect on hatchability, or yellow corn at a level of 87 percent, but not at levels of 47 to 67 percent, supplies a dietary factor essential for good hatchability. Depending on which of these explanations is appropriate, the wheat used in these experiments either was more effective in counteracting the depressing effect of the TABLE 6.—Average egg weight > Diet No.
Oct.Nov.
296 297 298 299 300
grams 47.4 52.3 52.4 53.4 51.8
301 302 303
53.4 52.7 53.0
Feb. grams 52.6 -.. 58.8 J 59.7 58.8 57.7 59.9 58.5 60.4
AprilMay grams 54.9 58.3 59.1 58.7 58.7 60.3 60.0 61.4
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no favorable effect in the case of the birds that were fed 40 percent of meal. The group that received 40 percent expeller meal remained inferior to the group receiving hydraulic meal during all four periods and during two of them the difference was considerable. Hence the deleterious effects of high levels of soybean meal on hatchability are not confined solely to inadequately-heated meals. As shown in Figure 2, the 1937 wheat not only supported good hatchability but also maintained it with a minimum of
58
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
SUMMARY
During an experiment of 40 weeks' duration hens were fed a diet consisting largely of corn and soybean meal with small quantities of alfalfa leaf meal and other vitamin and mineral supplements. As the level of soybean meal increased from 0 to 40 percent, in increments of 10 percent, the hatchability decreased, in spite of apparently adequate quantities of the dietary factors known to affect hatchability. There were statistically significant differences between the hatchability of eggs produced by hens receiving no soybean meal and the hatchability of eggs produced by hens receiving 20, 30 or 40 percent of soybean meal. These high levels of soybean meal did not have an adverse effect on egg production, body weight or egg size. ^ In a ditcr containing 67 percent grain and 20 percent soybean meal, either one
of two lots of wheat permitted significantly higher hatchability than did corn. There was a general tendency toward decreased hatchability during the winter months. REFERENCES
Byerly, T. C , H. W. Titus and N . R. Ellis, 1932. Effect of diet on egg composition. I I Mortality of embryos in eggs from hens on diets containing protein supplements of different origin. Jour. Nutrition 6: 225-242. , 1933. Production and hatchability of eggs as affected by different kinds and quantities of proteins in the diet of laying hens. Jour. Agr. Res. 46: 1-22. Byerly, T. C , H. W. Titus, N. R. Ellis and R. B. Nestler, 1937. Effect of light, soybean, and other diet supplements on seasonal hatchability and egg production. Poultry Sci. 16: 322-330. Caskey, C. D., Jr., and F. C. Knapp, 1944. Method for detecting inadequately heated soybean oil meal. Ind. and Eng. Chem., Anal. Ed. 16: 640641. Christiansen, J. B., J. G. Halpin and E. B. Hart, 1939. A possible relationship between manganese, sunlight, and winter hatchability of hen's eggs. Science 90: 356-357. , 1940. Studies on the nature of the effective supplements for soybean oil meal in rations for the production of hatching eggs. Poultry Sci. 19: 55-60. Deobald, H. J., J. G. Halpin and C. E. Holmes, 1937. Learn more about the value of soybean oil meal for poultry. Wis. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 438: 56. Hill, D. C , 1944. Protein in poultry nutrition. Scientific Agriculture 24: 551-590. Nestler, R. B., T. C. Byerly, N. R. Ellis, and H. W. Titus, 1936. A new factor, not vitamin G, necessary for hatchability. Poultry Sci. 15: 67-70. Whitson, D., J. C. Hammond, H. W. Titus, and H. R. Bird, 1945. The use of soybean meal in the diet of growing chicks. II. Effect of different grains. Poultry Sci. 24: 408-416. Wilgus, H. S., and F. X. Gassner, 1941. Effect of soybean oil meal on avian reproduction. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med. 46: 290-293.
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soybean meal or contained more of the essential dietary factor than did the corn. In confirmation of the reports of other investigators a seasonal variation in hatchability was found. However, this effect was not dependent on a low dietary level of riboflavin or manganese or a high level of soybean meal. On the basis of these results it would seem wise to limit the quantity of soybean meal fed to hens producing eggs for hatching to 10 percent or less of the total feed. In the presence of suitable quantities of high quality animal protein, higher levels of soybean meal could perhaps be fed with satisfactory results; but under such circumstances there would be little reason for doing so unless one wanted a diet of unusually high total protein content.
Bureau of Animal Industry, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication, August 17, 1945)
T
52
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Simon Fraser University on June 7, 2015
HE conflicting reports in the litera- plement. Christiansen, Halpin, and Hart ture concerning the effect of soybeans (1939, 1940) demonstrated that this low and soybean meal on hatchability indicate hatchability was overcome by the addia need for additional study, especially in tion of manganese sulphate or synthetic view of the fact that in recent times the riboflavin to the diet. They concluded that latter material has been the most widely the diet was deficient in riboflavin arid available protein supplement for use in that in some way manganese acted to alleviate this deficiency at least in part poultry feeds. Byerly, Titus, and Ellis (1932, 1933) Wilgus and Gassner (1941) reported a found that hens receiving diets containing very low hatchability of eggs produced by 20 percent of soybean meal produced eggs hens receiving a diet containing 16 percent having a low hatchability. Nestler, Byerly of soybean meal. When this level was Ellis, and Titus (1936) presented data reduced to 6 percent and 5 percent of indicating that the low hatchability of meat scrap was added, hatchability was eggs produced by hens in confinement satisfactory. The basal diet was apreceiving diets containing 20 percent parently adequate with respect to ribosoybean meal was not alleviated by. the flavin and manganese. addition of 10 percent of dried whey to In an experiment conducted at the increase the riboflavin intake. Byerly, Agricultural Research Center during the Titus, Ellis, and Nestler (1937) were able 1942-1943 season with a diet containing to demonstrate an increase in hatcha- 33 percent of soybean meal, 47 percent bility when beef scrap replaced the 20 of corn and supposedly adequate vitamin percent of soybean meal in the diet of and mineral supplements, there was a 61 confined hens, or when the hens receiving percent hatch of the fertile eggs collected either diet were exposed to direct sun- between November 2 and February 25 light. In their study a seasonal variation and an 84 percent hatch of fertile eggs in hatchability was observed when the collected between April 19 and August 9. diets contained 20 percent soybean meal. Diets containing corn were significantly Deobald, Halpin, and Holmes (1937) better for egg production than similar reported a low hatchability during the diets containing wheat. The wheat used winter months when the diet contained in these diets was of low quality and soybean meal as the only protein sup- produced inferior growth when used in a chick diet. It had been subjected to long storage and probably had undergone some 1 Present address: Swift and Co., Research Labo- deterioration. In view of these results it ratory, Union Stock Yards, Chicago 9, Illinois. seemed desirable to investigate further 2 Present address: Limestone Products Corpora- • the effect upon hatchability of diets tion of America, Newton, New Jersey.
53
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
consisting largely of soybean meal and corn or wheat. It also seemed desirable to determine whether vitamin E would improve the results obtained when stored wheat was fed. PROCEDURE
Sixteen lots, each consisting of 22 Rhode Island Red pullets confined in colony houses, were first given the ex-
5, steamed bonemeal 4.5, butyl fermentation solubles (250 micrograms riboflavin per gram) 0.5, limestone .flour 2, manganized salt (6 percent MnS0 4 ) 0.5, iodized salt 0.2, and vitamin A and D oil (400 A.O.A.C. units of vitamin D and 2000 I.U. of vitamin A per gram) 0.3. The iodized salt had the following composition: NaCl 100 parts, K.I 0.3, Na 2 S 2 O 3 -5H 2 0 0.4, CaC0 3 3.3 and corn-
TABLE 1.—Egg production and hatchability
No.
Description Grain, Soy% bean meal
296 297 298 299 300
corn 87 77 67 57 47
0 10 20 30 40
30.4 46.8 53.1 43.9 50.6
301
1943 wheat 67
20
52.0
By Pens
Hatchability
% Hatch
By Diets % Hatch
631 1124 1121 1197 1279
83.2 82.8 79.8 70.8 64.7
86.4 82.8 78.6 69.4 65.0
84.0
1177
83.2
83.6
85.6 90.4
1130 1055
86.5 87.2
86.0 88.8 5.0
By Pens No. % Hatch fertile eggs
By Diets
No. fertile eggs
30.4 46.9 47.1 53.2 51.2
30.4 46.8 50.1 48.5 50.9
677 1176 1472 1024 1181
89.7 82.9 77.5 68.1 65.3
51.6
51.8
1178
1937 wheat 302 67 20 51.5 51.1 303 67* 20 57.1 54.3 Least s ignificant differe ace (19:1 odds)
51.3 55.7 5.0
1073 1044
%
.
* Plus 10 mg. alpha tocopherol per lb. of feed.
perimental all-mash diets on September 22, 1943. They continued to receive the same diets until June 28, 1944, with the exception of the lots fed diets 302 and 303, which were discontinued on May 3. The pullets were hatched on March 26 and April 2, 1943; they had access to range during the growing period; and they, were placed in the laying houses from 7 to 9 days before the beginning of the experiment. The pens were artificially lighted to provide a 14-hour day. The basal diet was designated #296 and had the following composition: ground yellow corn 87, alfalfa leaf meal
starch 6.0. This diet and each of seven modifications of it were fed to duplicate pens of pullets. The modifications are indicated in Table 1. The 1937 wheat had been placed in experimental storage bins at the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station in July, 1937. When removed from the bins, it was musty, heavily damaged by weevils, and contaminated with rat feces. It was cleaned before being fed. Both the 1937 and 1943 lots were soft red winter wheat. The soybean meal used during the first 24 weeks of this experiment had been processed by the hydraulic method. I t
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Simon Fraser University on June 7, 2015
Egg production, %
Diet
54
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
except for one week's production in each month, and all eggs produced during the remainder of the experiment were incubated except for two weeks' production in each month. Two Rhode Island Red males were kept in each pen and rotated from pen to pen at intervals of four weeks. All eggs produced during the weeks ending October 31, November 7, February 6, February 13, April 30, and May 7 were weighed.
TABLE 2.—Proximate chemical composition of diets Diet No.
Moisture,
296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303
9.88 9.69 9.74 9.53 9.25 10.54 10.34 10.14
%
Crude protein,
% 8.94 12.56 16.23 19.98 24.04 18.93 17.77 17.72
Crude fiber,
Fat,
% 3.98 4.00 4.16 4.33 4.24 2.62 2.46 2.43
% 2.87 3.20 3.52 3.86 4.08 3.82 3.89 3.87
nature of the experiment the protein content of some of the diets differed rather widely from the usual recommendations. Diet 296 was very low in protein and Diets 299 to 301 were high. The results of other analyses did not differ greatly from the figures that characterize the usual diet for laying hens. The birds were weighed at intervals of four weeks and feed consumption records were kept for the same periods. Trapnest records were kept and a large proportion of the eggs produced were incubated, each setting consisting of the eggs laid during a period of one week. All eggs produced during October and November, 1943, were incubated. All eggs produced during December and January were incubated 8 The authors appreciate the cooperation of Mr. W. L. Kellogg, who made these analyses.
Nitrogen free extract, % 65.69 63.35 58.33 54.30 49.99 55.98 57.59 57.97
Ash,
Ca,
P
%
%
%
8.72 7.31 8.19 8.27 8.66 8.38 8.20 8.14
2.29 2.37 2.37 2.45 2.45 2.36 2.37 2.38
0.94 0.98 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.09 1.05 1.02
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The records of the first two birds that died in each group were eliminated completely when the average live weights and percent egg production and hatchability were calculated. The records of birds that died subsequently were eliminated for the 28-day period in which they died and for prior periods if a decrease in live weight or other observations indicated they were in a state of debility. The number of birds surviving to the end of the experiment in the individual groups ranged from 13 to 20. The effects of the diets on egg production and hatchability are indicated in Table 1, and the hatchability by periods is represented in Figures 1 and 2. The egg production permitted by Diet 296, which was low in protein, was significantly poorer than that obtained with any
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Simon Fraser University on June 7, 2015
gave a positive test for urease, indicating that it had been subjected to heat treatment of less than the desired intensity (Caskey and Knapp, 1944). After 24 weeks, expeller soybean meal was substituted for the hydraulic in the diet of one pen of each of the pairs of duplicates, the other pen being continued on the original diet. The expeller meal did not give a test for urease. The results of proximate analyses of the diets are given in Table 2.3 Because of the
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
other diet. Among the corn-fed pens there were no other significant differences in egg production. Among the diets containing 20 percent soybean meal with different grains, the only significant difference was between Diets 298 and 303, in favor of the latter. I t is interesting and rather surprising that the pens fed Diet 296 which contained no protein supplement and only 8.94 percent crude protein achieved an average egg production as
contained the same level of corn. The 1937 wheat was supplemented with vitamin E to see if its expected inadequacy would be corrected thereby, but the excellent performance of the unsupplemented wheat defeated the purpose of this part of the experiment. This same sample of wheat was found to be excellent as an ingredient of chick diets (Whitson et al. 1945). Figure 1 reveals some seasonal varia
of high levels of hydraulic and expeller soybean meals on hatchability Percent hatchability by periods ending:
Diet No.
Soybean meal
Oct. 19
Nov. Dec. 16 14
Jan. 11
Feb. 8
Mar. 7
Apr. 4
May 2
May 30
June 27
299 299 299 299 299 299 300 300 300 300
330% 0 % hydraulic 30% 30% hydraulic 30% expeller 30% 40% 4 0 % hydraulic 440% 0 % hydraulic
76.3 76.3 76.5 76.5
79.3 79.3 63.4 63.4
67.5 67.5 70.3 70.3
76.5 76.5 62.7 62.7
65.7 65.7 70.1 70.1
48.0 48.0 59.3 59.3
45.5 45.5
68.9 68.9
73.2 73.2
52.5
83.8 83.8 86.0 86.0
65.7 65.7 60.9 60.9
53.8 53.8 63.7 63.7
60.4 60.4 74.5 74.5
55.9 55.9 66.1 66.1
60.2 60.2 50.0 50.0
71.4 71.4 56.7 56.7
71.9 71.9 74.0 74.0
78.2 78.2 83.0 83.0
88.2 81.4
52.4
58.3
67.1
74.1
300
40% expeller
high as 30.4 percent for the 40-weeks' period covered by this experiment. This result is of interest as an indication of the egg production that can be achieved when feeding a diet of corn and mineral and vitamin supplements. Hatchability was significantly lower when 20, 30, or 40 percent of soybean meal was fed than when no soybean meal was fed. This fact, by itself, would be of academic interest only, since these levels are higher than one would be likely to encounter in practical diets even if soybean meal were the sole protein supplement. However, consideration of the step-wise decrease in hatchability with increasing levels of soybean meal, shown in Table 1 and in Figure 1, would lead one to believe that even 10 percent soybean meal had a slight depressing effect on hatchability. Each of the three diets containing wheat produced eggs of higher hatchability than did Diet 298 which
tion in hatchability of eggs produced by hens fed the diets containing corn. The eggs produced during the first 8 weeks ending November 16 were considered as the October-November hatches. Those produced during the 12-week periods ending February 8 and May 2 were considered as the November-January and February-April hatches, respectively. Those produced after May 2 constituted the May-June hatches. In view of the importance of riboflavin and manganese in maintaining hatchability and in view of the reported relationship between these nutrients and seasonal fluctuation in hatchability, it seems worthwhile to point out that Diet 296 was calculated to contain at least 275 micrograms of riboflavin per 100 grams. This figure, which is supposedly higher than the requirement, would be increased somewhat by substitution of soybean meal for corn. The manganized salt alone would
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TABLE 3.—Effect
55
56
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
furnish 108 parts of manganese per million of diet, or more than twice the requirement. Since there was evidence that the hy-
NOV.-JAN ( 8 4 DAYS)
FE8.-APR ( 8 4 DAYS)
MAY-JUNE ( 5 6 DAYS)
FIG. 1. Effect of season and level of soybean meal on hatchability. 100
o o Ul
, „ - ^ * - ^ ' 9 3 7 WHEAT + PC - TOCOPHEROL
„
— -
90 -1937 WHEAT
£ o 80 >•£ t-°<
70
X
o I-
< x
60 OCTrNOV ( 5 6 DAYS)
NOV.-JAN ( 8 4 DAYS)
FE8-APR ( 8 4 DAYS)
MAY-JUNE ( 5 6 DAYS)
. FIG. 2. Effect on hatchability of variation in the grain component of a diet containing 20 percent soybean meal.
draulic soybean meal fed to all groups at the beginning of this experiment was not properly heated, the performance of the pens that were changed to expeller soy-
meal are given by 4-week periods. Although it might appear that changing to expeller meal at the level of 30 percent had beneficial results, there certainly was
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OCT.-NOV. ( 5 6 DAYS)
bean meal after 24 weeks of the experiment is quite important. In Table 3 the hatchability percentages for each of the four pens fed 30 or 40 percent of soybean
57
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF SOYBEAN MEAL ON HATCHABILITY
• ^
TABLE 4.—Average live weight of females Sept. 22 Nov. 17 Feb. 9
May 3 June 28
296 297 298 299 300
grams 2203 2197 2127 2212 2203
grams 2209 2348 2458 2597 2503
grams 2422 2618 2700 2602 2551
grams 2421 2524 2670 2741 2639
grams 2246 2253 2494 2379 2535
301 302 303
2303 2214 2258
2644 2546 2518
2711 2732 2683
2849 2693 2631
2803
variation throughout the experiment. In the February-April period, the pens fed the 1943 wheat showed some decrease in hatchability but did not fall much below 80 percent. The data summarized in Table 4 show that average live weight increased less in the pens fed the low protein diet, 296, than in the other pens. The average live weights for all pens were greater at the termination of the experiment than at the beginning. The figures for average daily feed consumption in Table 5 show the same relationships among the groups as do the average live weights, the pens receiving Diet 296 having consumed the least feed per bird. A low average egg weight was also associated with Diet* 296, as shown in Table
TABLE 5.—Feed consumed per bird per day Diet No.
Sept. 22- Nov. 17- Feb. 8 May 3 Nov. 17 Feb. 8
May 3 June28
296 297 298 299 300
grams 112.4 120.7 128.8 132.6 132.7
grams 113.2 129.9 125.8 135.3 134.4
grams 110.4 125.4 127.7 130.1 131.1
grams 98.4 112.3 107.7 119:8 114.7
301 302 303
135.9 132.0 135.6
142.9 136.1 136.1
134.8 130.8 134.5
115.8
6. Among the other groups there was little difference in this respect. The reports of several investigators that low protein diets result in low egg weight have been reviewed recently by Hill (1944). In the past, low hatchability associated with diets high in soybean meal has generally been ascribed to deficiency of riboflavin or manganese or both, and in specific cases evidence in support of this explanation has been obtained. The results obtained here make it evident that there is at least one other aspect of the problem. Either soybean meal has a direct depressing effect on hatchability, or yellow corn at a level of 87 percent, but not at levels of 47 to 67 percent, supplies a dietary factor essential for good hatchability. Depending on which of these explanations is appropriate, the wheat used in these experiments either was more effective in counteracting the depressing effect of the TABLE 6.—Average egg weight > Diet No.
Oct.Nov.
296 297 298 299 300
grams 47.4 52.3 52.4 53.4 51.8
301 302 303
53.4 52.7 53.0
Feb. grams 52.6 -.. 58.8 J 59.7 58.8 57.7 59.9 58.5 60.4
AprilMay grams 54.9 58.3 59.1 58.7 58.7 60.3 60.0 61.4
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no favorable effect in the case of the birds that were fed 40 percent of meal. The group that received 40 percent expeller meal remained inferior to the group receiving hydraulic meal during all four periods and during two of them the difference was considerable. Hence the deleterious effects of high levels of soybean meal on hatchability are not confined solely to inadequately-heated meals. As shown in Figure 2, the 1937 wheat not only supported good hatchability but also maintained it with a minimum of
58
D. WHITSON, H. W. TITUS, AND H. R. BIRD
SUMMARY
During an experiment of 40 weeks' duration hens were fed a diet consisting largely of corn and soybean meal with small quantities of alfalfa leaf meal and other vitamin and mineral supplements. As the level of soybean meal increased from 0 to 40 percent, in increments of 10 percent, the hatchability decreased, in spite of apparently adequate quantities of the dietary factors known to affect hatchability. There were statistically significant differences between the hatchability of eggs produced by hens receiving no soybean meal and the hatchability of eggs produced by hens receiving 20, 30 or 40 percent of soybean meal. These high levels of soybean meal did not have an adverse effect on egg production, body weight or egg size. ^ In a ditcr containing 67 percent grain and 20 percent soybean meal, either one
of two lots of wheat permitted significantly higher hatchability than did corn. There was a general tendency toward decreased hatchability during the winter months. REFERENCES
Byerly, T. C , H. W. Titus and N . R. Ellis, 1932. Effect of diet on egg composition. I I Mortality of embryos in eggs from hens on diets containing protein supplements of different origin. Jour. Nutrition 6: 225-242. , 1933. Production and hatchability of eggs as affected by different kinds and quantities of proteins in the diet of laying hens. Jour. Agr. Res. 46: 1-22. Byerly, T. C , H. W. Titus, N. R. Ellis and R. B. Nestler, 1937. Effect of light, soybean, and other diet supplements on seasonal hatchability and egg production. Poultry Sci. 16: 322-330. Caskey, C. D., Jr., and F. C. Knapp, 1944. Method for detecting inadequately heated soybean oil meal. Ind. and Eng. Chem., Anal. Ed. 16: 640641. Christiansen, J. B., J. G. Halpin and E. B. Hart, 1939. A possible relationship between manganese, sunlight, and winter hatchability of hen's eggs. Science 90: 356-357. , 1940. Studies on the nature of the effective supplements for soybean oil meal in rations for the production of hatching eggs. Poultry Sci. 19: 55-60. Deobald, H. J., J. G. Halpin and C. E. Holmes, 1937. Learn more about the value of soybean oil meal for poultry. Wis. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 438: 56. Hill, D. C , 1944. Protein in poultry nutrition. Scientific Agriculture 24: 551-590. Nestler, R. B., T. C. Byerly, N. R. Ellis, and H. W. Titus, 1936. A new factor, not vitamin G, necessary for hatchability. Poultry Sci. 15: 67-70. Whitson, D., J. C. Hammond, H. W. Titus, and H. R. Bird, 1945. The use of soybean meal in the diet of growing chicks. II. Effect of different grains. Poultry Sci. 24: 408-416. Wilgus, H. S., and F. X. Gassner, 1941. Effect of soybean oil meal on avian reproduction. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med. 46: 290-293.
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soybean meal or contained more of the essential dietary factor than did the corn. In confirmation of the reports of other investigators a seasonal variation in hatchability was found. However, this effect was not dependent on a low dietary level of riboflavin or manganese or a high level of soybean meal. On the basis of these results it would seem wise to limit the quantity of soybean meal fed to hens producing eggs for hatching to 10 percent or less of the total feed. In the presence of suitable quantities of high quality animal protein, higher levels of soybean meal could perhaps be fed with satisfactory results; but under such circumstances there would be little reason for doing so unless one wanted a diet of unusually high total protein content.