Effect of Vitamin B6 on Egg Production and Hatchability1

Research Notes 2 gm. Oyster shell was supplied ad libitum. Fifteen Single Comb White Leghorn pulCarter and O'Brien (1939) and Hegsted, lets were divided equally into five groups. Oleson, Elvehjem, and Hart (1940) demon- The-basal group contained only two bestrated the essential nature of vitamin B 6 cause one ceased production during the first for growing chicks. In a more recent paper week of the experiment. The other four Briggs, Mills, Hegsted, Elvehjem, and Hart groups received respectively 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, (1942) showed that the young chick re- and 4.0 mg. of vitamin B 6 per kilogram of quires from 275 to 300 micrograms of vita- ration. The birds were housed in individual min B 6 for optimum growth. We wish to cages and artificially inseminated. All birds report here studies on the essential nature were weighed weekly. The eggs were inof vitamin B6 for egg production, hatch- cubated weekly. The hatchability and egg ability, and maintenance of body weight in production data are given in Table 1. mature fowl. The results of this experiment show conIn preliminary trials the following syn- clusively that vitamin B6 is essential for thetic basal ration was found to be satis- normal reproduction in the domestic fowL factory: dextrin, 58; purified casein, 18; On the basal ration hatchability dropped gelatin, 5; soybean oil, 5; salts IV, 5; fish from approximately 80 percent to zero, in oil, 2 (400 A.O.A.C. units vitamin D, 3,000 seven weeks. Egg production had also I.U. vitamin A); kidney residue, 3; solu- ceased by the eighth week. The groups rebilized liver extract, 4. Each kilogram of ra- ceiving different levels of B„ continued to tion also contained thiamin,2 3 mg.; ribo- produce hatchable eggs although there was flavin, 5 mg.; calcium pantothenate, 15 considerable variation between different mg.; nicotinic acid, 100 mg.; and choline, hatches within any one group. The weekly weighings of the birds are not presented. 'Published with the approval of the Director Only the birds in the basal group showed of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. weight losses. These birds lost approxis We are indebted to Borden and Company for the fish oil; to Merck and Company for the crys- ' mately 500 grams each during the ninetalline vitamins; and to Wilson Laboratories for week experiment. Experiments are planned to determine more accurately the requirethe gelatin and solubilized liver extract. EFFECT OF VITAMIN Be ON EGG PRODUCTION AND HATCHABILITY1

TABLE 1.-—Effect of vitamin Be on igg production and hatchability

Ration 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Basal plus 1.0 mg. B. per kg.

Basal

Weeks No. eggs

Fertile

Percent hatch

10 10 10 10 9 8 7 2

10 9 10 10 8 7 7 2

90.0 77.8 80.0 80.0 75.0 42.9 28.6

— —

— —

0.0

—

Basal plus 2.0 mg. B. per kg.

eggs

Fertile

Percent hatch

eggs

Fertile

Percent hatch

13 14 10 11 14 12 10 12 12 10

9 12 9 9 11 12 8 11 11 8

100.0 91.6 77.8 100.0 81.8 75.0 75.0 63.6 72.7 62.5

12 10 9 10 10 11 11 6 10 5

12 10 8 9 8 11 9 5 9 2

66.7 80.0 62.5 100.0 75.0 63.6 77.8 40.0 55.6 50.0

No.

No.

[94]

Basal plus 3.0 mg. Bt per kg. No. Fer- Percent eggs tile hatch 13 10 7 10 7 6 8 9 10 7

9 9 6 5 4 4 4 4 6 4

66.7 77.8 50.0 100.0 75.0 100.0 75.0 25.0 66.7 100.0

Basal plus 4.0 mg. Be per kg. No. eggs

Fertile

Percent hatch

13 9 9 13 11 9 8 6 5 5

12 7 8 11 11 8 8 6 5 4

83.3 85.7 87.5 91.0 91.0 75.0 75.0 66.7 80.0 100.0

95

RESEARCH NOTES

ments of breeding hen? for vitamin B6 and its effect on embryonic development. W.

W.

CRAVENS

E. E. SEBESTA3

ined raw. In this examination, shell, yolk, and white were carefully separated and weighed. The shell and the yolk were dried to constant weight at 100°C. and weighed.

J. G. HALPIN E.

B.

HART

Departments of Poultry Husbandry and Biochemistry University of Wisconsin Madison Received for publication November 20, 1942

Weights of a boiled egg and its parts compared with the corresponding weights of a raw egg; average of 100 eggs in each group Alternate eggs

REFERENCES

Carter, C. W., and J. R. O'Brien, 1939. Vitamin B complex in relation to the nutrition of the chick and the pigeon. Seventh World's Poultry Congress Proceedings, pp. 126-128. Briggs, G. M., Jr., R. C. Mills, D. M. Hegsted, C. A. Elvehjem, and E. B. Hart, 1942. The vitamin Bo requirement of the chick. Poultry Sci. 21:379-383. Hegsted, D. M., J. J. Oleson, C. A. Elvehjem, and E. B. Hart, 1940. The essential nature of a new growth factor and vitamin B8 for chicks. Poultry Sci. 19:167-176. DOES BOILING CHANGE THE WEIGHT OF AN EGG OR OF T H E YOLK OR WHITE? 1

In connection with an experiment in which many eggs were analyzed after having been boiled 30 minutes it was important to know whether the weight of an egg of the .white or yolk is changed by this treatment. To test this question, eggs were obtained by trap-nesting from 10 Rhode Island Red pullets and 10 yearling hens, all from the same parent stock. Of the first 20 eggs laid by each pullet or hen, alternate ones were examined, raw and after boiling 30 minutes. After this, 10 eggs laid consecutively were examined after boiling and another 10, laid consecutively, were exam-

Consecutive eggs •

Boiled

Raw

Boiled

Raw

gms.

gms.

gms.

gms.

Pullets Whole egg Dried shell Contents Yolk White Dried yolk Water in yolk yolk-white ratio

53.5 54.7 53.8 54.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 49.2 48.8 50.0 49.9 17.4 17.2 17.2 17.4 31.8 31.6 32.8 32.5 9.0 8.9 9.1 9.0 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.3 1:1.87 1:1.91 1:1.82 1:1.83

Yearlings Whole egg Dried shell Contents Yolk White Dried yolk Water in yolk Yolk-white ratio

56.6 56.3 56.8 56.8 4.7 4.5 4.7 4.7 51.6 52.1 52.1 52.1 17.6 17.5 17.8 17.6 34.1 34.3 34.5 34.5 9.1 9.2 8.7 9.2 8.4 8.6 8.9 8.4 1:1.96 1:1.93 1:1.96 1:1.95

The average findings are given in the table. The weights of white and yolk in the boiled egg did not differ materially from the corresponding weights in the raw egg. Therefore, percentages of such constituents as fat, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water found in the boiled egg may be accepted as true for the raw egg. Incidentally, comparison of the pullet eggs with those of the yearling hens shows that the increase in weight of the eggs was mainly in the white. The yolk and shell did not change materially in weight. G. DAVIS BUCKNER

" Borden and Company Industrial Fellow. ' T h e investigation reported in this paper is in connection with a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published by permission of the director.

W. M. INSKO, JR. AMANDA HARMS

Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Received for publication October 23, 1942