- Email: [email protected]
Evaluation of the Sulfur Amino Acid Requirements of Commercial Egg Production Type Pullets1
HYGROMYCIN B AND REPRODUCTION Llorico, B. F., 1962. Effects of hygromycin B feeding on the growing and laying performance of a commercial inbred cross laying stock. Master of Science Thesis, A. & M. College of Texas, College Station, Texas. Llorico, B. F., and J. H. Quisenberry, 1965. Effects of hygromycin B on the growing and laying performance of chickens. Poultry Sci. 44: 1565-1571.
181
Quisenberry, J. H., C. B. Ryan and R. D. Turk, 1958. Continuous feeding of hygromycin as a poultry anthelmintic. Proc. 1958 Texas Nutrition Conf., pp. 67-69. Quisenberry, J. H., R. G. Foster and A. Latif, 1960. Some effects of continuous hygromycin feeding on performance of chickens during the growing and laying periods. Poultry Sci. 39: 1286.
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP2 Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Gainesville, Florida 32603 (Received for publication Tune 18, 1966)
T
HE National Research Council (1960) suggests that commercial egg production type pullets require 15% protein in a diet containing approximately 2024 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. They have further refined this requirement to indicate that the diet should contain 0.28% methionine and 0.25% cystine or a total of 0.53% sulfur containing amino acids. It is an accepted fact that the performance of birds is limited by the specific amino acid content of a diet rather than the total protein content. Although this is true most of the research with laying hens has been involved in studying the total protein requirement rather than specific amino acids. This is due to the fact that the calculated level of amino acids in a diet has been dependent upon the table of values used for the calculations. In the past the protein requirement of laying hens has been reported to be as high as 17% or as low as 11%. A review of the literature concerning the pro1
Florida Agr. Exp. Sta. Journal Series No. 2425. Present address: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 2
tein requirement of the laying hen was made by Harms et al. (1962) in a paper in which it was reported that the energy content of the diet and season of the year would influence this requirement. With the increased use of linear programming, it is essential that the specific amino acid requirements of the hen be determined. Therefore, these studies were initiated to determine the methionine and sulfur amino acid requirements of the hen using diets formulated with the use of linear programming. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Two strains of commercial egg production type pullets (Kimber K-137 and HyLine 934-H) were used in these studies. They were purchased from commercial hatcheries where they had been debeaked, dubbed and vaccinated inter-ocularly for bronchitis and Newcastle disease at one day old. Fowl pox vaccination was given at four weeks of age and bronchitis and Newcastle vaccinations were repeated at eight and twenty-two weeks of age. For the first eight weeks of life these pullets were fed a starter diet containing
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Evaluation of the Sulfur Amino Acid Requirements of Commercial Egg Production Type Pullets1
182
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP TABLE 1.—Composition of diets Diet designation as *% of estimated amino acid requirement
Ingredient 80
% Sulfur Amino Acids % Methionine % Protein
100
(%)
115
130
4.26 73.36
3.69 72.12
3.12 70.89
2.27 69.02
1.11 66.45
9.16
10.98
12.80
15.53
19.29
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
6.88
6.89
6.89
6.90
6.91
1.99 0.35 0.042
1.97 0.35 0.061
1.95 0.35 0.079
1.93 0.35 0.107
1.89 0.35 0.126
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
.392 .214 11.4
.431 .241 12.3
.470 .268 13.1
.528 .308 14.3
.592 .348 16.0
1 2
Indicates methionine hydroxy analogue calcium. Supplies per kg. of diet: 6600 I.U. vitamin A, 2200 I.C.U. vitamin Ds, 2.2 mg. menadione sodium bisulfite, 4.4 mg. riboflavin, 13.2 mg. pantothenic acid, 500 mg. iron, 1.98 mg. copper, meg. cobalt, 11 mg. iodine, 99 meg. zinc, 56 mg. santoquin, 22 gms. MnS04 , 39.6 mg. niacin, 500 choline CI, and 22 mg. vitamin Bia.
22% protein and 2079 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. At eight weeks of age the protein level was reduced to 16% and this feed was given until the birds were moved into laying cages at 22 weeks of age. At this time they were changed to a commercial egg production type laying mash containing 17% protein (Waldroup and Harms, 1964). At 27 weeks of age six groups of five individually caged pullets from each of the two breeds were placed on each of the experimental diets shown in Table 1. These are corn-soybean meal type diets with protein levels ranging from 11.4 to 16%. The calculated methionine content of the diet ranged from 0.214 to 0.348%, and the calculated total sulfur amino acids levels ranged from 0.392 to 0.592%. Based on previous experience (Dudley, 1966; and Harms, 1966) levels of 0.268% methionine and 0.47% total sulfur amino acids were selected as the expected requirement of the laying hen; therefore, this diet was designated as 100% of the estimated requirement. Using linear programming techniques, four other diets were formulated to contain 80, 95, 115,
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Egg Production. A significant linear response was obtained in egg production from increasing the level of methionine in the diet (Table 2). Maximum rate of egg production was obtained with the Hy-Line birds when the diet contained 0.308% methionine; however, a numerical increase was obtained with the Kimber pullets by increasing the methionine above this level. The Kimber birds also laid at a lower rate at the lowest level of methionine (0.214%)
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Sand Yellow Corn Soybean M e a l (50% Prot) Alfalfa Meal (20% Prot) Animal F a t Ground Limestone Defluorinated Phosphate Iodized Salt MHAO MicroIngredients 2
95
and 130% of the estimated methionine requirement of the laying hen and at the same time meet the requirement for other amino acids. The nutrient analysis of ingredients according to Maddy et al. (1963) were used as a basis for formulations, and all diets were maintained isocalorically at 2024 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. Daily egg production records were kept on each pullet throughout each 280-day test period. Rate of egg production is reported on a hen day basis. One egg was weighed from each hen at the end of each 28-day period and these weights were averaged for each group. Each bird was weighed at the beginning of the experiment and again at the end of the test and difference calculated and reported as body weight gain. Two identical experiments were conducted; and each was begun during the first week of December. Where there were no significant interactions of year X treatment, the data were combined. However, when the year X treatment interaction was significant, these data are presented. Statements of probability in this paper are based on analysis of variance according to Snedecor (1956) with significant differences between the treatment means determined by Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
183
METHIONINE REQUIREMENT FOR HENS
TABLE 2.—Rale of egg production and egg weights when pullets were fed various levels of sulfur amino acids % Production Breed %of Estimated Requirement 80 90 100 115 130
Meth
%
.214 .241 .268 .308 .348
S.A.l
%
K2
.392 .431 .470 .528 .592
65,2 68.2 69.2 69,0 72.6
Egg Weights Breed
Both
Both IP 66.2 68.6 69,3 72.8 72.3
K* 1st Yr
2ndYr
Both<
69.2 69.5 72.0 74.8 73.5
62.2 67.3 66.5 67.0 71.5
65.7a 68.4ab 69.8bc 70.9bc 72.3bc
58.1 58.3 58.6 58.5 59.5
IP 56.7 57.1 58.5 58.9 59.7
IstYr
2ndYr
Both*
58.5 58.8 59.6 60.1 59.6
56.3 56.5 57.5 57.2 59.6
57.4a 57.7ab 58.6bc 58.7bc 59.6c
1
Indicates sulfur amino acids. 2 Indicates Kimber, K-137. » Indicates Hy-Line 934-H. Means with different superscripts are significantly different according to Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
4
interaction of treatment X month. This was true even though the middle of the production period came during the warmer months of the year. An analysis of variance was made on total egg mass, which Was calculated by multiplying monthly egg weight by egg production. No significant differences were noted which were not observed for rate of egg production, therefore these values were not reported. Egg Weight. A numerical response was obtained in egg weights with each increase in the level of methionine (Table 2). Again there was no significant increase beyond the 100% level of the estimated requirement. However, a numerical increase was obtained above this level which would agree with the egg production data, and these differences were noted throughout the laying year in each experiment. A significant breed X methionine level interaction was obtained for egg weights. This was a result of a greater response by the Hy-Lines to the increased levels of methionine. There was a spread of 3 grams in egg weights with Hy-Lines as compared to a 1.4 spread of egg weights with Kimber pullets. However, the highest level of methionine supported the heaviest weight eggs with both breeds of pullets. There was no indication of a difference in methionine requirement at different periods of the laying year since the methionine level X month interaction was non-significant.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
resulting in a significant breed X methionine level interaction. The finding that the Kimber K-137 pullets have a higher requirement than the 934-H pullets would substantiate earlier reports by Harms and Waldroup (1962), and Harms et at. (1966) that different strains may have different protein requirements. The observation that a significant response was not obtained in egg production by increasing the level of methionine above 0.268% might explain why some workers have concluded that lower levels of protein were adequate for egg production type pullets; however, since a numerical increase was obtained in each of the two years in this experiment it is indicated that the requirement for maximum production is higher. These data agree very well with the NRC suggested requirement in that the methionine requirement for maximum egg production is not in excess of .28% with a diet containing 2024 kilocalories of productive energy. It should be remembered that this diet contained a slightly higher level of energy which would have resulted in a small increase in the methionine requirement. Since the difference in egg production obtained from feeding diets containing 0.214 and 0.348% methionine was so small (6.6%) it is very difficult to establish the exact requirement of methionine. The higher levels of methionine supported the best rate of egg production throughout the laying year and there was no significant
184
I
-23a 60b 142cd 118c 178d
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP
1*'s«sg SiJi 9
«SS3S
1 sasSS §SooS
&
?TaSS
i
"a
I*
SSSKS
SiS"
SS3SI
Both*
1 ssggg
35^ii
•g In"
SKSKS
.8
"8
S>; 8SS8K ^ SSSSS
f
M o CJ - d
•2 t:
SSKSS
%£ SSSS3 g
gggSK
m
1
•2 ^
5><
=3
SKSKS SS3SKS 3stdl
ISSss sail'
*tf
gg|2§
11 in!
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
f
I*
Feed Efficiency. There was a general trend for less feed to be required to produce a dozen eggs with the higher levels of methionine (Table 3). This difference was partially attributed to the different rate of lay, since birds laying at a higher rate require less feed to produce a dozen eggs. A level of .308% methionine resulted in maximum feed utilization. A significant year X breed interaction in feed efficiency was observed. This was a result of the Kimber bird having a higher requirement during the first year as compared to the second. This reduction in feed requirement by the Kimber bird during the second year was due to a reduced body weight. Body Weight Gain. A significant increase in body weight gain was obtained by increasing the methionine content of the diet (Table 3). This difference in body weight was as expected since it had been previously reported (Harms et al., 1962) that an increase in protein level results in greater body weight gain of laying hens. A significant strain X treatment interaction was observed. This was a result of the Kimber bird not losing weight (two year average) even at the lowest level of amino acid as compared to a 74 gram loss for the Hy-Line bird. The fact that the two strains reacted differently as far as weight gains are concerned is another problem which is involved in establishing an accurate amino acid requirement of laying hens. Some strains of birds are able to sacrifice body weight gains when fed amino acid deficient diets and are able to lay even on diets that would be deficient for other strains. A significant breed X year interaction was observed in body weight gains. This was due to the fact that the body weight of the Kimber birds was considerably less during the second year. This resulted in a reduced body weight gain and also resulted in the loss of body weight at the lowest level of methionine.
185
METHIONINE REQUIREMENT FOR HENS TABLE 4.—Feed consumed per hen per day (grams) %of Est. Req.
Meth
S.A.1
%
%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
All
80 90 100 115 130
.214 .241 .268 .308 .348
.392 .431 .470 .528 .592
103 101 100 101 100
112 113 106 108 107
116 113 107 111 110
110 108 104 107 105
100 102 98 101 100
92 97 91 92 94
90 91 91 93 92
96 96 102 94 103
98 101 99 95 105
95 99 102 99 100
101 101 100 102 102
1
Month
Indicates sulfur amino acids.
for maximum performance. This would indicate that the hen's requirement for methionine is higher during the first and last part of the laying period. This finding agrees with data reported by Bray and Morrissey (1962) indicating that the hen has a higher amino acid requirement during the early and late portion of the production year. The same trend was observed in total sulfur amino acids consumed. Here it may be noted that a daily intake of 0.55 grams of total sulfur amino acids was required to support maximum egg production during the sixth and seventh month, whereas this level of sulfur amino acid did not support maximum egg production during the first and last part of the laying period. SUMMARY
An experiment involving two 280-day laying hen tests was conducted to determine the methionine and sulfur amino acids requirement of commercial egg production type pullets. Two strains of pullets, Kimber 137 and Hy-Line 934-H, were used in these tests. Measurements obtained were rate of egg production, feed per dozen eggs, body weight gain and egg weights. From these data daily methionine and sulfur amino acid intake were also calculated. Data from this experiment indicate that the laying hen requires approximately .31% methionine and .53% sulfur amino acids in a diet containing 2024 kilocalories per kilogram in order to maintain a maximum rate of egg production. Increasing
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Feed and Amino Acid Intake. In general pullets in this experiment ate to meet their energy requirement (Table 4). This was especially true for the entire ten month laying period since the average feed per day per pullet ranged from 100 grams on the 100% amino acid level to 102 grams for the highest level. However, during the second and third month of the experiment there was a trend for the pullets receiving the diets most deficient in methionine to over consume on feed in an attempt to meet their amino acid requirement. This is indicated by the feed intake of the pullets on the two lower levels of amino acid when they consumed more feed than those on the higher levels of amino acids. This difference, however, disappeared by the end of the fourth month. The fact that pullets under certain conditions do have an ability to over consume on energy in an attempt to meet their amino acid requirement substantiates an earlier report by Harms et al. (1962). The variation in feed intake in order to meet energy requirements caused a decrease in the methionine intake during the sixth month through the eighth month of production. This was due to the warmer weather during this period. During the sixth and seventh month the hen was consuming .32 grams of methionine per day in order to meet her needs for maximum performance. During the first three months in the laying house and during the last month this intake did not appear to be adequate
186
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP
methionine levels beyond 0.31% resulted in increasing egg size and body weight gain. It would appear from these data that the methionine requirement of the laying hen is higher in the earlier and latter portion of the production year than during the middle portion.
REFERENCES Bray, D. J., and D. J. Morrissey, 1962. Studies with corn-soya laying diets. S. Seasonal patterns of performance at marginal levels of dietary protein. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 1078-1081. Dudley, W. A., 1966. Unpublished data. Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
Studies of the Chick Edema Disease 5. LONG-TERM LOW-LEVEL FEEDING OF CHICK EDEMA FACTOR D. F. FLICK, ROGER G. O'DELL AND VIRGINIA C. Ross Division of Nutrition, Bureau of Science, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. 20204 (Received for publication June 18, 1966)
INTRODUCTION
F
OR the most part, studies of the chick edema disease have been short-term, that is, of four weeks duration or less (Brew et al., 1959; Douglass and Flick, 1961; Flick et al, 1962, 1963a,b, 1965a,b; and Alexander et al., 1962. A few longterm or chronic studies have been reported (Allen, 1961, 1964; and Allen and Lalich, 1962. The studies in this report were made to
extend our knowledge of the chick edema disease to include the chronic effects of feeding fat containing the chick edema factor (CEF) at low levels for twelve weeks. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old S. C. White Leghorn cockerels were used for these studies. On the day of receipt from the hatchery, the chicks were randomized in the shipping carton, wingbanded, weighed, and placed in cages with
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
ACKNOWLEDGMENT This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The authors are indebted to Drs. R. B. Granger and W. A. Dudley of the Monsanto Company for their assistance in designing these experiments and analyzing the data.
Duncan, D. B., 1955. Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. Harms, R. H., B. L. Damron and P. W. Waldroup, 1966. Influence of strain or breed upon the protein requirement of laying hens. Poultry Sci. 45: 272-275. Harms, R. H., C. R. Douglas and P. W. Waldroup, 1962. Methionine supplementation of laying hen diets. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 805-812. Harms, R. H., and P. W. Waldroup, 1962. Strain differences in the protein requirement of the laying hen. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 1985-1987. Harms, R. H., 1966. Unpublished data. Florida Agr. Exp. Sta. Maddy, K. H., R. B. Grainger, W. A. Dudley and F. Puchal, 1963. The application of linear programming to feed formulation. Feedstuffs, 35(15) : 28-30, 70-73. National Research Council, 1960. Nutrient requirements of domestic animals. No. 1 Nutrient allowances for poultry. Washington D. C. Snedecor, G. W., 1956. Statistical Methods, 5th edition. Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa. Waldroup, P. W., and R. H. Harms, 1964. The effect of dietary protein restriction of laying hens on subsequent performance. Poultry Sci. 43: 792-794.
181
Quisenberry, J. H., C. B. Ryan and R. D. Turk, 1958. Continuous feeding of hygromycin as a poultry anthelmintic. Proc. 1958 Texas Nutrition Conf., pp. 67-69. Quisenberry, J. H., R. G. Foster and A. Latif, 1960. Some effects of continuous hygromycin feeding on performance of chickens during the growing and laying periods. Poultry Sci. 39: 1286.
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP2 Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Gainesville, Florida 32603 (Received for publication Tune 18, 1966)
T
HE National Research Council (1960) suggests that commercial egg production type pullets require 15% protein in a diet containing approximately 2024 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. They have further refined this requirement to indicate that the diet should contain 0.28% methionine and 0.25% cystine or a total of 0.53% sulfur containing amino acids. It is an accepted fact that the performance of birds is limited by the specific amino acid content of a diet rather than the total protein content. Although this is true most of the research with laying hens has been involved in studying the total protein requirement rather than specific amino acids. This is due to the fact that the calculated level of amino acids in a diet has been dependent upon the table of values used for the calculations. In the past the protein requirement of laying hens has been reported to be as high as 17% or as low as 11%. A review of the literature concerning the pro1
Florida Agr. Exp. Sta. Journal Series No. 2425. Present address: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 2
tein requirement of the laying hen was made by Harms et al. (1962) in a paper in which it was reported that the energy content of the diet and season of the year would influence this requirement. With the increased use of linear programming, it is essential that the specific amino acid requirements of the hen be determined. Therefore, these studies were initiated to determine the methionine and sulfur amino acid requirements of the hen using diets formulated with the use of linear programming. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Two strains of commercial egg production type pullets (Kimber K-137 and HyLine 934-H) were used in these studies. They were purchased from commercial hatcheries where they had been debeaked, dubbed and vaccinated inter-ocularly for bronchitis and Newcastle disease at one day old. Fowl pox vaccination was given at four weeks of age and bronchitis and Newcastle vaccinations were repeated at eight and twenty-two weeks of age. For the first eight weeks of life these pullets were fed a starter diet containing
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Evaluation of the Sulfur Amino Acid Requirements of Commercial Egg Production Type Pullets1
182
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP TABLE 1.—Composition of diets Diet designation as *% of estimated amino acid requirement
Ingredient 80
% Sulfur Amino Acids % Methionine % Protein
100
(%)
115
130
4.26 73.36
3.69 72.12
3.12 70.89
2.27 69.02
1.11 66.45
9.16
10.98
12.80
15.53
19.29
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
2.50 1.00
6.88
6.89
6.89
6.90
6.91
1.99 0.35 0.042
1.97 0.35 0.061
1.95 0.35 0.079
1.93 0.35 0.107
1.89 0.35 0.126
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
.392 .214 11.4
.431 .241 12.3
.470 .268 13.1
.528 .308 14.3
.592 .348 16.0
1 2
Indicates methionine hydroxy analogue calcium. Supplies per kg. of diet: 6600 I.U. vitamin A, 2200 I.C.U. vitamin Ds, 2.2 mg. menadione sodium bisulfite, 4.4 mg. riboflavin, 13.2 mg. pantothenic acid, 500 mg. iron, 1.98 mg. copper, meg. cobalt, 11 mg. iodine, 99 meg. zinc, 56 mg. santoquin, 22 gms. MnS04 , 39.6 mg. niacin, 500 choline CI, and 22 mg. vitamin Bia.
22% protein and 2079 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. At eight weeks of age the protein level was reduced to 16% and this feed was given until the birds were moved into laying cages at 22 weeks of age. At this time they were changed to a commercial egg production type laying mash containing 17% protein (Waldroup and Harms, 1964). At 27 weeks of age six groups of five individually caged pullets from each of the two breeds were placed on each of the experimental diets shown in Table 1. These are corn-soybean meal type diets with protein levels ranging from 11.4 to 16%. The calculated methionine content of the diet ranged from 0.214 to 0.348%, and the calculated total sulfur amino acids levels ranged from 0.392 to 0.592%. Based on previous experience (Dudley, 1966; and Harms, 1966) levels of 0.268% methionine and 0.47% total sulfur amino acids were selected as the expected requirement of the laying hen; therefore, this diet was designated as 100% of the estimated requirement. Using linear programming techniques, four other diets were formulated to contain 80, 95, 115,
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Egg Production. A significant linear response was obtained in egg production from increasing the level of methionine in the diet (Table 2). Maximum rate of egg production was obtained with the Hy-Line birds when the diet contained 0.308% methionine; however, a numerical increase was obtained with the Kimber pullets by increasing the methionine above this level. The Kimber birds also laid at a lower rate at the lowest level of methionine (0.214%)
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Sand Yellow Corn Soybean M e a l (50% Prot) Alfalfa Meal (20% Prot) Animal F a t Ground Limestone Defluorinated Phosphate Iodized Salt MHAO MicroIngredients 2
95
and 130% of the estimated methionine requirement of the laying hen and at the same time meet the requirement for other amino acids. The nutrient analysis of ingredients according to Maddy et al. (1963) were used as a basis for formulations, and all diets were maintained isocalorically at 2024 kilocalories of productive energy per kilogram. Daily egg production records were kept on each pullet throughout each 280-day test period. Rate of egg production is reported on a hen day basis. One egg was weighed from each hen at the end of each 28-day period and these weights were averaged for each group. Each bird was weighed at the beginning of the experiment and again at the end of the test and difference calculated and reported as body weight gain. Two identical experiments were conducted; and each was begun during the first week of December. Where there were no significant interactions of year X treatment, the data were combined. However, when the year X treatment interaction was significant, these data are presented. Statements of probability in this paper are based on analysis of variance according to Snedecor (1956) with significant differences between the treatment means determined by Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
183
METHIONINE REQUIREMENT FOR HENS
TABLE 2.—Rale of egg production and egg weights when pullets were fed various levels of sulfur amino acids % Production Breed %of Estimated Requirement 80 90 100 115 130
Meth
%
.214 .241 .268 .308 .348
S.A.l
%
K2
.392 .431 .470 .528 .592
65,2 68.2 69.2 69,0 72.6
Egg Weights Breed
Both
Both IP 66.2 68.6 69,3 72.8 72.3
K* 1st Yr
2ndYr
Both<
69.2 69.5 72.0 74.8 73.5
62.2 67.3 66.5 67.0 71.5
65.7a 68.4ab 69.8bc 70.9bc 72.3bc
58.1 58.3 58.6 58.5 59.5
IP 56.7 57.1 58.5 58.9 59.7
IstYr
2ndYr
Both*
58.5 58.8 59.6 60.1 59.6
56.3 56.5 57.5 57.2 59.6
57.4a 57.7ab 58.6bc 58.7bc 59.6c
1
Indicates sulfur amino acids. 2 Indicates Kimber, K-137. » Indicates Hy-Line 934-H. Means with different superscripts are significantly different according to Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
4
interaction of treatment X month. This was true even though the middle of the production period came during the warmer months of the year. An analysis of variance was made on total egg mass, which Was calculated by multiplying monthly egg weight by egg production. No significant differences were noted which were not observed for rate of egg production, therefore these values were not reported. Egg Weight. A numerical response was obtained in egg weights with each increase in the level of methionine (Table 2). Again there was no significant increase beyond the 100% level of the estimated requirement. However, a numerical increase was obtained above this level which would agree with the egg production data, and these differences were noted throughout the laying year in each experiment. A significant breed X methionine level interaction was obtained for egg weights. This was a result of a greater response by the Hy-Lines to the increased levels of methionine. There was a spread of 3 grams in egg weights with Hy-Lines as compared to a 1.4 spread of egg weights with Kimber pullets. However, the highest level of methionine supported the heaviest weight eggs with both breeds of pullets. There was no indication of a difference in methionine requirement at different periods of the laying year since the methionine level X month interaction was non-significant.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
resulting in a significant breed X methionine level interaction. The finding that the Kimber K-137 pullets have a higher requirement than the 934-H pullets would substantiate earlier reports by Harms and Waldroup (1962), and Harms et at. (1966) that different strains may have different protein requirements. The observation that a significant response was not obtained in egg production by increasing the level of methionine above 0.268% might explain why some workers have concluded that lower levels of protein were adequate for egg production type pullets; however, since a numerical increase was obtained in each of the two years in this experiment it is indicated that the requirement for maximum production is higher. These data agree very well with the NRC suggested requirement in that the methionine requirement for maximum egg production is not in excess of .28% with a diet containing 2024 kilocalories of productive energy. It should be remembered that this diet contained a slightly higher level of energy which would have resulted in a small increase in the methionine requirement. Since the difference in egg production obtained from feeding diets containing 0.214 and 0.348% methionine was so small (6.6%) it is very difficult to establish the exact requirement of methionine. The higher levels of methionine supported the best rate of egg production throughout the laying year and there was no significant
184
I
-23a 60b 142cd 118c 178d
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP
1*'s«sg SiJi 9
«SS3S
1 sasSS §SooS
&
?TaSS
i
"a
I*
SSSKS
SiS"
SS3SI
Both*
1 ssggg
35^ii
•g In"
SKSKS
.8
"8
S>; 8SS8K ^ SSSSS
f
M o CJ - d
•2 t:
SSKSS
%£ SSSS3 g
gggSK
m
1
•2 ^
5><
=3
SKSKS SS3SKS 3stdl
ISSss sail'
*tf
gg|2§
11 in!
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
f
I*
Feed Efficiency. There was a general trend for less feed to be required to produce a dozen eggs with the higher levels of methionine (Table 3). This difference was partially attributed to the different rate of lay, since birds laying at a higher rate require less feed to produce a dozen eggs. A level of .308% methionine resulted in maximum feed utilization. A significant year X breed interaction in feed efficiency was observed. This was a result of the Kimber bird having a higher requirement during the first year as compared to the second. This reduction in feed requirement by the Kimber bird during the second year was due to a reduced body weight. Body Weight Gain. A significant increase in body weight gain was obtained by increasing the methionine content of the diet (Table 3). This difference in body weight was as expected since it had been previously reported (Harms et al., 1962) that an increase in protein level results in greater body weight gain of laying hens. A significant strain X treatment interaction was observed. This was a result of the Kimber bird not losing weight (two year average) even at the lowest level of amino acid as compared to a 74 gram loss for the Hy-Line bird. The fact that the two strains reacted differently as far as weight gains are concerned is another problem which is involved in establishing an accurate amino acid requirement of laying hens. Some strains of birds are able to sacrifice body weight gains when fed amino acid deficient diets and are able to lay even on diets that would be deficient for other strains. A significant breed X year interaction was observed in body weight gains. This was due to the fact that the body weight of the Kimber birds was considerably less during the second year. This resulted in a reduced body weight gain and also resulted in the loss of body weight at the lowest level of methionine.
185
METHIONINE REQUIREMENT FOR HENS TABLE 4.—Feed consumed per hen per day (grams) %of Est. Req.
Meth
S.A.1
%
%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
All
80 90 100 115 130
.214 .241 .268 .308 .348
.392 .431 .470 .528 .592
103 101 100 101 100
112 113 106 108 107
116 113 107 111 110
110 108 104 107 105
100 102 98 101 100
92 97 91 92 94
90 91 91 93 92
96 96 102 94 103
98 101 99 95 105
95 99 102 99 100
101 101 100 102 102
1
Month
Indicates sulfur amino acids.
for maximum performance. This would indicate that the hen's requirement for methionine is higher during the first and last part of the laying period. This finding agrees with data reported by Bray and Morrissey (1962) indicating that the hen has a higher amino acid requirement during the early and late portion of the production year. The same trend was observed in total sulfur amino acids consumed. Here it may be noted that a daily intake of 0.55 grams of total sulfur amino acids was required to support maximum egg production during the sixth and seventh month, whereas this level of sulfur amino acid did not support maximum egg production during the first and last part of the laying period. SUMMARY
An experiment involving two 280-day laying hen tests was conducted to determine the methionine and sulfur amino acids requirement of commercial egg production type pullets. Two strains of pullets, Kimber 137 and Hy-Line 934-H, were used in these tests. Measurements obtained were rate of egg production, feed per dozen eggs, body weight gain and egg weights. From these data daily methionine and sulfur amino acid intake were also calculated. Data from this experiment indicate that the laying hen requires approximately .31% methionine and .53% sulfur amino acids in a diet containing 2024 kilocalories per kilogram in order to maintain a maximum rate of egg production. Increasing
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
Feed and Amino Acid Intake. In general pullets in this experiment ate to meet their energy requirement (Table 4). This was especially true for the entire ten month laying period since the average feed per day per pullet ranged from 100 grams on the 100% amino acid level to 102 grams for the highest level. However, during the second and third month of the experiment there was a trend for the pullets receiving the diets most deficient in methionine to over consume on feed in an attempt to meet their amino acid requirement. This is indicated by the feed intake of the pullets on the two lower levels of amino acid when they consumed more feed than those on the higher levels of amino acids. This difference, however, disappeared by the end of the fourth month. The fact that pullets under certain conditions do have an ability to over consume on energy in an attempt to meet their amino acid requirement substantiates an earlier report by Harms et al. (1962). The variation in feed intake in order to meet energy requirements caused a decrease in the methionine intake during the sixth month through the eighth month of production. This was due to the warmer weather during this period. During the sixth and seventh month the hen was consuming .32 grams of methionine per day in order to meet her needs for maximum performance. During the first three months in the laying house and during the last month this intake did not appear to be adequate
186
R. H. HARMS, B. L. DAMRON AND P. W. WALDROUP
methionine levels beyond 0.31% resulted in increasing egg size and body weight gain. It would appear from these data that the methionine requirement of the laying hen is higher in the earlier and latter portion of the production year than during the middle portion.
REFERENCES Bray, D. J., and D. J. Morrissey, 1962. Studies with corn-soya laying diets. S. Seasonal patterns of performance at marginal levels of dietary protein. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 1078-1081. Dudley, W. A., 1966. Unpublished data. Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
Studies of the Chick Edema Disease 5. LONG-TERM LOW-LEVEL FEEDING OF CHICK EDEMA FACTOR D. F. FLICK, ROGER G. O'DELL AND VIRGINIA C. Ross Division of Nutrition, Bureau of Science, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. 20204 (Received for publication June 18, 1966)
INTRODUCTION
F
OR the most part, studies of the chick edema disease have been short-term, that is, of four weeks duration or less (Brew et al., 1959; Douglass and Flick, 1961; Flick et al, 1962, 1963a,b, 1965a,b; and Alexander et al., 1962. A few longterm or chronic studies have been reported (Allen, 1961, 1964; and Allen and Lalich, 1962. The studies in this report were made to
extend our knowledge of the chick edema disease to include the chronic effects of feeding fat containing the chick edema factor (CEF) at low levels for twelve weeks. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old S. C. White Leghorn cockerels were used for these studies. On the day of receipt from the hatchery, the chicks were randomized in the shipping carton, wingbanded, weighed, and placed in cages with
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Manitoba on June 22, 2015
ACKNOWLEDGMENT This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The authors are indebted to Drs. R. B. Granger and W. A. Dudley of the Monsanto Company for their assistance in designing these experiments and analyzing the data.
Duncan, D. B., 1955. Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. Harms, R. H., B. L. Damron and P. W. Waldroup, 1966. Influence of strain or breed upon the protein requirement of laying hens. Poultry Sci. 45: 272-275. Harms, R. H., C. R. Douglas and P. W. Waldroup, 1962. Methionine supplementation of laying hen diets. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 805-812. Harms, R. H., and P. W. Waldroup, 1962. Strain differences in the protein requirement of the laying hen. Poultry Sci. 4 1 : 1985-1987. Harms, R. H., 1966. Unpublished data. Florida Agr. Exp. Sta. Maddy, K. H., R. B. Grainger, W. A. Dudley and F. Puchal, 1963. The application of linear programming to feed formulation. Feedstuffs, 35(15) : 28-30, 70-73. National Research Council, 1960. Nutrient requirements of domestic animals. No. 1 Nutrient allowances for poultry. Washington D. C. Snedecor, G. W., 1956. Statistical Methods, 5th edition. Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa. Waldroup, P. W., and R. H. Harms, 1964. The effect of dietary protein restriction of laying hens on subsequent performance. Poultry Sci. 43: 792-794.