Studies of the Energy Requirements of Chickens

Abstract

STUDIES of the effects of different dietary energy levels in the nutrition of laying hens have been limited. Heuser and coworkers (1945) were among the first to show that rations low in fiber content supported a higher rate of egg production than similar rations high in fiber content. Bird and Whitson (1946) studied layer rations of high and low fiber content with respect to productive efficiency and showed that efficiency was related inversely to fiber content. They were the first to use the Byerly (1941) partition equation to calculate expected feed requirement as a basis for estimating the relative efficiency of rations. Using a similar procedure, Lillie and coworkers (1952) observed a marked improvement in the efficiency of egg production from the use of lard. Singsen, Matterson and Kozeff (1952) and Gerry (1954) have reported higher efficiency, measured as feed requirement per dozen eggs produced, with rations high in energy …