The Protein and Amino Acid Requirements of Laying Hens: Suggested Models for Calculation

Abstract

Two models to calculate the protein and amino acid requirements of laying hens are presented. Both are based on the assumption that maintenance, body weight gain and yolk formation are steady state functions. The first model assumes also that the albumen and membrane proteins are synthesized at the time of secretion, whereas the second assumes that only the glycoproteins and shell membranes are synthesized at that time; the amino acids needed for this synthesis are derived from tissue protein. Using these models, the protein and amino acid requirements were calculated for three breeds of hens, on the basis of performance data. The calculated requirements fall in the range of published values.