The Growth Promoting Properties of Menhaden Fish Oil as Influenced by Various Fats

Abstract

The use of fats in practical poultry feeds has become an accepted practice and Hill et al. (1958) have reviewed the literature relative to the growth promoting properties of a wide variety of fat products including corn oil, cottonseed oil, lard, yellow grease, and feed grade tallow. While there is general agreement that fats elicit their growth promoting and feed efficiency benefits by increasing the energy content of the diet, research evidence is available to indicate that under certain conditions, at least, the beneficial effects of added fats cannot be explained solely on the basis of increased energy content of the diet. (Dam et al., 1959; Hopkins et al., 1960) More recently research attention has been directed towards the study of the metabolic effects of specific fats and fat combinations. Edwards et al. (1961) demonstrated that Menhaden fish oil and safflower oil gave equal growth stimulation when added to a …