Observations on the Pantothenic Acid Requirement of Chicks

Abstract

THE assay of pantothenic acid with chicks, and the response in growth produced by feeding pantothenic acid to chicks after a period of depletion, were described previously (Jukes, 1937Jukes, 1939Jukes, 1941). The present communication reports the results of adding various levels of synthetic pantothenic acid to a diet deficient in this vitamin. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old Single Comb White Leghorn chicks were placed in electrically heated battery brooders and were fed the experimental diets immediately. The following basal diet was used: Empty CellPartsYellow corn meal55*Wheat middlings25*Commercial casein12*Ground limestone2Steamed bonemeal1Iodized salt1Cottonseed oil plus vitamins A, D, and K2Fullers’ earth adsorbate of whey (Jukes, 1937)2Choline chloride0 15Manganous sulfate0 05Biotin—0.2 micrograms per gram of diet.Norite eluate factor (“Folic acid”) concentrate––80 units (Snell and Peterson, 1940) per gram of diet.† * Heated to . . .