The Essential Nature of Glycine and Proline for Growing Chickens

Abstract

Four assays were conducted to ascertain the influence of age, length of feeding period and prior dietary regimen on the essentiality of glycine and proline for growing chickens. It was observed that both glycine (in the absence of dietary serine) and proline were essential for maximal performance at all stages of life between hatching and eight weeks post-hatching. The growing chicken appears capable, however, of synthesizing roughly 90% of its proline and 60–70% of its glycine need for maximal growth.