The Influence of Dietary Productive Energy and Fiber on Growth Response in Chickens

Abstract

MORRIS et al. (1932) concluded that the amount of fiber in the diet could be increased to 9 percent without harmful effects on chick mortality, rate of growth and feed consumption. Penquite (1936) found that the growth rate and viability of chicks decreased very markedly when the fiber content of the diet was increased beyond 10 percent with materials such as peanut hulls, cotton burrs and dried wood pulp. Sheehy (1939) and Fuller et al. (1940) were in accord that 7 percent fiber was the maximum allowable for growing chicks since higher amounts would retard growth. Insko and Culton (1949) obtained maximum growth on diets containing 5 percent or less fiber from either ground oats, alfalfa meal or wheat bran. Fiber was not always found objectionable; the following reports indicate favorable results. Wilcke and Hammond (1940) reported that a diet containing 6 to 7 percent fiber from oat hulls increased …