Further Studies of the Effects of Selenium Poisoning on Hatchability

Abstract

MONSTERS in chicks due to the consumption of toxic grains (grains containing selenium) by hens were first reported by Franke and Tully (1935). Since that time three more articles by Tully and Franke (1935), Franke and Tully (1936) and Franke et al (1936) on this same study have been published from this station. These publications have reported the results of experiments which demonstrated that: (a) high chick embryonic mortality in certain localities was due to deformities in the chick embryos; (b) these deformities were caused by the feeding of grains containing selenium to the hens; (c) similar deformities could be produced by injecting inorganic salts of selenium into the air cell of the hens’ eggs before incubation; (d) when normal baby chicks were fed a ration containing 65 percent of toxic grains their growth was inhibited, and the egg production of the pullets was both delayed and decreased. The experiment . . .