The Relation of Energy to Fiber in Chick Rations

Abstract

ENERGY is receiving an increasing amount of attention in the development of rations for early rapid growth in broilers and turkeys. Fraps (1946) has shown that in general available energy is correlated with the fiber content of feedstuffs. Poultry have only a limited ability to digest fiber. Halnan (1930) reported that fowls digested less than 10 percent of the fiber. His experiments showed that fiber appreciably lowered the digestibility of organic matter and nitrogen-free extract, but had only a slight effect on the digestibility of protein and fat. Fiber, according to Halnan, can be ignored as contributing to the nutritive value of poultry rations, its role being to regulate the volume of the ration and, thus, automatically regulating the amount of nutrients consumed. Mangold (1934) reviewed the digestion of fiber and reported that 20 to 30 percent of the fiber of grain was digested by poultry. The digestion coefficients of . . .