Strain Differences in the Protein Requirement of Laying Hens

Abstract

A review of the literature by Harms et al. (1962) noted that the protein requirement of the laying hen had been reported to be as high as 17 percent by some workers, and as low as 11 percent by others. A portion of this variation may be caused by differences in energy content of the diet or season of the year, since these factors have been shown to influence the protein requirement of the hen (Harms et al., 1962). However, these factors would not account for all of the variation. Harms et al. (1962) found that the type of diet given pullets during the growing period or the choline content of the layer diet did not affect the protein requirement of the laying hen. Since all the factors affecting the protein requirement of the laying hen are not known, this experiment was conducted to determine whether different strains have different …