PROTEINS FOR EGG PRODUCTION
By A. J. MACDONALD and S. BOSE, Poultry Research Section, Imperial Veterinary Research
Institute, Izatnagar, United Provinces
(Received for publication on 19 October 1942)
(With Plate XII)
IT is essential that the poultry farmer should
possess a sound knowledge of how best to feed his
birds, for on the average commercial poultry farm
the cost of feeding stuffs represents about 60 per
cent of the total running cost. The feeding of un-
warrantedly expensive feeding material is un-
economic, whilst reducing the food bill at the ex-
pense of efficiency not only lowers the production
but also the profits. To get the best economic
results, it is essential to feed palatable and well-
balanced rations from cheap and easily available
sources.
Fowls on account of their simple and compa-
ratively short digestive system must be fed on
easily digested foodstuffs. Cereals and their by-
products, on account of their relatively low cost,
combined with their high palatibility and digesti-
bility, form the best sources of energy. Cereals
alone, however, are insufficient, for their proteins
are deficient in quantity and quality. They are also
deficient in certain minerals essential for growth
and egg production. In countries where poultry
are kept in large units under commercial condi-
tions, it is customary to make good the deficiencies
in cereals by supplements of suitable proteins and
minerals. In India, however, there are very few
commercial poultry farmers, and fowls are nor-
mally kept in very small units as a sideline to other
occupations. The conditions under which the
fowls are kept are very primitive and the food they
are given, if any, is deficient both in quantity and
quality.
The true figure for the average egg production
for the whole country cannot be accurately deter-
mined and, though the Egg Marketing Report
[1938] gives it as 50 eggs per bird, unpublished
data from this Institute suggest that the figure
is even lower than this. Though the desi stocks
in the country are undoubtedly poor in quality,
the low egg production cannot be attributed pri-
marily to poor stock, since under good environ-
mental conditions unselected desi birds at this
Institute gave an average annual egg production
of 116 [1940-41]. These improved results sug-
gested the need for carrying out controlled experi-
ments on the value of different protein sup-
plements in egg laying rations ; for the full value
of breeding improvements in different breeds can
only be measured by feeding the birds on balanced
rations.
As salt is known to improve the biological value
of proteins, it was decided to feed a control diet
consisting of cereals supplemented with salt, cal-
cium and green food. As milk is the best known
protein supplement both for egg production and
hatchability, separated milk was used as one of the
protein supplements and the results compared with
those of (1) earthnut meal supplemented with salt,
(2) soya bean meal supplemented with salt and
(3) meat offals (intestines of animals from the
slaughter house) supplemented with salt.
EXPERIMENTAL
Stock. A total of 240 six-months old White
Leghorn pullets were divided into five comparable
groups and fed on the experimental rations for a
period of 280 days. All the birds were trapnested
throughout.
Housing. The birds were housed in 8 ft. x 6 ft.
houses constructed from 1 in. angle iron covered
with wire (½ in. mesh). Protection from the sun
and rain was provided by means of chuppars made
of bamboo and bhurra grass. Protection from the
prevailing west wind was provided by means of a
tattee made of similar materials. The trapnests,
feeding hoppers and water utensils were all placed
under the chuppars. Each of the houses was placed
centrally in a run measuring 120 ft. x 90 ft.
Feeding. All five groups were fed on mash and
grain rations throughout the experiment. The
basal mash fed to all groups consisted of wheat
bran 50 parts, yellow maize meal 30 parts and
ground oats 20 parts.
The grain ration fed to all the groups consisted
of a mixture of equal parts of yellow cracked maize,
wheat and paddy. Broken limestone and water
were fed ad libitum to each of the groups, together
with liberal amounts of cut green food every even-
ing.
Group 1 (Basal Group) was fed the basal mash
supplemented with 1 per cent common salt.
Group 2 (Milk Group) received the basal mash
supplemented with 0.5 per cent common salt and
approximately 4 oz. of milk per bird per day.
Group 3 (Earthnut Group) was fed on a ration
consisting of 79 parts basal ration supplemented
150