The influence of vitamins in the feed of laying hens on the quality of the chickens.

Abstract

The effect of adding a supplement of vitamins A and D to a diet for laying hens which was known to be adequate for egg production was studied. The diet for one group of birds was supplemented with 1875 I. U. vitamin A and 375 I. U. vitamin D per kg. ; three times these amounts were added to the diet of another group.

Number and total weight of eggs, production percentage, i. e. number of eggs as a percentage of number of birds, and hatchability of eggs did not differ significantly between the groups. Fertility was slightly higher with the larger supplements.

Quality of chicks was estimated by comparing their behaviour when they were deprived of vitamin A or vitamin D or both. When vitamin D was lacking chicks from the more liberally supplemented group of hens fared best. When deprived only of vitamin A chicks from both groups fared equally well.-J. G. Gordon. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)