Feed value and protein‐quality determinations on cottonseed meals

Summary Twenty‐four cottonseed meals fed to chicks in practical feeding rations for eight weeks led to good growth performance and favorable feed efficiency in many cases, despite the unusually high free gossypol content of the rations. The results from replicated, protein‐quality evaluations in chicks fed for eight weeks at the 15% protein level were closely parallel to those from similar experiments in rats fed at the 9% protein level and showed that the percent nitrogen solubility in 0.02N sodium hydroxide of cottonseed meals is a poor indicator of protein quality. Constant gossypol levels of 0.1%, supplied by additions of different amounts of cottonseed pigment glands, caused greater body‐weight depressions than did the same gossypol level supplied by pure gossypol. The toxicity of cottonseed pigment glands and of cottonseed meals cannot be accounted for solely on the basis of analyzed gossypol content.