Broiler Pigmentation as Influenced by Dietary Modifications

SEVERAL of the feed ingredients commonly used in poultry rations, such as yellow corn, corn gluten meal and dehydrated alfalfa meal, contain fairly high levels of xanthophylls which are deposited in the skin and shanks of chickens as well as in the yolk of eggs (Palmer, 1915; Palmer and Kempster, 1919a, b, c; Peterson et al., 1939; Hammond and Harshaw, 1941; Heiman and Tighe, 1943; and Kline et al., 1932). However, with the present emphasis on low-fiber high-energy rations, the problem of pigmentation in broilers has become more acute. Dehydrated alfalfa meal has a high-fiber content and, hence, has been reduced to low levels or completely eliminated in broiler rations in an effort to improve feed efficiency. The supply of corn gluten meal has been inadequate to meet the needs for pigmentation; consequently, it has been selling for more than it is worth nutritionally in relation to other protein concentrates… .