Some Comparisons of Sorghum Grain and Corn Proteins in Various Combinations with Soybean Meal Protein in Laying Diets

THE substitution of sorghum grains for corn in laying diets has been investigated by many workers, including Payne (1934), Adolph and Grau (1956), Berry (1958) and Malik and Quisenberry (1963). Diets containing at least 15 percent protein have been used by most investigators. No appreciable or consistent effect upon the performance of laying pullets has been observed under these conditions. The small effects that have been reported are difficult to interpret in that they may be attributable to any of a number of factors including amino acid balance, acceptability of the diets, or unknown factors. In the following experiments diets made up of various combinations of sorghum grains, corn, and soybean meal were fed at the 8.5 percent protein level to high producing young pullets. This technique made it possible to critically compare the supplemental nature of soybean meal protein with sorghum grain and corn proteins. White Leghorn pullets…