The Value of Animal Fat for Different Strains and Crosses of Broilers

PREVIOUS reports from this laboratory (Slinger et al., 1952a, b; and Pepper et al., 1953) showed that the addition of low levels of corn oil and soybean oil to broiler diets resulted in improved efficiency of feed utilization. Weight was not consistently increased by fat additions in these experiments. Siedler and Schweigert (1953) found that the performance of chicks fed diets containing 2 to 8 percent added animal fat was equal to that of chicks fed the basal diet without added fat. Yacowitz (1953) reported that the use of 2.5 and 5.0 percent of cottonseed oil, soybean oil and lard in diets for broiler strain chicks produced small but consistent growth responses and improved feed efficiency. Yacowitz and Chamberlin (1954) reported that low levels of stabiized animal fat in broiler diets resulted in improved feed efficiency but that the effect on growth was negligible. Carver et al. (1954) obtained an …