Some Results of Feeding Diets of Varying Fat Content to Laying Pullets

THERE is a paucity of information about the optimum level of fat in diets for laying chickens. However, Russell (1939), according to Ewing (1941), has reported the results of an experiment in which the egg production was lower, and the mortality was higher, in a group of hens fed a diet of 8.70 percent fat content than in a group of hens fed a diet of 4.35 percent fat content. Corn oil was the chief source of fat in Russell’s experiment. The writer has also obtained some information on this subject in two experiments in which corn oil was used to vary the fat content of diets fed to laying pullets. The data obtained on hatchability were presented previously (Heywang, 1942). The data showing the effect of the diets on the egg production, diet consumption, and live weights of the pullets, and on the yolk weight and yolk quality of . . .