Low Protein Cage-Layer Diets and Amino Acids

PREVIOUS studies at this station by Britzman and Carlson (1965) have shown that a 10% protein layer diet supplemented with methionine was adequate for 50 to 60% egg production for 7 months. This diet was made up largely of corn but contained some soybean meal. Further supplementation with amino acids did not enhance egg production, egg size, Haugh unit values, shell thickness or body weight. Dietary additions of methionine, lysine, glycine, valine, arginine, isoleucine and tryptophan, in that order, were added consecutively at the level of 125% of the standard of Johnson and Fisher (1958) to test for the effect of supplemental responses. Another basal diet used by Britzman and Carlson (1965) was formulated by diluting a typical diet with glucose. It was calculated to contain 11 percent protein and contained a ratio of corn to soybean meal protein of 60:40 as recommended by Bray (1960). This basal diet was…