Fat-Soluble a Requirements for Growing chicks

The need for the fat-soluble A in the diet of growing chicks has long been established. Steenbock and Boutwell 1 found that yellow corn contained some of this substance. Hart, Steenbock, Halpin and Johnson 2 have reported satisfactory results when growing chicks upon a ration in which the dry feed contained approximately 72 per cent yellow corn, as the chief source of fat-soluble A. The ration included also skimmilk ad libitum which would supply very little fat-soluble vitamin. So far as we are aware, no one has reported any experiments to determine the minimum amount of fat-soluble A required for growing chicks. Such a determination would be of considerable value in practical feeding as well as in laboratory technic. We have, therefore, conducted experiments to determine the amount of yellow corn necessary to provide fat-soluble A for growing chicks when using a basal ration very poor in this vitamin. EXPERIMENTAL Three lots . . .