Effect of Antibiotic Supplements upon Hatchability and upon Growth and Viability of Progeny

THE role of vitamin B12 as an essential factor in reproduction of poultry was established by Lillie, Olsen and Bird (1949) and confirmed by Petersen, Wiese, Lampman and Dahlstrom (1950). Olcese, Couch and Lyman (1950) and Carver and McGinnis (1950) showed that hatchability was improved by a fermentation product now known to contain an antibiotic as well as vitamin B12. Whether the improvement in hatchability could be attributed to vitamin B12 alone or to a combination of vitamin B12 and antibiotic was not established. An investigation was undertaken at the Agricultural Research Center at Beltsville, Maryland, to determine the relationship of antibiotics to hatchability and also the possibility of improving the performance of chicks by feeding antibiotics to their dams. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Experiment 1. Preliminary hatchability data for an 8-week period were obtained from a group of third generation pedigreed Rhode Island Red pullets bred for a high degree of . . .