Safflower Meal—Utilization as a Protein Source for Broiler Rations

PARTIALLY decorticated safflower meal, except for deficiencies in lysine and possibly methionine, has been reported to be a good protein source for chicks (Kratzer and Williams, 1947, 1951; Peterson et al., 1957; Halloran, 1961; Young and Halloran, 1962; Valadez et al., 1965; Kohler et al., 1966). When the safflower meal is adequately supplemented it was shown to promote a growth response comparable to that of soybean meal. The commercially available partially decorticated meal contains about 42 % protein and 12–16% fiber. This high fiber content is due mainly to the safflower hulls remaining in the meal. Consequently, the metabolizable energy of the meal is relatively low and this presents a problem for its use in high energy broiler rations. (Zablan et al., 1963; Kohler et al, 1966; Shoji et al., 1966). Our earlier results showed that the chick growth rate from lysine-supplemented safflower rations exceeded that from soy rations . . .