Blood Meal as a Lysine Supplement to All-Vegetable Protein Rations for Chicks

BLOOD meal has been reported to be inferior to other packing house byproducts as a supplement in poultry rations (Titus et al., 1936). Subsequently Grau and Almquist (1944) have demonstrated that the inferior quality of blood meal is due to the red cell components which constitute approximately 70 percent the weight of the meal. The remaining serum proteins were found by them to be of good quality. Although blood meal may be inferior to other packing house by-products as a general protein supplement, it is an excellent source of lysine (Almquist, 1945), one of the principal limiting amino acids in poultry rations compounded of Guatemalan feedstuffs (Squibb and Wyld, 1950). The value of lysine in local allvegetable protein rations was confirmed in this study and the effect of blood meal as a lysine supplement was also observed. METHODS AND RESULTS Three day old straight-run New Hampshire chicks were used in …