Soybean Meal Diets Supplemented with Sulfate, Methionine and Fishery Products

Five experiments were conducted in which the growth effects of supplements of sulfate, methionine and fishery products were studied. Of these supplements, only the fishery products induced significantly greater growth in chicks fed corn-soy diets containing 20.5 or 24% protein. When methionine or sulfate was added to diets containing 12% protein (derived entirely from soybean meal), significant growth responses were obtained from methionine, but not from sulfate supplementation despite the fact that the dietary content of sulfur-amino acids in the basal diet was calculated to be 0.36%. The failure of sodium or potassium sulfate was not affected by the addition of potassium or sodium bicarbonate. Hematocrit values were significantly increased in chicks fed 12% protein diets by supplemental sulfate, whereas plasma total protein, albumin and globulin components were increased by supplemental methionine.