The Influence of Thiouracil on Growth, Fattening, Feed Consumption and Thyroid Weight of Turkey Broilers

THE testing of the value of thiouracil as a fattening agent was undertaken during the course of investigations into the possibility of turkey broiler production. Andrews and Schnetzler (1946) fed varying levels of thiouracil to Barred Rock broilers and reported that thiouracil had a progressively increasing effect on the weight and histology of the thyroid gland when fed at levels up to 0.2 percent for an eight week period. These authors also reported that growth was retarded at all levels but not significantly. Market grade and fat deposition were significantly improved and the efficiency of feed utilization was significantly higher for the thiouracil fed birds. Kempster and Turner (1945) showed that the feeding of thiouracil to New Hampshire broilers for a 36-day period reduced the rate of growth and increased the amount of feed required to produce a pound of gain. Blakely4 fed 0.2 percent thiouracil to 19½ week old . . .