Comparison of the Requirements of Battery and Floor Grown Chicks for Calcium and Phosphorus

IT HAS recently been reported that the phosphorus requirement is higher for laying hens maintained in cages than for those maintained on litter in floor pens (Crowley et al., 1961; Harms et al., 1961; Marr et al., 1961; and Singsen et al., 1961). It has been suggested that hens on litter may be getting phosphorus from eating feces. The calcium and phosphorus requirement of chicks were established primarily from experiments carried out in batteries with raised wire floors. Therefore, in view of the above mentioned reports it seemed desirable to determine whether this difference in requirements existed for battery and floor grown chicks. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two experiments were conducted to determine if the requirement of battery grown chicks for calcium and phosphorus differs from the requirement of chicks grown on litter in floor pens. The Vantress × White Rock chicks used in these experiments were sexed, and intra-ocularly vaccinated for …