The Effects of Arsanilic Acid on Laying Hens at Three Dietary Protein Levels

MOREHOUSE (1949) reported that pullets receiving 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid in their growing diet came into production 15 days earlier on the average than the controls and suffered no detrimental effects on egg weight. He later (1954) recorded improved egg production and livability. Early sexual maturity was confirmed by Pepper et al. (1954). Libby et al. (1953) (1955) obtained an increase in egg production when arsanilic acid was fed to hens receiving a 17% protein diet. They also studied the residual arsenic deposited in the eggs and tissues of birds fed up to 180 gms. of arsanilic acid per ton. Some improvement in egg production due to the use of arsanilic acid was noted by Barnett et al. (1959), Couch (1956), Creech et al. (1955), Thornton and Moreng (1958), Heywang (1959), and Kurnicke et al. (1960). Lillie et al. (1957) concluded from 3 years’ experiments with dual purpose breeds that arsanilic acid …