Minimum Protein Requirement of Laying Pullets at Different Energy Levels

GRAHAM (1934) reported that the average level of protein intake was 12.9 percent when laying hens were fed an 18 percent protein laying mash plus corn and oats. Some birds laid well on a diet containing 12 to 13 percent protein while others required 14 to 15 percent protein. Nonlaying birds appeared to thrive and prepare to lay on an 11 percent protein diet. Heiman et al. (1936) studied the protein requirement of Single Comb White Leghorn pullets. These workers found that a 13 percent all-plant-protein diet would not maintain body weight. When fish meal was added to the diet, the marginal protein level for weight maintenance and egg production appeared to be 14 percent. Heuser (1936) reported that 16 percent dietary protein was optimal for laying hens. MacDonald (1938) reported that hens fed a diet containing 12.5 percent protein laid as well as hens receiving 15 percent protein. Carpenter . . .