The Lysine Requirement of Eight-Week Old Chickens

THE lysine requirement for growth of chicks and poults has been determined by Almquist and Mecchi (1942) and by Grau et al. (1946). The results of investigations into the lysine requirements of laying hens have been reported by Grau (1947) and by Ingram and coworkers (1950). Reports on the amino acid requirements of chickens in the later stages of growth have not appeared in the literature. It is generally assumed that when the protein content of the chick starter ration is decreased from 20 percent to a 16 percent developing ration, the amino acid requirements of the animal are decreased in the same ratio. Since experimental proof has not been reported to substantiate this assumption, a series of investigations have been undertaken to determine the amino acid requirements of chickens in later stages of development. The first study in this series dealing with the lysine requirement of eight-week old Rhode . . .