High protein wheats for poultry. 2. Use in diets for replacement stock

Abstract

The use of high protein wheat as the main component of a grower diet for laying strain pullets from seven weeks of age to point-of-lap was investigated. This diet was shown to have an inadequate lysine content for maximum growth rate, and was probably also deficient in arginine. Birds receiving this diet were restricted in their growth rate, and consequently their sexual maturity was delayed. Subsequent egg production was increased sufficiently to offset this delay, and an advantage of this diet was found to be a reduced food intake during the growing period