The effect of level and time of treatment of dienestrol on the rate of gain,feed required per one-hundred pounds gain, and carcass characteristics of swine

Experimental results accumulated during recent years in the United States indicate that certain synthetic hormone materials may be beneficial in livestock production. Results with dienestrol obtained by certain European workers tends to bear this out. Diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic estrogenic substance, has gained considerable attention as a growth stimulating hormone. The practical importance of stilbestrol pellets was effectively demonstrated as a means of caponizing cockerels and a method for improving the quality of poultry meat through faster gains and accelerated fat deposition. This practice of administering such materials to poultry to improve the carcass quality of the bird has led research workers to study the effects of the hormones on farm animals.

If administration of these hormone substances would result in faster gains, or reduce feed required per pound of gain or improve carcass qualities of livestock, they would be of tremendous importance to livestock feeders and producers. Since the cost is almost negligible and the procedure of implantation of the pellets (or Injection of the liquid material) is very simple, it could be readily adapted to use in livestock production.