Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1965

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Animal Husbandry

Major Professor

J.K. Bletner

Committee Members

F.R. Mraz, C.C. Chamberlain, O.E. Goff

Abstract

Jensen (1965) predicted that the efficient utilization of raw and by-product materials for poultry diets will increase in importance as humans compete directly with animals for today's feeds. Feather meal or hydrolyzed poultry feathers is such a product. According to Davis et al. (1961) the Association of American Feed Control Officials in 1958 adopted the following definition for Hydrolyzed Poultry Feathers:

Hydrolyzed Poultry Feathers is the product resulting from the treatment under pressure of clean, undecomposed feathers from slaughtered poultry, free of additives, and/or accelerators. Not less than 70 percent of its crude protein content shall consist of "digestible protein."

The protein in feathers is beta keratin (Crick and Kendrew, 1957). Because of the unique physiocochemical characteristics of keratins, they are insoluble in dilute acids and alkalies, in water, in organic solvents, and resistant to digestion by proteolytic enzymes. These characteristics are well described by Gortner and Gortner, 1950; Hawk et al., 1954; Fruton and Simmonds, 1958; West and Tood, 1963; and others.

Binkley and Vasak (1950) found that by steam pressure cooking, drying, and grinding feathers could be used as a feedstuff. Early work with hydrolyzed feather meal indicated that the amount that could be used in a poultry diet was limited due to a growth depressing effect. The high incidence of perosis in birds fed diets containing high levels of feather meal presented another problem.

To date, the author is unaware of any researchers who have been able to supplement a diet containing a high level of feather meal in such a manner as to obtain chick growth equivalent to that obtained by chicks fed a corn-soybean oil meal-fish meal diet, or to eliminate perosis. Since most researchers have used only one level of supplementation for each amino acid studied, the questions of availability and the optimum level of supplementation in feather meal diets have not been answered. In addition the availability of folic acid, manganese, and phosphorus in feather meal and the optimum level of supplementation of these nutrients is not known; therefore, a series of experiments were designed (1) to determine the effect of graded levels of supplemental amino acids on the growth response and feed efficiency of chicks fed a diet containing 14.5 percent hydrolyzed feather meal and (2) to determine the effect of graded levels of antiperotic nutrients in preventing perosis and in enhancing growth and feed efficiency of chicks fed a diet containing 14.5 percent hydrolyzed feather meal.

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