The Nutritive Value of Rye for Chick Growth: Effect of Various Levels, Geographical Area of Production and Procaine Penicillin Supplement

Abstract Two experiments were conducted with day-old chicks to study the effects of level and source of rye on chick growth and the response to a penicillin supplement. In the first experiment, corn, wheat and rye were fed at 25, 40, 55 and 70% of the diet, with and without procaine penicillin. In the second experiment, different rye varieties and samples collected from widely different geographical locations were fed at comparable levels regardless of protein content for comparison. Data on body weight, feed consumption and feces condition were collected during the two-week experimental period. The results indicated that chick growth was significantly affected by diet type. Diets containing corn or wheat gave significantly better growth than those with rye. Rye fed at any level caused growth depression, which was severe at 70% level. All varieties and samples of rye tested also depressed chick growth significantly compared with corn diet. A procaine penicillin supplement to rye diets gave significant growth responses and the magnitude of response was +34, +33, +31 and +24%, respectively, for the 70, 55, 40 and 25% levels of rye. The responses on the other diets were not significant. Likewise, in experiment 2, the response was +12 and +6%, respectively, for wheat and corn diets, whereas the response on the rye diets ranged from +39 to +60%. Observations made on feces condition indicate that all ryes tested caused marked adherence of feces to the screen floors of the cages.