The Retention of Nutrients by Chicks Fed Rye Diets Supplemented with Amino Acids and Penicillin

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to establish some of the factors that affect rye utilization in chicks fed rye diets. In the first experiment, rye diets were supplemented with one or more of the calculated first three limiting amino acids. In the second experiment, rye and wheat diets were supplemented with a mixture of essential amino acids and/or penicillin in order to study the relationship between chick performance and nutrient retention. In both experiments, the grain served as the sole protein source. The results indicated that several amino acids were limiting in rye, or that the availability of the constituent amino acids was reduced by some component in rye. Supplementation with a mixture of essential amino acids elicited a greater improvement (P