A comparison of rations fed to laying birds in cages.

Abstract Aitken et al. (1969) reported the results of feeding two rations at the Canada Random Sample Egg Production Test conducted in 1965–66 and 1966–67. Ration 1 contained ingredients of animal origin, i.e., 3% meat meal, 2% fish meal, 1% dried whey and 2% tallow. Ration 2, with the exception of tallow, was an “all plant” ration, in which the above animal products were replaced with soybean meal. Seventeen strains of laying pullets were tested in the first year and 14 in the second year. In the first year, the “all plant” ration was slightly superior to the control ration in terms of egg numbers, egg weight and egg quality. In the second year, there was no statistically significant differences in these traits between the control and the “all plant” ration. The above test provided no evidence that the laying pullets respond to so called “unknown” factors contained in…