GREEN FEED VERSUS ANTISEPTICS AS A PREVENTIVE 

 OF INTESTINAL DISORDERS OF GROWING CHICKS 



By A. G. Philips, Chief in Poultry Husbandry, R. H. Carr, Associate in Nutrition, 

 and D. C. Kennard, Assistant in Poultry Husbandry, Purdue University Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station 



The problem of raising chicks in confinement has engaged the attention 

 of many nutrition investigators for years. The difficulties encountered 

 have been attributed to various causes, such as lack of vitamines in the 

 feed, lack of exercise, and intestinal putrefaction. Whatever the causes 

 may be it is recognized that they have proved a serious handicap in 

 making use of the chick in nutrition work. The critical time in the life 

 of a chick is between the ages of 8 and 12 weeks. During this period 

 by far the greater mortality occurs when they are kept in confinement, 

 and this is a most serious objection to their use in nutrition investiga- 

 tion. Drummond 1 has made some study of the growth of chicks in 

 confinement and concludes that it is impossible to grow them success- 

 fully even when the feed is known to be suitable for growth. Osborne 

 and Mendel 2 also report difficulty in raising chicks in confinement and 

 have found the use of paper pulp to aid somewhat in lessening mortality. 

 Hart and his associates 3 report difficulty in growing young chicks in 

 confinement but have found no trouble in using birds weighing 3 or 4 

 pounds. The authors 4 have reported some success in raisdng chicks in 

 confinement, but at that time it was thought the fair growth obtained 

 was due to the green feed given in the ration. However, better results 

 have since been secured without any green feed in the ration. The green 

 feed was thougth to give the necessary succulence and add the vitamines 

 needed for growth; but later experience does not indicate this to be 

 true. The question now arises in the minds of the writers as to whether 

 greens are necessary in the ration of a young growing chick. In three 

 years' work with growing chicks in confinement there was no extra gain 

 in weight or decreased mortality where sprouted oats were fed, over that 

 of the control pens ; in fact the chicks receiving greens were less vigorous 

 than those in the other lots. It may be noted in this connection at Pur- 

 due University that in eight years of feeding 2 -year-old steers in pre- 

 paring them for the market there was no advantage gained, so far as the 



1 Drummond, Jack Cecil, observations upon the growth of young chickens under laboratory 

 conditions. In Biochem. Jour., v. 10, no. i, p. 77-88, 1 pi. 1916. 



2 Osborne, Thomas B., and Mendel, Lafayette B. the growth of chickens in confinement. In 

 Jour. Biol. Chem., v. 33, no. 3, p. 433-438, pi. 4-6. 1918. 



3 Hart, E. B., Halpin, J. G., and McCollum, E. V. the behavior of chickens fed rations re- 

 stricted to the cereal grains. In Jour. Biol. Chem., v. 29, no. 1, p. 59- 1917- 



4 Philips, A. G., Carr, R. H., and Kennard, D. C. meat scraps versus soybean proteins as a 

 supplement to corn for growing chicks. In Jour. Agr. Research, v. iS, no. 7, p. 391-398. pi. s°- 1920. 



Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XX, No. n 



Washington, D. C. Mar. 1, 1921 



xc Key No. Ind.-8 



(869) 



