EVALUATION OF MEAT MEAL AND FEATHER MEAL FOR THE GROWING CHICKEN

Feather meal when used as the sole source of protein in a ration would not support weight gain in growing chicks. Supplementation of feather meal protein with the essential amino acids, in which it is reported deficient, improved rate of gain, but did not improve net protein utilization. One may thus conclude that besides being in imbalance, the protein of feather meal is poorly absorbed.Four commercially available meat meal samples were markedly enhanced by supplementation with the amino acids in which previous work had indicated that meat meal protein was deficient. Meat and feather meal protein when used to supply 3% of the protein in practical-type corn–soybean meal rations gave equally as good results as soybean meal protein. The results obtained using feather meal protein in practical-type rations can not be explained entirely on the basis of excess protein in these diets.