The recovery of laying birds from a period of low protein feeding

Abstract

Laying pullets which had been fed diets containing 7, 8½, 10, 11½, 13 and 14½ per cent crude protein for 10 weeks were returned to a normal diet containing 14½ per cent crude protein. For birds which had received the lowest protein diet, rate of lay improved from about 30 per cent to over 80 per cent in 4 weeks. Egg weight, body weight and food consumption also increased rapidly. In the period from 3 to 20 weeks after restoring a normal diet the pullets which had previously been fed 7 per cent and 8½ per cent crude protein showed a rate of lay and an average egg weight substantially better than that of control birds which had always received the 14½ per cent crude protein diet. It is concluded that a period of low protein feeding does not impair the subsequent ability of the laying bird to reach normal levels of output. On the contrary, birds which are denied a normal protein intake for a time tend to compensate when returned to normal feeding by laying more eggs and bigger eggs. However, in this experiment, the compensation was not enough to offset the loss in yield incurred during low protein feeding.