NUTRITIVE-VALUE OF TRITICALE IN DIETS FOR LAYING HENS

The nutritive value of triticale was assessed over a ten‐week period with Warren Studler hens. Test diets contained over 85% cereal plus 12% of a mineral/vitamin mixture with and without supplements of the amino acids, lysine and methionine, or a small inclusion of fishmeal. Egg production on such diets was compared with that on control diets based on oats and fishmeal and on diets containing barley grown adjacent to the triticale. Full egg production was achieved on the triticale diet without amino acid or protein supplementation. Corresponding barley diets supported production which was lower by about 10%. Individual egg weights tended to be lower on the triticale diet unsupplemented with amino acids than on the control or fully supplemented diets. Food conversion efficiency was better on the triticale than on the control or barley diets. Hens on triticale diets without amino acid or protein supplements lost more weight during the experiment than did control birds. Copyright © 1979 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd