Some Factors Influencing Shank and Skin Color in the Growing Chicken

The Effect of the Diet of the Hen on the Shank Color of Her Day-Old Chicks

“…It is interesting that 3 percent of a fortified cod liver oil greatly reduced the transfer of pigment from the diet through the egg to the chick's shanks whereas 14 percent of crude soybean oil did not. These results are in harmony with previous findings (Hammond and Harshaw, 1941) that cod liver oil suppresses pigmentation in the growing chick whereas the vegetable oils do not. The shank color score of the chicks hatched from eggs saved during the third and fourth week after the pullets had been returned to the standard diet indicates that the suppressing effect of the cod liver oil was temporary.…”

“…Each chick was examined and given a shank color score after the blood had drained from the shanks. The same scale for color score as described by Hammond and Harshaw (1941) was used in this experiment. each pullet for a period were averaged and these pullet averages analyzed by analysis of variance.…”

A Factor in Cod Liver Oil That Hinders the Utilization of Vitamin E by Chickens

“…In a recent series of experiments, Hammond and Harshaw (1941) noted that in several lots of chicks fed excessive quantities (3 percent or more) of cod liver oil, either straight or fortified, nearly one-third of the chicks were afflicted with encephalomalacia. However, when the same diet was fed with just enough cod liver oil to supply the chicks' vitamin D requirement no cases of encephalomalcia occurred.…”

Increasing Yellow Pigmentation in Shanks of Chickens

“…This difthe shanks of chickens is partially in-ference was believed necessary because the hibited by the presence in the diet of fish chickens used were at the stage of most oils (Hammond and Harshaw, 1941), meat rapid growth. Previous experiments in scrap, fish meal, or soybean oil meal (Cul-which battery-raised broilers were fed lowton and Bird, 1941).…”