Dietary salt and pullet development.
White Leghorn pullets were fed corn-soybean meal diets containing .25 (control), .175, or .1% supplemental salt to 20 weeks of age, followed by a regular laying diet to 36 weeks of age. Body weight and feed intake of the growing pullet was significantly reduced with .1% salt compared to other treatments, while in early production these same birds produced fewer eggs compared with birds fed .25% salt during rearing. It is concluded that manipulation of dietary salt levels may be used to delay sexual maturity.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development*; D004032:Diet; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*
D012965:Sodium Chloride