Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Growth Stasis and Tryptophan Deficiency in the Very Young Chicken

Abstract

CONSIDERABLE work has been reported concerning the consequences of underfeeding poultry and animals in the early stages of growth1,2. Quite typically, growth in terms of weight gain is markedly reduced, but some tissues of the animal, particularly the connective tissues, cartilage, etc., continue to develop1. Basal rations used to examine amino-acid requirements usually do little more than slow down growth or maturation rates. However, we have now found that for the chick, depending somewhat on the strain used, tryptophan-deficient diets fed to chicks weighing less than 80–100 g completely stopped gain in weight and all, or nearly all, visible signs of subsequent maturation. Therefore, it was of interest to observe whether prolonged tryptophan deficiency would affect subsequent maturation or physiological development. Reproduction (egg production) was chosen as a very sensitive indicator of successful maturation in the chicken.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wilson, P. N., and Osbourn, D. F., Biol. Rev., 35, 324 (1960).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ross, M. H., Fed. Proc., 18, 1190 (1959).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry, Nat. Res. Coun. (1954).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

GORDON, R. Growth Stasis and Tryptophan Deficiency in the Very Young Chicken. Nature 203, 320–321 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/203320a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/203320a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing