[Adaptation of chickens to feed with a reduced content of nitrogen compounds]

In two experiments carried out with 280 broiler chickens, 20 to 30 days old, the authors studied the effect of a sudden and stage-like change-over from a diet with 20% of nitrogen compounds to a diet with 10% of nitrogen compounds. In both variants of the experiment there was a slowing down of the weight increment, increase of the adrenal weight, reduction of the weight of spleen, of Fabricius weight, heterophilia and lymphopenia. A stage-like change-over of the diet had a more moderate effect. In the activity of the liver enzymes amino transferases of aspartate, alanine and succine-dehydrogenase -the authors found a different character of the changes in both variants of the experiment. The reduction of nitrogen compounds in the diet of growing chickens causes also changes which are typical for an increased adrenocortical activity.