The Amino Acid Content of Eggs and Chicks: Relation to Diet and to Incidence of Chondrodystrophy

Abstract

A significant difference was found between the glycine contents of normal and chondrodystrophic embryos. A synthesis of glycine during development of the hen's egg was demonstrated. Glycine was found to be toxic to hens when fed in large doses. Feeding glycine to hens did not influence the glycine content of the eggs. An investigation has been made of the amino acid content of eggs from fowls receiving ‘optimum’ and ‘deficient’ protein rations. The analyses, including tryptophane, tyrosine, histidine, glycine, arginine, cystine, lysine and the Van Slyke nitrogen distribution, did not demonstrate a significant effect of the diet on the composition of the egg proteins.