Procedure

Fifty-one broiler chicks aged one day from hatching were divided into two groups and raised in identical standard conditions except for the type of feed given. One group received Purina Meat Builder feed with added amprolium, the other group Purina Meat Builder feed with no added medication.

1. Chicks ordered from Moyer’s Hatchery, Quakertown, PA, to arrive one day after hatch.

2. Chick rearing areas prepared for arrival of day-old hatchlings.

A. Two separate but identical 3’ X 5’ rectangular chick rearing areas were prepared using corrugated cardboard walls 26” high.

B. Flattened newspapers were prepared as initial bedding.

C. Identical chick feeders and waterers were placed in each of the separate chick rearing areas.

D. Two heat lamps were hung above each of the chick rearing areas.

E. Thermometers were placed on the newspaper bedding to monitor the ambient air temperature, which was kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week.

F. Fresh unopened bags of chicken feed were obtained from the local feed distributor.

3. Upon arrival the chicks were arbitrarily separated into two groups, each of which was placed into one of the two identical chick rearing areas.

A. By random decision one of the groups was designated as the medication group (“med group”) and the other as the unmedicated group (“non-med” group”).

B. Because the unmedicated food was of a more coarse texture than the medicated variety, a food processor was used to grind all the unmedicated food to the same texture as the medicated food.

C. Each of the chick feeders were filled with the appropriate food and that same food was sprinkled on the paper bedding.

D. The chick waterers were filled and three tablespoons of table sugar were added to each gallon. Individually each chick beak was dipped in the water to introduce it to the water source. No sugar was added to the water after day 3.

4. Feed and water was kept continuously available and the bedding, which was changed to wood chips on day 3, was kept fresh throughout the length of the experiment.

5. The birds were weighed on arrival and every four days up to and including day 21.

A. The chicks were transferred to small weighing boxes which fit on the scale.

1. The scale was calibrated and recalibrated after each measurement.

2. Weights of the small weighing boxes were measured and recorded.

3. The weighing boxes containing chicks were weighed and the measurements recorded. The size of the chicks determined the number of chicks weighed at one time.

Next: Results