Feather Depigmentation Resulting from Feeding Molybdenum Plus Thiosulfate. ∗

Abstract

Summary

These experiments show that addition of molybdenum plus thiosulfate will cause feather depigmentation in growing chicks. Supplementation of the diet with vitamins or lysine did not prevent feather depigmentation when the diet contained molybdenum and thiosulfate. No feather depigmentation occurred if copper (50 ppm) was added to the diet. Chicks having feather depigmentation had higher copper, molybdenum and sulfur³⁵ content in liver tissues than the basal group or groups receiving supplementary thiosulfate or molybdenum. In all groups fed radioactive sodium thiosulfate, radioactivity was found in the taurine fraction but not in methionine or cystine fraction of liver hydrolysates.