Abstract
Summary
1. Addition of 0.5% sodium sulfate to a diet low in sulfur stimulated growth of the young chicken. 2. When Na2S35O4 was fed for a period of 1 week, approximately 23% of the S35 ingested was incorporated into the tissues. Most of the S35 was recovered as sulfate-S35. However, about 19% was present as taurine-S35, 6.6% as unknown organic compounds and barely detectable amounts as sulfur amino acids. Two weeks after Na2S35O4 feeding a larger proportion of S35 was present in the carcasses as taurine and unidentified organic compounds and 1.5% of the S35 in the chickens was accounted for as cystine and methionine. It was concluded that there is a physiological requirement for sulfate per se and that dietary sulfate promotes growth primarily by providing sulfur for this purpose. 3. Taurine was found to be the major sulfur constituent of the water-soluble portion of feathers.
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