Influence of dietary cereal and energy content on the accumulation of lipids in the liver in fatty liver-haemorrhagic syndrome in the fowl.

Isocaloric diets supplying about 2900 kcal/kg and based on maize, wheat and barley respectively, were fed to pullets for 13 weeks from point of lay. The number of cases of subclinical fatty liver-haemorrhagic syndrome and the mean total lipid, triglyceride and monoglyceride content of the liver decreased in the above order of diets. The final body weight, weight gain and abdominal fat score followed the order wheat greater than maize greater than barley. Reduction of the energy content of the wheat and barley diets to 2670 and 2490 kcal/kg respectively by the omission of animal fat was associated with a reduction in the lipid content of the liver only in the case of the wheat diets. Egg production and quality were uniformly high and no difference was detected in plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid levels.