Effects of magnesium and high dietary intakes of pyridoxine on the chick.

Day-old broiler-type male chicks were used to determine what effects magnesium and high dietary pyridoxine had on the chick's performance. The chicks were randomly assigned to 15 treatments of magnesium at 875, 1375 and 1875 mg/kg. diet and pyridoxine at 1, 4, 31, 301, and 3001 mg/kg. diet in a 3 x 5 factorial block design. A regression was used to study some of the criteria. The highest mortality of 20% occurred in chicks on the 1875 mg. magnesium-3001 mg. pyridoxine treatment. Magnesium and pyridoxine had highly significant effects on body moisture. Effects due to magnesium and pyridoxine and the interaction between the two were highly significant for weight gain and the efficiency of feed utilization (E.F.U.) At 1875 mg. magnesium/kg diet, maximum growth response and E.F.U. were predicted to occur on 10 and 39 mg pyridoxine/kg diet, respectively, Neither magnesium nor the interaction between magnesium and pyridoxine had any significant effect on carcass protein. Pyridoxine had a highly significant effect on carcass protein. Maximum response in carcass protein occurred at 31 mg. pyridoxine/kg diet irrespective of magnesium level. Serum aminotransferase activity (S.A) was significant for magnesium, pyridoxine and the interaction between the two. Pyridoxine requirement for maximum S.A. was 49 mg/kg diet at 1875 mg magnesium/kg diet. Pyridoxine requirement for maximum response was highest for S.A. and least for growth. But S.A. had the highest R2 whereas growth had the least.