Essential Fatty Acids in the Chick. I. Development of Fat Deficiency. ∗

Summary

Day-old chicks raised on a purified diet containing approximately 0.046% fat grew normally for 6-8 weeks, at which time weight gains began to decrease slightly. No marked symptoms of deficiency developed, but depigmentation of feathers and scaliness of skin were observed. Fat-deficient male chicks had smaller testes and some females had immature oviducts, when compared with normal chicks. Water consumption by the deficient birds did not increase markedly until the 11th week on the fat-free diet.