Nutrient composition of spent hen meals produced by rendering

To obtain information on the nutrient content and variability of spent hen meal, we examined meal produced from end-fo-lay hens by three renderers using conventional rendering procedures. Meal from three renderers varied considerably in nutrient content. Amino acid content as percentage of sample varied among renderers, but when expressed as percentage of protein less variability was observed, especially for amino acids of practical concern. Although amino acid digestibility varied somewhat among sources, overall agreement was good; values in the present study should provide guidelines for estimating digestible amino acid content of spent hen meals produced by conventional rendering. Mean amino acid digestibility among sources was not directly associated with digestibility in 0.2 or 0.002% pepsin. Nutrient content of samples produced by a commercial renderer over a 27-wk period appeared reasonably consistent.