The apparent digestibility of crude nutrients and the amino acids in the varieties Fribo and Erfordia of horse bean (Vicia faba L.) was determined in a digestibility and N-balance experiment with 32 colostomised laying hen hybrids. For this purpose 4 rations each with a rising quota of horse beans (10%, 20%, 40%, 50%) were tested with 4 hens each in a 6-day collecting period; the digestibility values were determined according to the regressive method. The average apparent digestibility is (formula; see text) The values of the apparent digestibility of the 17 amino acids vary for the variety Fribo between 68.6% (methionine) and 90.6% (arginine) and for the variety Erfordia between 47.7% (cystine) and 89.5% (arginine).