A synthetic energy source, 1,3-butanediol-1,3-dioctanoate (BDDO), and corn oil were fed at the 10% level in diets for chicks recovering from Newcastle disease virus at two levels of severity. There were little differences in plasma lipid concentrations between corn oil and BDDO groups. Liver lipid analyses showed significantly higher (P less than or equal to .01) triglyceride concentration for the BDDO group as compared with corn oil. In both trials, total liver lipid content was higher in all components for the BDDO group. Triglycerides and total lipids were notably lower (P less than or equal to .01) in skin of the BDDO group as compared with corn oil. Liver and skin lipid variations were attributed to different metabolic routes for BDDO and corn oil. The data suggest that BDDO tends to allow liver synthesis of triglycerides while suppressing lipid storage in the skin.