Combinations of cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol as vitamin D sources in white laying hen feed diets

The effect of cholecalciferol (D3) and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) as isolated or associated sources of vitamin D (100%-0%, 75%-25%, 50%-50%, 25%-75%, 0%-100%) on the productive performance, egg quality, and bone characteristics was evaluated in white egg-laying hens fed two levels of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in the basal diet (BD) (BD1 = 0.38% Ca - 0.36% available P and BD2 = 3.2% Ca - 0.30% available P). Nine hundred and sixty Dekalb White hens (24 weeks old) were distributed into 80 cages, under a completely randomized factorial design for 16 weeks. The use of associated sources of vitamin D reduced the feed intake and feed conversion ratio, as well as BD1, which also increased the egg production and egg mass. The association of vitamin D sources with up to 50% 25-OHD3 increased the eggshell percentage. There was interaction (p<0.05) between the sources of vitamin D and the concentrations of Ca and available P, sources with at least 50% 25-OHD3 increased ash percentage and bone radiographic densitometry (BRD) with BD1; in BD2 the use of 25-OHD3 as isolated vitamin D source increased BRD. The association of D3 and 25-OHD3 improved the productive performance, increased the percentage of eggshell and had different positive effects on the bone characteristics that depend on the concentrations of Ca and available P in the balanced feed of white egg-laying hens.

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Supplementation of Buttiauxella sp. 6-phytase to commercial laying hen diets with reduced nutrient density on productive performance and egg quality

Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition ◽

10.1017/jan.2018.4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yueming Dersjant-Li ◽

Carlos Millán ◽

Oscar Casabuena ◽

Alberto Quiles ◽

Luis F. Romero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Laying Hen ◽

Available P ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Nutrient Density ◽

Digestible Amino Acids

SummaryA study was conducted to evaluate productive performance in laying hens fed diets with reduced nutrient density based on the nutritional contribution of a Buttiauxella phytase in laying-hen diets from 21-57 weeks of age. A commercial laying hen diet was offered ad libitum to the 480 ISA Brown laying hens from 18-21 weeks of age. From 21 weeks onwards, the hens received one of four dietary treatments: a positive control (PC) diet, a down specified diet (DS1) + phytase at 300 FTU/kg, a second down-specified diet (DS2) + phytase at 600 FTU/kg and a third test diet formulated as per DS1 + phytase at 1,200 FTU/kg feed. The PC was formulated based on ISA breeder recommendations. DS1 was formulated with reduction of 0.149% available P, 0.134% Ca, 55 kcal/kg AME, 0.33% CP, digestible amino acids (up to 0.015%) and 0.013% Na based on the contribution of Buttiauxella phytase at 300 FTU/kg. DS2 was formulated with reduction of 0.177% available P, 0.159% Ca, 60 kcal/kg AME, 0.61% CP, digestible amino acids (up to 0.028%) and 0.02% Na based on the contribution of Buttiauxella phytase at 600 FTU/kg. Every dietary treatment was fed to 12 cages containing 10 hens each. The trial treatments did not include a full, DS negative control, as ethical considerations regarding birds' welfare when feeding such diets over such an extended period of time did not permit this. No significant differences were seen in hen-day egg production, feed intake, egg weight, feed to egg mass ratio, shell, yolk or albumen proportion, unsaleable eggs or shell breaking strength in laying hens fed the PC diet or the DS diets with added phytase. Yolk colour increased significantly with phytase supplementation. Supplementing the DS1 diet with 300 FTU and the DS2 diet with 600 FTU resulted in non-significant differences in tibia ash, Ca and P, compared to the PC diet. The data from this study indicated that applying the nutrient contributions for Buttiauxella phytase at 300 and 600 FTU/kg maintained the egg production, BW and egg quality parameters compared to PC. The best economic efficiency value during the whole experimental period was recorded with phytase at 600 FTU/kg when full matrix values are used. When commercial diets are formulated based on ISA breeder recommendations, lowering diet nutrient density while supplementing with phytase reduced the overall diet cost, which should contribute to the profitability of egg production.

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Egg quality and production performance of laying hens injected with growth hormone and testosterone in the late phase of production

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an14111 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 147

Author(s):

H. Mohammadi ◽

Z. Ansari-Pirsaraei ◽

S. N. Mousavi ◽

M. Bouyeh ◽

A. Gholibeikifard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Hormone ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Production Performance ◽

Fixed Dose ◽

Control Group ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Positive Effects

In this study, 160 73-week-old laying hens (HyLine W-36) were used to investigate the changes in production performance and egg quality parameters of aged laying hens after injection of different doses of growth hormone (GH) and a fixed dose of testosterone (Ts). The hens were weighed individually, placed in laying cages and then randomly assigned to four treatments with four replicates of 10 birds each, in a completely randomised design. The experiment was started at the 75th week and lasted until the 82nd week of age. The treatments were: 1: injection of 100 µL distilled water (control group), 2: injection of 500 µg Ts/kg liveweight + 50 µg GH/kg liveweight, 3: injection of 500 µg Ts/kg liveweight + 100 µg GH/kg liveweight and 4: injection of 500 µg Ts/kg liveweight + 150 µg GH/kg liveweight. In this study, ovulation rate (egg production percent), egg mass and feed intake were significantly higher in Treatment 3 than the control group (P < 0.05), and in Treatment 4, feed conversion ratio was significantly higher than for the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the birds in Treatment 3 showed greater egg weight, albumen height, eggshell weight, eggshell density and eggshell weight per surface area than the control group (P < 0.05). In Treatment 3, egg length significantly increased compared with Treatments 1 and 4 (P < 0.05), and in Treatments 2 and 4, shell breaking strength was significantly lower than for the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results showed positive effects of GH and Ts administration on egg quality parameters and production performance in aged laying hens. Taken together, in the present study Treatment 3 was found more effective in improving egg quality and production performance of the old laying hens.

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PSVII-22 Effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin C on productive performance, egg quality, relative organ weight, and tibia strength of laying hens

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.706 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 354-355

Author(s):

Jomari B Delos Reyes ◽

Jong Hyuk Kim ◽

Geun Hyeon Park ◽

Hyeon Seok Choi ◽

Gi Ppeum Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Organ Weight ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Relative Organ Weight ◽

Vitamin C Supplementation

Abstract Endogenous synthesis of vitamin C may satisfy its requirement for laying hens; however, some previous experiments showed beneficial effects of dietary supplementation of vitamin C in laying hens. Thus, the results are still controversial. The objective of the current experiment, therefore, was to investigate the effect of vitamin C supplementation in diets on productive performance, egg quality, relative organ weight, and tibia strength in laying hens. A total of 504 46-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 7 replicates in a completely randomized design. Each replicate had 12 hens. Diets were prepared by supplementing the basal diet with vitamin C at the levels of 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 mg/kg and were fed to hens for 6 wks. Results indicated that increasing supplementation of vitamin C in diets increased hen-day egg production and egg mass (quadratic, P < 0.05), but decreased production of broken or soft-shell eggs (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) and feed conversion ratio (quadratic, P < 0.05). These positive effects were observable at the supplementation level of 250 mg/kg vitamin C, but there were no further benefits at the greater levels of vitamin C. Increasing supplementation of vitamin C in diets had no effects on egg quality, except for a decrease (quadratic, P < 0.01) in egg yolk color with increasing vitamin C supplementation. The relative weights of the liver, kidney, and spleen were not affected by increasing supplementation of vitamin C in diets. Tibia strength was not influenced by increasing supplementation of vitamin C. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of vitamin C has a beneficial effect on egg production of laying hens. Quadratic responses of increasing vitamin C supplementation in diets reveal that supplementation of 250 mg/kg vitamin C is recommended for diets fed to laying hens at 46–52 wks of age.

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Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Pine Needle Extract on Productive Performance, Egg Quality, and Serum Lipid Parameters in Laying Hens

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11051475 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1475

Author(s):

Damini Kothari ◽

Jong-Seok Oh ◽

Ju-Hee Kim ◽

Woo-Do Lee ◽

Soo-Ki Kim

Keyword(s):

Serum Lipid ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Laying Performance

This study aimed to investigate the supplemental effects of fermented pine (Pinus densiflora) needle extract (FPNE) in laying hen diets on productive performance, egg quality, and serum lipid metabolites. A total of 108 40-week-old Hy-line brown laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the three dietary treatment groups: (1) basal diet + 0 mL FPNE/kg diet (CON), (2) basal diet + 2.5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T1), or (3) basal diet + 5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T2) for 6 weeks. Each group consisted of four replicates of nine hens each. Feed and water provided ad libitum. Results showed that dietary supplementation of FPNE increased egg production percentage (linear, p < 0.01 and quadratic, p < 0.05), egg mass (linear, p < 0.05), and feed intake (linear, p < 0.05) during the entire experimental period. In addition, dietary inclusion of FPNE significantly increased the eggshell color (linear, p < 0.01), egg yolk color (quadratic, p < 0.01), and eggshell breaking strength (linear, p < 0.05 and quadratic, p < 0.05) while the Haugh unit decreased (quadratic, p < 0.05). However, serum lipid profile did not differ among the dietary treatments (p > 0.05). Notably, antioxidant activity of egg yolk was improved by significantly decreasing the malondialdehyde content in egg yolks after 6 weeks of storage (linear, p < 0.001 and quadratic, p < 0.05). In summary, dietary inclusion of FPNE could improve laying performance and the antioxidant capacity of eggs.

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Long-term effects of choline on productive performance and egg quality of brown-egg laying hens

Poultry Science ◽

10.3382/ps.2012-02854 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 92 (7) ◽

pp. 1824-1829 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Q.H. Zhai ◽

X.F. Dong ◽

J.M. Tong ◽

Y.M. Guo ◽

Y.E. Bao

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Long Term Effects

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The effects of space allowance on egg yield, egg quality and plumage condition of laying hens in battery cages

Czech Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.17221/349-cjas ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 53 (No. 8) ◽

pp. 345-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

M. Sarica ◽

S. Boga ◽

U.S. Yamak

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Stocking Density ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Quality Traits ◽

Body Parts ◽

Battery Cages ◽

And Performance

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of cage stocking density on egg yield, some egg quality traits and plumage condition in laying hens. Eighteen weeks-old 264 ISA-Brown pullets were divided into four cage density groups. The densities were 2 000, 1 000, 667 and 500 cm2 per hen (by allocating 1, 2, 3 and 4 hens per cage; floor area 40 × 50 cm) with 48, 30, 24 and 21 replicate cages, totally 123 three-tier battery cages. During the experimental period from 18 to 53 weeks of age, all birds were provided illumination for 16 hours a day. The hens were fed a diet containing 11.7 MJ ME/kg and 180 g CP during the period of 18 to 40 weeks of age and 11.3 MJ ME/kg and 170 g CP during the period of 41 to 54 weeks of age. Feed and water were available for ad libitum. Egg yield, mortality, live weights at 50% egg production age and at the end of experiment, pecking related mortalities, some egg quality traits and plumage condition were recorded weekly. Hen-housed egg production, egg mass, viability, and live weights were significantly decreased by higher densities. Most of the egg quality traits were not affected by cage densities. Pecking related mortalities increased in cage densities of 667 cm2 and 500 cm2 per hen compared to the other densities (P < 0.05) while plumage scores were higher in all body parts of hens kept in cages of 2 000 cm2 and 1 000 cm2 densities compared to the higher densities. The results showed that brown laying hens should be kept in cages having 1 000–2 000 cm2 densities in order to improve their welfare and performance.

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Effects of dietary Bacillus subtilis RX7 and B2A supplementation on productive performance, egg quality, blood profiles, and excreta Salmonella counts in laying hens

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1139/cjas-2019-0064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 411-417

Author(s):

Huan Shi ◽

Wan Lin Zhang ◽

In Ho Kim

Keyword(s):

Bacillus Subtilis ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Blood Profile ◽

Colony Forming Units ◽

Dietary Treatments ◽

Blood Profiles

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of Bacillus subtilis RX7 and B2A supplementation on egg production, egg quality, blood profile, and excreta Salmonella population in laying hens. A total of 192 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (40-wk-old) were randomly assigned into four dietary treatments, each of which was replicated eight times with six hens per replicate in a 5 wk trial. The dietary treatments were NC, which is a basal diet without antibiotics or Bacillus subtilis; PC, which is an NC + 0.5 g kg−1 antibiotic (virginiamycin) diet; BSR, which is an NC + 0.5 g kg−1 Bacillus subtilis RX7 (1.0 × 109 colony forming units g−1); and BSB, which is an NC + 0.5 g kg−1 Bacillus subtilis B2A (1.0 × 109 colony forming units g−1). The results showed that hens receiving BSB diets had increased (P < 0.05) eggshell thickness over hens fed the NC, PC, and BSR diets (week 3). The excreta Salmonella counts in the PC, BSR, and BSB groups were lower than the NC group (P < 0.05). These results indicate that dietary inclusion of Bacillus subtilis RX7 and B2A strains effectively decreased excreta Salmonella counts without any detrimental effects on the performance of laying hens.

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Influence of peeling and inorganic calcium concentration on the utilisation of giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza) corm meal by laying hens

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an18625 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 (8) ◽

pp. 1553 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. S. Diarra ◽

I. Wamekeni ◽

A. Vunagilee ◽

H. Lavaka ◽

T. Finau

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Shape Index ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Shell Quality ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Calcium Source ◽

Main Effects

The effects of peeling and limestone flour level on the utilisation of Alocasia macrorrhiza corm meal (ACM) by laying hens were investigated. Maize-based diets with two concentrations of limestone flour (40 and 60 g/kg) and diets containing 200 g peeled and unpeeled ACM meal/kg with the same levels of limestone flour were fed to five replicate pens containing 10 20-week-old Shaver brown pullets (1635 ± 148 g), each for 105 days. Results showed no interaction or main effects of ACM or limestone concentration on feed intake, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion efficiency, egg shape index, surface area and Haugh unit (P > 0.05). Feeding whole ACM with 40 g limestone/kg diet reduced hen-day production and shell thickness (P < 0.05) but this was overcome by increasing limestone concentration to 60 g/kg diet. Peeled ACM with both concentrations of limestone flour maintained laying performance and egg quality. We concluded that feeding 200 g whole ACM depresses egg production and shell quality in laying hens, but increasing dietary limestone concentration overcomes this adverse effect. The concentration of limestone flour in the diet has no effect on laying performance. Higher inclusion levels of ACM, calcium source and level that will maintain laying performance and reduce feed cost need to be investigated.

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Changes in performance, egg quality and blood parameters of laying hens fed selenium and oregano oil

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an19319 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (13) ◽

pp. 1620

Author(s):

H. Reshadi ◽

M. Torki ◽

H. Mohammadi

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Total Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Blood Parameters ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Total Antioxidant

Context Organic and herbal additives in feed may lead to more healthy animal products. For this study, we hypothesised that an organic form of selenium and/or a herbal additive (oregano, Origanum vulgare L.) may improve performance of laying hens. Aims The study was designed to determine the effects of selenium source (SS, sodium selenite; or selenium yeast, SY), oregano essential oil (OEO) and a combination of Se and OEO on performance, egg quality and blood parameters of laying hens. Methods In total, 216 Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens, 66 weeks of age, were assigned to feed on one of six diets: control group, receiving basal diet (BD); BD + 0.3 mg SS/kg; BD + 0.3 mg SY/kg; BD + 250 mg OEO/kg; BD + 250 mg OEO + 0.3 mg SS/kg; BD + 250 mg OEO + 0.3 mg SY/kg. For each treatment, there were six replicates of six hens each for 12 weeks. Key results Feed conversion ratio was higher (P < 0.05) with the OEO diet than in the control. The SY diet decreased egg production and the OEO diet decreased egg mass (P < 0.05), although this effect was reversed with the SY + OEO diet. This would illustrate a synergistic effect of OEO with SY. Highest and lowest yolk colour values were found with the SY and SS diets, respectively (P < 0.05). Serum uric acid was lower with diets containing Se than the control diet (P < 0.05). Glutathione peroxidase activity was highest with SY and SY + OEO diets and lowest with the OEO diet (P < 0.05). Birds fed the SS + OEO diet showed the highest total antioxidant capacity and those fed SY showed the lowest total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05). Conclusions Based on the results of the current study, it can be concluded that SY diet have increasing effect on egg weight in laying hens. In addition, novel synergistic effects between OEO and SY diets on improving egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio have been found. In terms of oxidative status, the detected synergistic effects between OEO and SS diets on total antioxidant capacity and between OEO and SY diets on glutathione peroxidase (GPx) have not been reported before, that appreciate more clarifying investigations in future. Although, dietary supplemental SY individually and also with OEO increased GPx, adding SS to diet together with OEO showed more improving effect on GPx compared to the separate usage. Implications Dietary supplemental SY can improve egg weight in laying hens. In addition, adding SY to diet of laying hens individually and with OEO have beneficial effects on oxidative status of bird in terms of GPs activity, which in turn can ameliorate the unfavourable impressions of probable environmentally oxidative stress on productive performance.

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Laying performance and eggshell quality in laying hens fed diets supplemented with prebiotics and organic acids

Czech Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.17221/207/2009-cjas ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 55 (No. 7) ◽

pp. 294-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

S. Świątkiewicz ◽

J. Koreleski ◽

A. Arczewska

Keyword(s):

Organic Acids ◽

Egg Production ◽

Volatile Fatty Acids ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Eggshell Quality ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Calcium And Phosphorus

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of organic acids and the prebiotic fructans on egg production and eggshell quality when added to the layer diet with different levels of calcium and phosphorus. The experiment was carried out on 168 Bovans Brown hens, allocated to 14 groups of 12 replications. Each hen (replication) was kept in an individual cage 40 cm × 40 cm in size. A 2 × 7 factorial arrangement, with two dietary levels of calcium and phosphorus (normal – 3.70% Ca, 0.65% P, and reduced – 3.25% Ca, 0.60% P) and with diets supplemented by selected additives (none, 0.75% inulin, 0.75% oligofructose, 0.50% volatile fatty acids (VFA), 0.25% medium chain fatty acid (MCFA), 0.30% VFA + 0.20% MCFA, 0.75% inulin + 0.50% VFA) was used. The experiment was carried out over 34 weeks, from the age of 26 to 70 weeks. There were no statistically confirmed effects of the factors studied in this experiment on egg performance, i.e. laying rate, egg mass, feed intake and feed conversion. Reducing the dietary levels of Ca and P significantly decreased eggshell percent, thickness, density and breaking strength. The additives used had a considerable effect on eggshell quality at 46, 58 and 70 weeks of age, and these positive effects were most pronounced in the case of inulin and MCFA. There was no significant interaction between Ca and P dietary levels and the additives used. It was thus concluded that selected feed additives which lower the pH of the diet and intestinal content can beneficially influence eggshell quality in older high-producing laying hens.  

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