Maternal Age and Maternal Environment Affect Egg Composition, Yolk Testosterone, Offspring Growth and Behaviour in Laying Hens

Abstract Maternal effects have been reported to alter offspring phenotype in laying hens. In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal environment and maternal age on egg traits and offspring development and behaviour. For this, we ran two experiments. First (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of egg composition, yolk testosterone concentration and offspring’s development, anxiety and fearfulness were assessed. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offspring's growth and behaviour were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. Results from E1 showed that maternal age affected the majority of measures including egg composition, yolk testosterone, offspring growth, anxiety and fearfulness. Maternal rearing and housing affected fewer measures but included egg characteristics, offspring weight and behaviour. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, our research confirms that maternal environment and maternal age affect the offspring of laying hens in a variety of ways. These effects may be mediated by the natural decrease in egg yolk testosterone concentration over time.

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Maternal age and maternal environment affect stress reactivity and measures of social behaviour in laying hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-420373/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mariana R. L. V. Peixoto ◽

Leanne Cooley ◽

Tina M. Widowski

Keyword(s):

Stress Response ◽

Maternal Effects ◽

Social Stress ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Maternal Environment ◽

Positive Effects ◽

The Subject ◽

Commercial Breeder

Abstract Maternal effects can shape the phenotypes of offspring, but the extent to which a layer breeder’s experience can affect commercial laying hens remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal age and maternal environment on laying hens' behaviour and stress response. In our first experiment (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of response to manual restraint and social stress were assessed in offspring. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offspring's stress response were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. In E1, maternal age affected struggling and corticosterone during manual restraint, feather pecking and pulling and comb wounds. Additionally, maternal rearing and housing in aviary systems showed positive effects on measures of behaviour and stress response in offspring. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to methodological differences or higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, we recommend researchers start reporting parent stock's age to increase our understanding of the subject.

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Maternal age and maternal environment affect stress reactivity and measures of social behaviour in laying hens

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96323-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mariana R. L. V. Peixoto ◽

Leanne Cooley ◽

Tina M. Widowski

Keyword(s):

Stress Response ◽

Maternal Effects ◽

Social Stress ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Age Effects ◽

Maternal Environment ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Parent Stock

AbstractMaternal effects can shape the phenotypes of offspring, but the extent to which a layer breeder’s experience can affect commercial laying hens remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal age and maternal environment on laying hens’ behaviour and stress response. In our first experiment (E1), commercial hybrid hens were reared either in aviary or barren brooding cages, then housed in aviary, conventional cages or furnished (enriched) cages, thus forming different maternal housing treatments. Hens from each treatment were inseminated at three ages, and measures of response to manual restraint and social stress were assessed in offspring. In experiment 2 (E2), maternal age effects on offsprings' stress response were further investigated using fertile eggs from commercial breeder flocks at three ages. In E1, maternal age affected struggling and corticosterone during manual restraint, feather pecking and pulling and comb wounds. Additionally, maternal rearing and housing in aviary systems showed positive effects on measures of behaviour and stress response in offspring. Effects of maternal age were not replicated in E2, possibly due to methodological differences or higher tolerance to maternal effects in commercial breeders. Overall, we recommend researchers report parent stock age to increase comparison across studies and thus our understanding of maternal age effects.

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Maternal effects on offspring growth rate and weaning mass in harbour seals

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z01-075 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 79 (6) ◽

pp. 1088-1101 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

W Don Bowen ◽

Sara L Ellis ◽

Sara J Iverson ◽

Daryl J Boness

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Nova Scotia ◽

Path Analysis ◽

Maternal Effects ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Mass Gain ◽

Phoca Vitulina ◽

Young Females ◽

Harbour Seals ◽

Offspring Growth

We studied maternal effects on offspring traits during lactation in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, from 1988 to 1996. Duration of lactation was correlated with rate of pup mass gain (r = %#150;0.34, n = 116) and weaning mass (r = 0.29, n = 154). Pups that grew faster had shorter nursing periods, whereas those that attained higher weaning masses nursed for a greater number of days. Pup sex did not affect patterns of maternal effects. The pups of young females (4%#150;6 years old) gained mass at a constant but lower rate (0.56 kg/d) than the pups of older females through midlactation (0.74%#150;0.78 kg/d; n = 75). In older females, rates of pup mass gain decelerated between mid and late lactation. Although maternal age did not directly affect weaning mass of pups, path analysis showed that maternal age acted on weaning mass through intermediary traits. Lighter females gave birth to smaller and slower growing pups, but invested relatively more than heavier females (n = 153). Effects of maternal postpartum mass on weaning mass (n = 100) were weaker in harbour seals than in phocids that fast during lactation, but apparently stronger than in otariids that forage during lactation, suggesting that the strength of maternal effects is influenced by lactation strategy.

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Age-specific patterns of maternal investment in common gull egg yolk

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2018.0346 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 20180346 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Janek Urvik ◽

Kalev Rattiste ◽

Mathieu Giraudeau ◽

Monika Okuliarová ◽

Peeter Hõrak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Immune Modulation ◽

Maternal Investment ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Specific Pattern ◽

Antioxidant Defence ◽

In The Wild ◽

Allocation Patterns ◽

Yolk Testosterone

While the general patterns of age-specific changes in reproductive success are quite well established in long-lived animals, we still do not know if allocation patterns of maternally transmitted compounds are related to maternal age. We measured the levels of yolk testosterone, carotenoids and vitamins A and E in a population of known-aged common gulls ( Larus canus ) and found an age-specific pattern in yolk lutein and vitamin A concentrations. Middle-aged mothers allocated more of these substances to yolk compared to young and old mothers. These results can be explained through differences in age-specific foraging, absorption or deposition patterns of carotenoids and vitamins into yolk. If these molecules play a role in antioxidant defence and immune modulation, our results suggest a possible physiological pathway underlying the age-specific changes in reproductive success of long-lived birds in the wild.

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PSVIII-2 Antibody yield for polyclonal egg yolk antibody (IgY) production in laying hens

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.455 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 252-253

Author(s):

Cherrie Nolden ◽

Abbey Grisham ◽

Dan Schaefer ◽

Matt Akins ◽

Mark Cook

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Interleukin 10 ◽

Cpg Odn ◽

Slow Decline ◽

Egg Yolks ◽

Egg Yolk Antibody ◽

To Receive ◽

Phosphate Buffered Saline

Abstract Antibody production in egg yolks of immunized laying hens is an alternative to conventional mammalian production. Antibody yield peak and duration have not been described for immunoglobulin Y technology using Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FIA) and C-phosphate-guanosine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) without the inclusion of Freund’s complete adjuvant for enhancing the immune response to an interleukin-10 (IL-10) peptide. This study sought to describe the antibody titer production for an 8 amino acid sequence from the surface of the bovine IL-10 protein (VMPQAENG) as the antigen emulsified with CpG-ODN and FIA in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). 60 hens were assigned to receive the complete vaccine (Peptide), 20 received the vaccine without the IL-10 peptide (Control), and 8 received a PBS injection (Blank). Hens were immunized with 0.25 mL in 4 locations, each breast and each thigh on days 1, 15 and 29. The complete vaccine delivered 0.6 mg IL-10 peptide, 8 µg CpG-ODN, and 0.33 mL FIA per hen on each vaccination day. Eggs were collected regularly until 175 days after the first immunization and the anti IL-10 peptide activities of the yolk were determined by ELISA. Egg titers by treatment were analyzed with a repeated measures ANOVA in SAS. The supplementation of FIA with CpG-ODN produced high titers, of over 100 µg of antibody per mL of yolk (µg Ab/mL yolk), around day 33 through day 76, with a slow decline through day 175 when average titers remained above 40 µg Ab/mL yolk. Peptide egg titers were significantly higher than Blank or Control titers from day 31 though day 175 (P < 0.0001). Titers recovered from Marcq et al. (2015) with similar methods were 1.5 to 7 times lower than these results over the same number of days.

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Use of achiote (Bixa orellana L.) seed powder as pigment of the egg yolk of laying hens

The Journal of Applied Poultry Research ◽

10.1016/j.japr.2021.100154 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100154

Author(s):

Y. Martínez ◽

C.E. Orozco ◽

R.M. Montellano ◽

M. Valdivié ◽

C.A. Parrado

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Bixa Orellana

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Arthrospira Platensis (Spirulina) Supplementation on Laying Hens’ Performance: Eggs Physical, Chemical, and Sensorial Qualities

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods8090386 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 386 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Omri ◽

Amraoui ◽

Tarek ◽

Lucarini ◽

Durazzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Control Diet ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Arthrospira Platensis ◽

Cholesterol Concentration ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Egg Yolks ◽

The Impact

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of spirulina on laying hens’ performances: Eggs’ physical, chemical, and sensorial qualities. A total of 45 Lohman White hens, 44 weeks of age, were randomized into 3 groups of 15 birds. Hens were given 120 g/d of a basal diet containing 0% (control), 1.5%, and 2.5% of spirulina for 6 weeks. Albumen height and consequently Haugh unit were significantly affected by dietary supplementation of spirulina (p < 0.05) and by weeks on diet (p < 0.05). This supplement did not affect (p > 0.05) egg yolk weight or height. However, spirulina increased egg yolk redness (a*) from 1.33 (C) to 12.67 (D1) and 16.19 (D2) and reduced (p < 0.05) the yellowness (b*) parameter from 62.1(C) to 58.17 (D1) and 55.87 (D2). Egg yolks from hens fed spirulina were darker, more red, and less yellow in color than egg yolks from hens fed the control-diet (p < 0.0001). However, spirulina did not affect (p > 0.05) egg yolks’ total cholesterol concentration. In conclusion, a significant enhancement of egg yolk color was found in response to spirulina supplementation. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the impact of spirulina on egg yolks’ fatty acids profile.

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