Laying Hens Biochar Diet Supplementation—Effect on Performance, Excreta N Content, NH3 and VOCs Emissions, Egg Traits and Egg Consumers Acceptance

Sustainable solutions for intensive poultry production can help farmers, rural communities, consumers, and regulatory agencies. This study assessed supplementation of laying hens diet with beechwood biochar (BC, 1~2%) and BC–aluminosilicates–glycerin mixture (BCM, 1.5~3%) to lower the environmental impact while maintaining egg quality. The effect on feed intake, laying performance, egg quality, the sensory quality of hardboiled eggs, ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from excreta, and the excreta composition, were evaluated. A total of 90 hens were distributed into 30 cages and divided into five groups (n=6 replications). BC addition increased daily feed intake, while 1.5% BCM addition reduced it. The influence on egg parameters was positive, with a 6% increase in laying performance, up to 10% and 6% increase in shell resistance to crushing and shell thickness, respectively. The sensory analysis demonstrated no significant differences between all treatments. Excreta total N content was numerically lower due to the treatments (by 4~20%); its pH increased (not significantly), while no effect on ammoniacal N and dry matter content was observed. Most of the investigated treatments had a numerically positive (not statistically significant) effect on NH3 reduction. The reduction of VOC emissions was ambiguous and not statistically significant.

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Feeding Corn Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs) And Its Effect On Egg Quality And Performance Of Laying Hens / Zastosowanie DDGS z kukurydzy w żywieniu kur niosek i jego wpływ na jakość jaj i wyniki produkcyjne

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/v10220-012-0062-y ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 97-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jan Niemiec ◽

Julia Riedel ◽

Tadeusz Szulc ◽

Małgorzata Stępińska

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Feed Mixture ◽

Egg Weight ◽

Distillers Dried Grains ◽

Laying Performance ◽

And Performance ◽

Corn Distillers ◽

Corn Ddgs

Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of corn DDGS as a feed ingredient on egg quality and performance of laying hens. The experiment was conducted in three feeding groups of 100 hens each (10 replicates of 10 layers). ISA Brown laying hens were administered a feed mixture containing 15% (E1) or 20% (E2) corn DDGS for 18 weeks. The hens from the control group (C) received a standard diet based on soybean meal as the main protein source only. Laying performance, average egg weight, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were recorded over the study period. Egg quality traits (egg weight, thick albumen quality, yolk colour, yolk content, shell content and shell thickness) were evaluated twice: at the start and at the end of the experiment. On both dates, all daily laid eggs from each group were analysed, i.e. 90, 93 and 92 eggs from groups C, E1 and E2, respectively at 31 weeks, and 92, 94 and 81 eggs, respectively at 48 weeks of age. Compared to the other groups, the hens from group E2 (20% DDGS) were characterized by a slight - though statistically significant (P≤0.01) - decrease in laying performance and by a higher FCR value. The content of DDGS in the feed mixture had no significant effect on mean egg weight nor on daily feed intake. At the end of the experiment, the eggs laid by the hens from group E2 were characterized by significantly poorer (P≤0.01) albumen and shell quality. Yolk colour in both experimental groups was significantly darker (P≤0.01) than in the C group. The 15% addition of corn distillers dried grains with solubles to feed mixtures for commercial flocks of laying hens is advisable. At corn DDGS addition exceeding 15%, a slight decrease in production results and deterioration in selected parameters of egg quality shall be expected.

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Use of Medicinal Mushrooms in Layer Ration

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9121014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1014

Author(s):

Shad Mahfuz ◽

Xiangshu Piao

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Production Performance ◽

Poultry Feed ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Medicinal Mushrooms ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Medicinal Fungi

Application of different medicinal mushrooms intended to enhance production performance and health status has created an importance demand in poultry production. One goal of using medicinal mushrooms is to get rid of antibiotics in poultry feed without affecting the optimum performance. Increasing concerns about this issue have led to more attention on antibiotic substitutes and a significant demand for them for organic egg production. Thus, supplementation with medicinal mushrooms is a new concept for research in layer production, however, there is still a great deal of confusion about inclusion levels and the mode of action of medicinal mushrooms on production performance and health status in laying hens. Taking this into account, this review outlines the experimental uses of medicinal fungi on the growth performance, laying performance, egg quality, and health status of layer birds based on previous findings to date. Finally, we highlight that supplementation with medicinal fungi can play a role on the immunity, health, and production performance in laying hens.

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Effects of Selenium Conjugated to Insect Protein on Pharmacokinetics of Florfenicol and Enrofloxacin in Laying Hens

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.745565 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Kai Qiu ◽

Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna ◽

Jing Wang ◽

Hai-jun Zhang ◽

Guang-hai Qi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Drug Effects ◽

Control Group ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Blank Control Group ◽

Organic Selenium ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Significant Difference

In the context of increasing awareness on the dietary supplementation of organic selenium in commercial poultry production and ensuring safe egg production, the present study investigated the effects of selenium on the pharmacokinetics of the therapeutic use of florfenicol and enrofloxacin from perspectives of laying performance, selenium deposition in eggs, and drug residue in plasma, organs, and eggs. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with two kinds of drugs (florfenicol vs. enrofloxacin, 200 mg/kg) and three levels of dietary organic selenium SCIP (selenium conjugated to insect protein) (0, 2, and 5 mg/kg) was designed together with a blank control group. Healthy Hy-Line Brown laying hens (n = 252, 40-week-old and 90.0 ± 1.7% of egg production rate) were randomly allocated into one of seven treatments with six replicates and six hens per replicate. The experiment lasted for 42 days and consisted of three periods (adjusted stage, depositional stage, and eliminating stage) of 14 days each. These stages entail feeding of the laying hens with basal diets, addition of drugs and selenium synchronously into the diets, drug withdrawal from diet, and supply of selenium uninterruptedly in the diet. Egg production and feed intake were recorded on daily and weekly bases, respectively. The selenium content in egg yolk, egg white, and whole eggs and the drug residues in eggs, plasma, liver, kidney, and breast muscle were determined on days 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 14 of the depositional and eliminating stages. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in egg production among the dietary treatments, but feed intake decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in the drug treatment group compared to other groups. Dietary organic selenium decreased the residue of drugs in tissues and eggs, while the metabolism and deposition of selenium in laying hens were suppressed due to drug effects. The results of the present study are of significance to enrich the knowledge of the pharmacokinetics of florfenicol and enrofloxacin in laying hens and ensure the quality of poultry products.

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Fermented Astragalus in diet improved laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immunological status and intestinal microbiota in laying hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30575/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongtao Shi ◽

Baiyu Wang ◽

Chuanzhou Bian ◽

Yingqian Han ◽

Hongxing Qiao

Keyword(s):

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Feed Additive ◽

Control Group ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Immunological Status ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract In the era of increased antibiotic resistance and ever stricter control on antibiotic use, it is urgent to develop green, safe and non-residue alternatives to antibiotics applied to the poultry industry. To this end, we supplied the potential Lactobacillus Plantarum (L. Plantarum) fermented Astragalus in the diet of laying hens, with a final addition of 3‰. Its effects have been assessed on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immunological status and intestinal microbiota, and are compared to the control group, to the Astragalus group containing 3‰ unfermented Astragalus, and to the L. Plantarum group containing 2% L. Plantarum (1 × 108 CFU/mL). During the second half of the experimental period (15 to 28 days), the egg production rate was significantly higher in the fermented Astragalus group than that in the other groups, with the fermented Astragalus group having the lowest feed conversion ratio. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed among treatments on egg quality. Fermented Astragalus-treated hens exhibited significantly increased catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum. Furthermore, fermented Astragalus supplementation resulted in a significant increase in ileal microbiota abundance relative to control. In conclusion, feeding laying hens with L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus has beneficial effects on production, antioxidant potential, immunity and ileal microbiota. L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus is expected to be a novel feed additive used in poultry production.

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Dietary Addition of Astragalus Fermented by Lactobacillus Plantarum Improved Laying Performance, Egg Quality, Antioxidant and Immunological Status and Intestinal Microbiota in Laying Hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-27804/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongtao Shi ◽

Baiyu Wang ◽

Chuanzhou Bian ◽

Yingqian Han ◽

Hongxing Qiao

Keyword(s):

Lactobacillus Plantarum ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Control Group ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Immunological Status ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Background In the era of increased antibiotic resistance and ever stricter control on antibiotic use, it is urgent to develop green, safe and non-residue alternatives to antibiotics applied to the poultry industry. To this end, we supplied the potential Lactobacillus Plantarum (L. Plantarum) fermented Astragalus in the diet of laying hens, with a final addition of 3‰. Its effects have been assessed on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immunological status and intestinal microbiota, and are compared to the control group, to the Astragalus group containing 3‰ unfermented Astragalus, and to the L. Plantarum group containing 2% L. Plantarum (1 × 108 CFU/mL). Results During the second half of the experimental period (15 to 28 days), the egg production rate was significantly higher in the fermented Astragalus group than that in the other groups, with the fermented Astragalus group having the lowest feed conversion ratio. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed among treatments on egg quality. Fermented Astragalus-treated hens exhibited significantly increased catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum. Furthermore, fermented Astragalus supplementation resulted in a significant increase in ileal microbiota abundance relative to control. Conclusions Feeding laying hens with L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus has beneficial effects on production, antioxidant potential, immunity and ileal microbiota. L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus is expected to be a novel feed additive used in poultry production.

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Feeding Wheat Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) to Laying Hens and its Effect on Performance and Egg Quality

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/v10220-012-0009-3 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 105-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jan Niemiec ◽

Julia Riedel ◽

Tadeusz Szulc ◽

Małgorzata Stępińska

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Control Group ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Egg Weight ◽

Distillers Dried Grains ◽

Laying Performance

Feeding Wheat Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) to Laying Hens and its Effect on Performance and Egg QualityThe purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of wheat DDGS as a feed ingredient on the performance of laying hens and their egg quality. ISA Brown laying hens were administered a feed mixture containing 15% (E1) or 20% (E2) wheat DDGS for 12 weeks. The hens from the control group (C) received a standard diet based on soybean meal as the main protein source only. Laying performance (laying %), average egg weight (g), average daily feed intake (g/hen), and feed conversion ratio (kg/kg eggs) were recorded over the study period. Egg quality traits (egg weight, thick albumen quality, yolk colour, yolk percentage, shell percentage and shell thickness) were evaluated twice: before the start and at the end of the experiment. There was no effect of dietary DDGS on laying performance or on feed intake. The average egg weight was significantly lower in both experimental groups and the feed conversion ratio was lower compared to the control group. Dietary wheat DDGS did not affect the main egg quality parameters except for thick albumen quality. Eggs from hens fed the diet with DDGS had higher values of Haugh unit than those from the control hens. These results suggest that wheat DDGS can be used in amounts of up to 20% as a component of feed mixtures for flocks of laying hens.

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Cuticle Secretion Duration in the Uterus Is One of the Major Factors Affecting Eggshell Cuticle Deposition in White Leghorn Laying Hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-124583/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xia CHEN ◽

Zhaoxiang HE ◽

Xingzheng LI ◽

Jianlou SONG ◽

Mingyi HUANG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Activity Rhythm ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Genetic Regulation ◽

Reproductive Hormones ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Major Factors

Abstract Background: The cuticle formed in the uterus is the outermost layer as the first defense line of eggshell against microbial invasions in most avian species, and analyzing its genetic regulation and influencing factors are of great importance to egg biosecurity in poultry production. The current study compared the uterine transcriptome and proteome of laying hens producing eggs with good and poor cuticle deposition (GC and PC, the top and tail of the cuticle deposition distribution), and identified several genes involved with eggshell cuticle deposition.Results: Overall, transcriptomic analysis identified 53 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PC vs GC group hens, among which 25 were up-regulated and 28 were down-regulated. No differences were found in the uterine proteome. Several up-regulated DEGs of PC vs GC hen uterus, including PTGDS, PLCG2, ADM and PRLR related to uterine functions and reproductive hormones, were validated by qPCR analysis. Phenotypic measurements for verification between GC and PC hens showed GC hens had longer laying interval between two consecutive ovipositions (25.64 ± 1.23 vs 24.94 ± 1.12 h), thicker eggshell thickness (352.01 ± 23.04 vs 316.20 ± 30.58 μm) and more laying days (20.67 ± 2.58 vs 18.48 ± 2.46) within 27 laying days (P < 0.05). Apart from eggshell traits, other egg quality traits didn’t differ. The results above suggested that the expression patterns of PTGDS, PLCG2, ADM and PRLR genes in the uterus regulated the muscular activity rhythm and secretion function, which ensured the eggshell and cuticle formation duration, and lead to the good eggshell and cuticle quality of the GC hens.Conclusions: The present study demonstrated eggshell and cuticle secretion duration in the uterus is one of the major factors affecting eggshell cuticle deposition in laying hens. PTGDS, PLCG2, ADM and PRLR genes were discovered and might play crucial roles in cuticle deposition by regulating the uterine muscular activities and secretion function. Moreover, the cuticle is associated with the eggshell quality and laying performance, implying the importance of selection to the cuticle trait in laying hens. The findings in present study provide new insights into the genetic regulation of cuticle deposition in laying hens and establish a foundation for further investigations.

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Fermented Astragalus in diet improved laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immunological status and intestinal microbiota in laying hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30575/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongtao Shi ◽

Baiyu Wang ◽

Chuanzhou Bian ◽

Yingqian Han ◽

Hongxing Qiao

Keyword(s):

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Feed Additive ◽

Control Group ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Immunological Status ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract In the era of increased antibiotic resistance and ever-stricter control on antibiotic use, it is urgent to develop green, safe, and non-residue alternatives to antibiotics applied to the poultry industry. To this end, we supplied the potential Lactobacillus Plantarum (L. Plantarum) fermented Astragalus in the diet of laying hens, with a final addition of 3‰. Its effects have been assessed on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant and immunological status, and intestinal microbiota, and are compared to the control group, to the Astragalus group containing 3‰ unfermented Astragalus, and to the L. Plantarum group containing 2% L. Plantarum (5×108 colony-forming unit (CFU) per milliliter (mL)). During the second half of the experimental period (15 to 28 days), the egg production rate was considerably higher in the fermented Astragalus group than that in the other groups, with the fermented Astragalus group having the lowest feed conversion ratio. No significant difference (P>0.05) was noted among treatments on egg quality. Fermented Astragalus-treated hens exhibited significantly increased catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum. Furthermore, fermented Astragalus supplementation resulted in a significant increase in ileal microbiota abundance relative to control. In conclusion, feeding laying hens with L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus has beneficial effects on production, antioxidant potential, immunity, and ileal microbiota. L. Plantarum fermented Astragalus is expected to be a novel feed additive used in poultry production.

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Influence of dietary vitamin C and selenium, alone and in combination, on the performance of laying hens and quality of eggs

Czech Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.17221/6619-cjas ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 58 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 91-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. Skřivan ◽

M. Marounek ◽

M. Englmaierová ◽

V. Skřivanová

Keyword(s):

Vitamin E ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Oxidative Stability ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Sodium Selenite ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Laying Performance

Two hundred and forty laying hens were fed diets supplemented with vitamin C and selenium (Se). Vitamin C was added at 0 or 200 mg/kg, and Se was added as sodium selenite or selenized yeast at 0.3 mg/kg. The feed intake and egg production were measured, and egg quality parameters were determined. Supplementation of the basal diet with Se significantly increased the laying performance; however, vitamin C significantly decreased feed intake and egg production. Vitamin C increased vitamin E concentration in the yolk. Both selenite and Se-enriched yeast increased the vitamin E concentration in the yolk and the Se concentration in the yolk and albumen. The oxidative stability of yolk lipids was improved in hens fed diets supplemented with sodium selenite, but not in those fed diets supplemented with Se-yeast. After 28 days of storage, however, the beneficial effect of selenite on lipid stability ceased. The supplementation of the basal diet with vitamin C significantly worsened the oxidative stability of yolk lipids, indicating that vitamin C acted as a pro-oxidant. Thus, vitamin C increased the laying performance and influenced some traits of egg quality. The combined supplementation of vitamin C and Se did not prove to be successful.

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