scholarly journals Abnormal Bone Metabolism May Be a Primary Causative Factor of Keel Bone Fractures in Laying Hens

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3133
Author(s):  
Haidong Wei ◽  
Yanqing Chen ◽  
Haoyang Nian ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Yilin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Bone Fractures ◽  
Serum Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Ray Method ◽  
Bone Damage

Keel bone damage negatively affects the welfare, production performance, egg quality, and mobility of laying hens. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal bone metabolism causes keel bone damage in laying hens. Eighty Hy-line Brown laying hens were housed in eight furnished cages with 10 birds per cage and studied from 18 to 29 weeks of age (WOA). Accordingly, keel bone status was assessed at 18, 22, 25, and 29 WOA using the X-ray method, and the serum samples of laying hens with normal keel (NK), deviated keel (DK), and fractured keel (FK) that occurred at 29 WOA were collected across all the time-points. Subsequently, the serum samples were used to measure markers related to the metabolism of Ca and P and activities of osteoblast and osteoclast. The results showed that FK laying hens had lighter bodyweight than NK and DK birds throughout the trial (p < 0.05), while the keel bone length and weight were not different in NK, DK, and FK hens at 29 WOA (p > 0.05). Moreover, bone hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining indicated that damaged keel bone had evident pathological changes. In the FK hens, serum P level was reduced but serum 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3) levels were elevated compared to NK hens (p < 0.05). Additionally, DK hens had higher levels of serum 1,25-(OH)2D3, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT), and lower level of serum 25-OHD3 than the NK birds (p < 0.05). Furthermore, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), osteoprotegerin (OPG), TRAP, and corticosterone (CORT) levels were elevated in DK and FK hens compared to NK hens (p < 0.05). The levels of serum Ca, P, PTH, ALP, TRAP, OPG, OC, and CORT in laying hens fluctuated with the age of the birds. Generally, the results of this study indicate that keel bone damage, especially fractures, could be associated with abnormal bone metabolism in laying hens.

scholarly journals 309 Effects of dietary supplying icariin on the bone metabolism and the laying performance in caged laying hens

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 11-11
Author(s):  
Jie Huang ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Zhongxin Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Bone Mineral Density ◽  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Bone Mineral ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Laying Performance ◽  
Serum Biochemical

Abstract Icariin, a flavonol glycoside, is one of major active ingredients of the traditional Chinese medicine Herba epimedii. Icariin has been reported to successfully treat the osteoporosis of the rat. However, effects of icariin on the osteoporosis in caged laying hens are still unkown. This study present the effects of dietary icariin supplementation on the laying performance, the egg quality and the bone metabolism in caged laying hens. A total of 216 Lohmann pink-shell laying hens of 54-week-old from a commercial farm in the Hubei province of China were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups with 6 replications per group and 12 birds per replication. The control group was fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet, and the experimental groups were fed basal diets supplemented with 500 and 2000 mg/kg icariin for 90 d. Layer performance responses, egg quality parameters, the bone mineral density and serum biochemical indicators were measured at the end of the experiment. Results showed that feed/egg ratio decreased as the supplied icariin level increased. The laying rate and the average egg weight were increased compared to the control group. However, no significant effect was observed on the egg quality. The bone mineral density of the tibia was measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, indicating that icariin can increase the bone mineral density. Serum biochemical analysis showed that icariin decreased the level of alkaline phosphatase, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, osteocalcin and calcitonin. Our observations provided evidences that dietary supplementation of icariin increased the bone mineral density and improved the laying performance, and icariin can be used for the prevention of the osteoporosis in caged laying hens.

scholarly journals Effect of the Pellet and Mash Feed Forms on the Productive Performance, Egg Quality, Nutrient Metabolism, and Intestinal Morphology of Two Laying Hen Breeds

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Yi Wan ◽  
Ruiyu Ma ◽  
Anam Khalid ◽  
Lilong Chai ◽  
Renrong Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Laying Hen ◽  
Intestinal Morphology ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Apparent Digestibility ◽  
Villus Height ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Feed Form

One of the most important factors that determine feed utilization by chickens is the feed form. Although it is generally believed that pellet diets have a positive effect on chicken growth, there are some studies that have indicated no difference between pellet and mash on chickens performance. This study was conducted to assess the effects of feed form on production performance, egg quality, nutrient metabolism and intestinal morphology in two breed laying hens. Two hundred and sixteen 25-week-old Hy-Line brown (n = 108) and Hy-Line grey (n = 108) hens were selected. Each breed was randomly allocated into two treatments with 6 replications (9 birds in each replication), which were fed mash and pellet diets, respectively. Production performances were recorded daily and egg quality traits were measured every two weeks. At 42 weeks of age, one bird per replication from each experimental group was selected for metabolism determination and intestine morphology observation. Compared with mash diets, pellet diets improved laying rate (p < 0.05), ADFI (average daily feed intake, p < 0.05), egg weight, shell strength, yolk proportion and Haugh unit (p < 0.05) in both breeds and reduced the FCR (feed conversion ratio, p < 0.05) in Hy-Line grey. The apparent digestibility of DM% (dry matter) and CP% (crude protein) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in both breed laying hens fed pellet than those fed mash. The apparent digestibility of P% (phosphorus) and Ca% (calcium) was higher in Hy-Line grey fed pellet and was higher in Hy-Line brown fed mash. Compared to mash diets, pellet diets increased the VH (villus height), CD (crypt depth) and VCR (ratio of villus height to crypt depth) of the small intestine of Hy-Line grey, and increased the VH and CD of duodenum and ileum of Hy-Line brown. Overall, pellet diets improved production performance and nutrition metabolism through positive changes in the laying rate, feed intake, egg albumen quality and apparent digestibility of laying hens. The current findings provided support for the advantages of feeding pellets during the peak egg laying period for the two popular laying hen strains, Hy-Line brown and Hy-Line grey.

scholarly journals Effects of Bacillus subtilis on Production Performance, Bone Physiological Property, and Hematology Indexes in Laying Hens

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2041
Author(s):  
Xinyu Zou ◽  
Sha Jiang ◽  
Mi Zhang ◽  
Haiqiang Hu ◽  
Xiaoling Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Maximum Load ◽  
Physiological Property ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Feed Additive ◽  
Basic Diet ◽  
Bone Damage ◽  
Diet Control

This study was to investigate the effects of Bacillus subtilis on production performance and bone pathophysiological characteristics of layers. Twenty-four 48-week-old Lohmann Pink-shell laying hens were randomly divided into two groups: a basic diet (control) and the basic diet mixed with Bacillus subtilis (0.5 g/kg) for a 60-day trial. Statistically, independent-sample t-test was used to assess the treatment differences. The results showed that Bacillus subtilis supplementation improved the percent of marketable eggs (p < 0.05) with reduced numbers of broken and soft-shelled eggs but had no effects on egg weight, height of albumen, yolk color, and Haugh unit (p > 0.05). Bacillus subtilis supplement also elevated maximum load (p = 0.06), maximum stress (p = 0.01), stiffness (p < 0.01), and Young’s modulus (p < 0.01) but suppressed maximum strain (p = 0.06) in the femur. In addition, compared with control birds, phosphorous concentration (p < 0.01) was reduced in serum at day 61 but increased in the femur (p < 0.05) in Bacillus subtilis fed birds. Bacillus subtilis fed birds also had lower magnesium concentrations in both femur (p = 0.04) and feces (p = 0.09). Furthermore, Bacillus subtilis increased plasma estrogen concentration (p = 0.01) and femur TNF receptor superfamily member 11b (OPG) expression (p < 0.05) but reduced plasma IL-1 (p < 0.01) and TNF-α (p < 0.01) concentrations. These results indicate that Bacillus subtilis could be used as a health promotor to reduce overproduction-induced inflammation and associated bone damage and to increase marketable egg production. The data provide evidence for developing a management strategy to use Bacillus subtilis as a feed additive to improve marketable egg production and health and welfare status of laying hens.

scholarly journals Effects on egg production and quality of supplementing drinking water with calcium and magnesium

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-476
Author(s):  
X.J. Yi ◽  
A. Rehman ◽  
R.W. Akhtar ◽  
A. Abbas ◽  
K. Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Egg Weight ◽  
Calcium And Magnesium ◽  
Eggshell Colour ◽  
Haugh Unit

This study was conducted to appraise the effects on egg quality and production performance of laying hens when drinking water was supplemented with calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). A total of 384 (64-week-old) Hy-line Brown laying hens were assigned at random to four treatments, which consisted of CON: unsupplemented drinking water; T1: drinking water + 2 mg/L Ca + 250 mg/L Mg; T2: drinking water + 4 mg/L Ca + 510 mg/L Mg /10 L; and T3: drinking water + 5 mg/L Ca and 760 mg/L Mg. The experiment lasted six weeks. Water intake increased linearly in week 1 with the rising levels of Ca and Mg in the drinking water. Increasing the Ca and Mg levels improved eggshell strength (week 2 (P =0.01), week 5 (P =0.01), and week 6 (P = 0.03), and eggshell thickness (week 6) (P =0.02) and reduced the rate at which eggs were broken (week 4) (P =0.01). The supplemental Ca and Mg did not affect egg production, egg weight, Haugh unit, albumen height, eggshell colour, and yolk colour compared with CON. Nor did they influence the Haugh unit and albumen height after storing for 1, 5, 10 and 15 days. In conclusion, adding Ca and Mg to the drinking water increased the thickness and strength of the eggshells.

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