Simulated Direct Selection for Feed Conversion Ratio in Laying Hens and its Effect on Relative Traits

Increasing breast muscle percentage by selection for breast layer thickness (muscle and skin) of living ducks by needle probe improves carcass quality as could be demonstrated by experiments and by applied breeding programs. In addition direct selection for individual feed conversion ratio can increase the efficiency of duck meat production. Divergent selection for feed conversion ratio from the age of 4 - 7 weeks over 11 generations has differentiated the feed efficiency by about 25 %. Causes for the reduction in feed conversion ratio are lower fat content of carcass, lower locomotor activity, higher enzymatic activity (alkaline phosphatase and creatinkinase in blood plasma) and better feed protein utilization. Because of lower feed consumption in the line selected for lower feed conversion ratio the emission of nitrogen and phosphorus via manure was reduced by about 39 and 26 %, respectively. That means, selection for better feed efficiency is not only an important economical but also an important ecological factor.

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The Potency of Bifidobacterium spp. as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters on Feed Conversion Ratio, Feed Efficiency, and Nutrient Intake in Laying Hens

Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University ◽

10.35741/issn.0258-2724.56.2.23 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 281-290

Author(s):

Andreas Berny Yulianto ◽

Anam Al Arif ◽

Widya Paramita Lokapirnasari

Keyword(s):

Feed Efficiency ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Crude Fiber ◽

Fiber Intake ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Growth Promoters

This article describes a new idea about using Bifidobacteriumsp isolates as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters, based on the ability of Bifidobacteriumsp isolates, which have the potential as a probiotic in laying hens. This study aims to prove that Bifobacteriumsp could improve production performance, including feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency, and nutrient intake (feed intake, crude protein intake, crude fiber intake, lipid intake, and organic matter). A total of 150 laying hens at 25 weeks of age were divided into three groups (P0: control, P1: 0.1% antibiotic growth promoters, P1: 0.05% Bifidobacterium spp. probiotic) and fed on a basal diet containing 2750 kcal/kg metabolizable energy and 18% crude protein for four weeks. The different supplementation to the basal diets showed significant differences (p<0.05) on feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency, feed intake, crude protein intake, crude fiber intake, lipid intake, and organic matter intake among the treatments. However, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, crude protein intake, crude fiber intake, lipid intake, and organic matter intake were lowest in the group fed with 0.5% of Bifidobacterium spp. The highest feed efficiency was obtained from the groups fed with 0.5% of Bifidobacterium spp, compared with the control and supplemented antibiotics growth promoters group. 0.5% of Bifidobacterium spp. supplementation to the diet of laying hens is beneficial for increasing feed efficiency and improving feed conversion ratio. The practical and theoretical significance of the results is that Bifidobacterium spp. can be used to improve production performance in laying hens.

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Performance and Egg Qualities of Isa-Brown Layers Fed Different Quantities of Feed at Varying Feeding Frequencies

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology ◽

10.24925/turjaf.v8i4.864-872.3014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 864-872

Author(s):

Muyiwa Adegbenro ◽

Abiodun S. Ajidara ◽

Stephen G. Modupe ◽

Gbenga E. Onibi

Keyword(s):

Experimental Design ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Net Profit ◽

Randomized Experimental Design ◽

Poultry Farmers

Most poultry farmers in Nigeria feed their laying birds twice a day with one bag of 25 kg to 200 layers which translate to 125g/bird/day, while very few feed once or thrice a day and there has been little or no documentation on how many times laying hens should be fed in a day to optimize profit. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the performance and egg qualities of Isa-Brown layers fed different quantities of feed at varying feeding frequencies. Three hundred and sixty (360) 16-weeks in-lay Isa-Brown layers were used in this trial. The treatment consisted of 95g, 105g, 115g, and 125g of feed per day at varying frequencies of once, twice and thrice per day. The birds were housed in California type cages, 3 birds per cage unit, 5 cage units per replicate, and 6 replicates per treatment. A completely randomized experimental design with a 4x3 factorial was adopted. Results at the end of the trial showed that bird fed 115g of feed twice per day had the highest percentage hen-day production (85.24%), highest egg mass (56.69g) and best feed conversion ratio (1.96) while lowest percentage hen-day production (62.02%) and lowest egg mass (39.22g) were observed in hen fed 95g of feed thrice per day and worst feed conversion ratio (2.50) was recorded in bird fed 125g of feed thrice per day. The bird fed 115g twice per day had the highest net profit (N637.63) while the lowest net profit (N199.33) was recorded in bird fed 125g thrice per day. It could be concluded that for optimum laying performance and to save time and labour expended in feeding birds thrice per day, feeding laying Isa-Brown birds the required feed quantity (115g) twice per day would be most economical.

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Reducing the cost of beef production through the genetic improvement of net feed efficiency

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200596975 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 45-45

Author(s):

R.M. Herd ◽

J.A. Archer ◽

P.F. Arthur ◽

E.C. Richardson

Keyword(s):

Feed Efficiency ◽

Genetic Improvement ◽

Production Systems ◽

Growth Efficiency ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Selection For ◽

The Cost ◽

Animal Production Systems

Feed is the single largest cost in most animal production systems. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a commonly used measure of growth efficiency. Previous research has shown that FCR is moderately heritable and highly related to growth rate. While selection for FCR is beneficial to those feeding growing cattle for slaughter, any associated increase in the size of breeding females will mean this benefit will be at a cost to the calf breeder, as larger breeding cows require more feed.

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Feeding native laying hens diets containing palm kernel meal with or without enzyme supplementations: 1. Feed conversion ratio and egg production

The Journal of Applied Poultry Research ◽

10.3382/japr.2010-00196 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 40-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Adrizal ◽

Y. Yusrizal ◽

S. Fakhri ◽

W. Haris ◽

E. Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Palm Kernel ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Kernel Meal ◽

Palm Kernel Meal

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Response to selection for feed conversion ratio in Japanese quail

Poultry Science ◽

10.3382/ps.2010-00744 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 89 (8) ◽

pp. 1590-1598 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

S. Varkoohi ◽

M. Moradi Shahr Babak ◽

A. Pakdel ◽

A. Nejati Javaremi ◽

M. Zaghari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Japanese Quail ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Response To Selection ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Selection For

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Effects of Different Fermented Feeds on Production Performance, Cecal Microorganisms, and Intestinal Immunity of Laying Hens

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11102799 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2799

Author(s):

Lijuan Guo ◽

Jing Lv ◽

Yinglu Liu ◽

Hui Ma ◽

Bingxu Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Ph Value ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Production Performance ◽

Intestinal Immunity ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Fermented Feed ◽

Cecal Microflora

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different compound probiotics on the performance, cecal microflora, and intestinal immunity of laying hens. A total of 270 Jing Fen No.6 (22-week-old) were randomly divided into 3 groups: basal diet (CON); basal diet supplemented with 6% fermented feed A by Bacillussubtilis,Lactobacillus, and Yeast (FA); and with 6% fermented feed B by C. butyricum and L. salivarius (FB). Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitor, β-glucan concentrations, and pH value in fermented feed were lower than the CON group (p < 0.05). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the experimental groups was decreased, while albumen height and Haugh unit were increased, compared with the CON group (p < 0.05). Fermented feed could upregulate the expression of the signal pathway (TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB) to inhibit mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.05). Fermented feed promoted the level of Romboutsia (in the FA group) Butyricicoccus (in the FB group), and other beneficial bacteria, and reduced opportunistic pathogens, such as Enterocooccus (p < 0.05). Spearman’s correlations showed that the above bacteria were closely related to albumen height and intestinal immunity. In summary, fermented feed can decrease the feed conversion ratio, and improve the performance and intestinal immunity of laying hens, which may be related to the improvement of the cecal microflora structure.

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Effects of dietary supplementation of inorganic, organic or nano zinc forms on performance, eggshell quality, and bone characteristics in laying hens

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.1515/aoas-2016-0055 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 463-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Osman Olgun ◽

Alp Önder Yildiz

Keyword(s):

Zinc Oxide ◽

Shear Force ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Eggshell Thickness ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Egg Weight ◽

Nano Zinc Oxide ◽

Nano Zinc

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of dietary zinc forms and dosages on egg production performance, egg quality, and bone characteristics in laying hens. Forty-two-week-old, 144 Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens were allocated to 12 experimental groups in a 4 (forms) × 3 (dosages) factorial arrangement. Four zinc forms including zinc-sulphate and zinc-oxide as inorganic forms, zinc-glycine as organic form and nano zinc-oxide powder as nano form at different dosages (50, 75 and 100 mg per kg diet) were tested. Compared to the inorganic (zinc-sulphate) form, the zinc-glycine supplementation significantly depressed the egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion ratio. The eggshell thickness was significantly decreased by supplementation with nano zinc-oxide. The shear force of tibia was significantly decreased by zinc-glycine or nano zinc-oxide supplemented in the diet when compared to inorganic forms of zinc. On the other hand, the dietary 50 mg/kg dosage of zinc was sufficient for optimum performance and the dietary 75 mg/kg dosage of zinc significantly improved shear force of tibia in laying hens. Tibia zinc content increased with the dietary 100 mg/kg dosage of zinc. The interactions between zinc forms and dosages had a significant effect on egg weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, eggshell thickness, shear force and shear stress of bone, and tibia calcium concentration. The highest egg weight and the lowest eggshell thickness were observed for the group fed with nano Zn-oxide at 100 mg/kg in the diet. These results showed that nano zinc form supplementation negatively affects the eggshell thickness and bone mechanical properties. The zinc in nano form may not be suggested for feeding laying hens, but other forms of zinc could be used safely in layer diets.

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Reducing the cost of beef production through the genetic improvement of net feed efficiency

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s030822960003258x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 45-45

Author(s):

R.M. Herd ◽

J.A. Archer ◽

P.F. Arthur ◽

E.C. Richardson

Keyword(s):

Feed Efficiency ◽

Genetic Improvement ◽

Production Systems ◽

Growth Efficiency ◽

Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion Ratio ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Selection For ◽

The Cost ◽

Animal Production Systems

Feed is the single largest cost in most animal production systems. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a commonly used measure of growth efficiency. Previous research has shown that FCR is moderately heritable and highly related to growth rate. While selection for FCR is beneficial to those feeding growing cattle for slaughter, any associated increase in the size of breeding females will mean this benefit will be at a cost to the calf breeder, as larger breeding cows require more feed.

Download Full-text