THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF FEEDING GROUND AND WHOLE COTTONSEED TO LAYING HENS

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. FITZSIMMONS ◽  
MARK NEWCOMBE ◽  
I. E. MOUL

Laying hens were fed diets containing 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20% whole or ground cottonseed. Birds fed the 15 and 20% ground cottonseed diets rapidly reduced voluntary feed intake and, as a result, suffered a loss in both body weight and egg production. The severity of the dietary effects of cottonseed on productivity and mottled yolks was positively correlated with the level of cottonseed and gossypol in the diet. Egg yolk discoloration was assessed both visually on fresh yolks and using a time exposure to ammonia fumes. Discoloration was easier to detect using the ammonia test. In all cases, egg yolk discoloration was no longer apparent after a maximum of 42 d of feeding a commercial diet. Key words: Cottonseed, gossypol, laying hen, yolk mottling, egg production, feed intake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaying Hu ◽  
Heng Wei Cheng

Abstract Background: Cold temperature is a common environmental stressor that has a great impact on the poultry industries, inducing pathophysiological stress in birds with profound economic losses. Current methods used for preventing cold stress, such as reducing ventilation and using gas heaters, are facing challenges due to poor indoor air quality and its deleterious effects on bird and caretaker health. The aim of this study was to examine if the novelly designed warmed perch system, as a thermal device, can reduce cold stress-associated adverse effects on laying hens. Methods: Seventy-two 32-week-old DeKalb hens were randomly assigned to 36 cages arranged to 3 banks. The banks were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: cages with warmed perches (WP; perches with circulating water at 30 oC), air perches (AP, regular perches only) or no perches (NP) for a 21- day trial. The room temperature was set at 10 oC during the entire experimental period. Rectal temperature and body weight were measured from the same bird of each cage at day 1, 8, 15, and 21 during the cold exposure. Egg production was recorded daily. Feed intake, egg and eggshell quality were determined during the 1st and 3rd week of cold stress. Plasma levels of corticosterone, thyroid hormones (3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine and thyroxine), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10, were determined at day 1 and 21 post initiation of cold exposure. Results: Compared to both AP and NP hens, WP hens were able to maintain their body temperature without increasing feed intake and losing body weight. The eggs laid by WP hens had thicker eggshell during the 3rd week of cold exposure. Warmed perch hens also had a lower thyroxine conversion rate (3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine/thyroxine) at day 1, while higher plasma concentrations of IL-6 at day 21. Plasma levels of corticosterone, 3, 3’, 5-triiodothyronine, and IL-10 were not different among treatments. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the warmed perch system can be used as a novel thermal device for preventing cold stress-induced negative effects on hen health and welfare through regulating innate immunity and metabolic hormonal homeostasis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem Tahir

In the present feeding trial, responses of laying hens, kept at high ambient temperature, to various dietary ratios of linoleic acid (LNA) to α-linolenic acid (ALA) and vitamin A levels on performance and egg characteristics were evaluated. A total of 360, 40-wk-old, Leghorn laying hens were fed on diets with various combinations of canola oil and linseed oil to achieve LNA to ALA dietary ratios of 20:1, 10:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2, each supplemented with 3000 IU or 10000 IU vitamin A/kg of diet. The diets were fed in a 6×2 factorial Completely Randomized Design that continued for 12 weeks. Feed intake, weight gain, egg production and egg quality traits were recorded during the trial. Decreasing dietary LNA to ALA ratio in the diet affected negatively (P<0.05) on body weight gain and yolk percentage in laying hens. While, feed intake, hen-day and hen-housed egg production, feed conversion ratio (FCR) per dozen of eggs and shell quality remained unaffected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments, with the exception of FCR per kg eggs, egg weight and egg-shell thickness which responded significantly (P<0.05) to various dietary treatments. Although the dietary ratio of LNA to ALA of 4:1 or less could produce eggs by the hens with desirable quantities of n-6 and n-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids – that are characteristics of functional diets – the performance of laying hens in terms of body weight gain and egg-yolk percentage was slightly compromised.


1965 ◽  
Vol 208 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lepkovsky ◽  
R. Len ◽  
T. Koike ◽  
R. Bouthilet

The injection of protamine zinc insulin into laying hens caused hypoglycemia as it does in other animals. While it increased feed intake and body weight in other animals, it did the opposite in chickens: it decreased feed intake, body weight, and egg production. Damage to the central nervous system in some of the chickens was indicated by their behavior. It was tentatively concluded that the aphagia in chickens following injection with protamine zinc insulin was due to the apparent damage to the nervous system.


1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 583-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. LEESON ◽  
J. D. SUMMERS

Growing leghorn pullets and laying hens were fed diets containing triticale as the sole cereal source. Body weight of pullets was not affected (P > 0.05) by up to 70% dietary inclusion of triticale. When layer diets contained 70% whole or ground triticale in place of corn, egg production was depressed (P < 0.05) while birds consumed more feed (P < 0.05). The feed intake effect is discussed in relation to the energy value of triticale. Key words: Triticale, pullets


1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (89) ◽  
pp. 926 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Karunajeewa ◽  
I Bagot

The effects of litter condition, antibiotics, barley and lucerne meal on the pigmentation of egg yolks and performance of crossbred layers were examined in two factorial experiments. In both experiments pigmentation of egg yolks was depressed by barley and improved either by 6 per cent lucerne meal in the diet or by housing the birds on wet litter. There were significant interactions between litter condition, antibiotics, lucerne meal and cereals on yolk colour, egg production and efficiency of feed conversion. In experiment 1, young pullets laid fewer eggs when fed diets with 57.2 per cent barley plus 6 per cent lucerne meal. This depression in egg production was alleviated by antibiotics. Feed intake was increased and feed conversion efficiency and body weight gains were decreased by barley, whereas lucerne meal decreased both feed intake and body weight gains. Pullets on wet litter laid larger eggs with lower Haugh unit scores. In experiment 2, older hens laid more eggs on diets with 6 per cent lucerne meal, particularly in the absence of barley and when housed on dry litter. Body weights of these hens were decreased by barley.


1970 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
MS Rahman ◽  
MAR Howlider ◽  
M Mahiuddin ◽  
MM Rahman

The study was conducted to determine the effect of organic acids supplementation on body weight changes, feed intake, feed efficiency, egg production, egg weight and egg quality in laying hens at age between 67 and 74 weeks. A total of 48 Shaver 579 laying hens of 67 weeks age were allotted into 4 groups, each containing 12 hens. The hens were fed basal diet (17% CP and 2800 kcal ME/kg diet) supplemented with 0 (T1), 260 (T2), 520 (T3) and 780 ppm (T4) of organic acid mixture (fumaric acid and salt of butyric, propionic and lactic acids). The results revealed no effect of organic acids supplementation on body weight change and feed intake but improvement of egg production and feed conversion were observed. Organic acids supplementation significantly increased egg production by about 2.26, 8.0 and 9.84% on 260, 520 and 780 ppm respectively when compared with the untreated group (P<0.05). Feed conversion showed a significant (P<0.05) improvement in laying hen groups which fed on the basal diet supplemented with organic acids at 260, 520 and 780 ppm by about 1.85, 8.48 and 7.74% respectively when compared with the control. On the other hand, dietary organic acid had no effect on the average egg weight, while showed a lower percentage of large (P<0.05) and extra large egg (P<0.01) size compared with control group. Body composition parameters were not affected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments. Inclusion of organic acids improved egg shell thickness (P<0.05) while significantly reduced albumen index (P<0.05). Incorporation of organic acids attributed to significant increase per cent albumen (P<0.01) and significant decrease in yolk per cent (P<0.05). It can be concluded that organic acid supplementation of laying hens diet may improve persistency of lay and feed conversion. From economical point of view, it is concluded that organic acid addition (520 ppm) may result an economic benefit of layer production at older age. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v37i2.9884 BJAS 2008; 37(2): 74-81


2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. Kjos ◽  
O. Herstad ◽  
A. Skrede ◽  
M. Øverland

A total of 45 laying hens were fed a control diet, or one of four diets containing 50 g kg–1 fish silage and different levels of fish fat (1.8, 8.8, 16.8 or 24.8 g kg–1), to determine the effect of fish silage and fish fat in the diet on performance and egg quality. Fish silage did not affect feed intake, egg production, fatty acid composition of yolk, yolk color or sensory quality of eggs, compared with the control. The diets with 16.8 or 24.8 g kg–1 fish fat decreased feed intake (P < 0.001), egg production (P < 0.001), and hen-day egg production (P < 0.04), and increased yolk color index (P < 0.003). The proportions of the fatty acid C22:1 (P < 0.001), and PUFA as the sum of C18:2 n-6, C20:5 n-3, C22:5 n-3 and C22:6 n-3 (P < 0.02) in egg yolk were highest for the fish silage diets with 24.8, 16.8 or 8.8 g kg–1 fish fat, and lowest for the diet with 1.8 g kg–1 fish fat. Proportions of C18:1 (P < 0.001) and C20:1 (P < 0.001) were lowest for the diets with 16.8 or 24.8 g kg–1 fish fat. Egg yolk cholesterol did not differ among treatments. The diet with 16.8 g kg–1 fish fat resulted in a more intense egg albumen whiteness as measured by the sensory study, compared with the other diets (P < 0.05). There was a linear relationship between dietary fish fat level and increased off-taste intensity of egg yolk (P< 0.03). Key words: Fish silage, fish fat, laying hens, egg production, egg quality


1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. Haazele ◽  
W. Guenter ◽  
R. R. Marquardt ◽  
A. A. Frohlich

Three experiments were conducted to study ochratoxin A (OA) toxicity and the effect of supplemental ascorbic acid (AA) in laying hens housed under two environmental temperatures. In exp. 1, 18 hens were divided into three groups of six hens and fed diets containing either 0, 1.7, or 3.1 ppm OA for 14 d. In exps. 2 and 3, 24 hens were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in six replications. Treatments consisted of a control and three diets containing either 300 ppm AA, 3 ppm OA, or 300 ppm AA plus 3 ppm OA. Treatment diets were fed for 14 d following the feeding of the basal diet for 14 d. The test-period temperature was 25 °C in exp. 1 and 2 and 33 °C in exp. 3. In exp. 1, feeding OA at 1.7 ppm significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased feed intake and increased liver weights and eggshell elasticity. At 3 ppm, OA significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced feed intake, body-weight change and egg production, and increased shell elasticity. Similar trends were also observed in exps. 2 and 3 when laying hens were fed 3 ppm OA compared with those fed the control diet. An analysis of plasma constituents showed that OA also increased Cl− concentration and aspartate transaminase activity and decreased plasma Ca++ concentrations. Exposing hens to 33 °C (compared with 25 °C) appeared to aggravate the negative effects of OA. All the negative effects of OA, apart from body-weight changes, reductions in feed intake, and increases in eggshell elasticity at 33 °C, were either moderated or significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reversed by dietary AA supplementation. The results suggest that some of the detrimental effects of OA in the diet of the laying hen can be counteracted by dietary supplementation of AA. Key words: Ochratoxin A, toxicity, ascorbic acid, hen, temperature


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