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Two separate randomised block design experiments were each carried out for +-months to investigate the e#ects of replacing, in-part, soybean meal (SBM) and wheat by graded levels of faba beans (FB) and field pea (FP) in a basal diet of wheat-SBM, balanced for amino acids, similar in crude protein (CP) and metabolisable energy (ME) on Lohmann hens. Traits studied included ; egg production, feed consumption, body weight gain, feed, energy and protein utilisations, and egg quality. Increasing dietary FB up .** g/kg (no SBM) decreased hen-day egg production, from 2/ to 1/ῌ. Average egg mass significantly reduced from /*.2῍.-./ g/(hen*d). Feed consumption was similar (++* to ++-g/(hen*d)). Increasing FB increased ME and CP required for egg production. FB had no significant e#ect on the shell strength, shell fraction and yolk index of eggs ; meanwhile it decreased the yolk fraction, and increased yolk colour, albumen fraction and albumen index. Most traits studied, were statistically similar up to +0* g FB/kg feed. Increasing levels of FP up to /** g/kg did not significantly a#ect hen-day egg production and egg mass per day, although feed consumption increased. Body weight gain linearly dropped with increasing FP. FP had no significant e#ect on any of the egg quality traits studied. +0ῌ FB and /*ῌ FP could be included in layers diet without any significant e#ects on egg production or quality.

The effect of high (1000–3000 phytase units (FYT)/kg) doses of microbial phytase on performance, nutrient digestibility and plasma inositol concentrations in young Ross broiler chicks was investigated in two separate experiments. In both experiments pelleted corn/soy-based diets were used and experimental duration was from Days 8 to 21 and Days 15 to 28 in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Treatments in Experiment 1 were arranged as a 2 × 4 + 1 factorial with two concentrations of calcium and available phosphorus and four concentrations of phytase (0, 1000, 2000 or 3000 FYT/kg), with a reference diet containing additional phosphorus and calcium from inorganic sources. In Experiment 2 only four dietary treatments were used, being a nutritionally adequate positive control, a negative control formulated to be insufficient in calcium and available phosphorus and the negative control supplemented with either 1000 or 2000 FYT/kg exogenous phytase. In both experiments, phytase improved performance relative to the appropriate control diet and increased the retention of calcium and phosphorus (P < 0.001). Tibia strength and ash content were increased (P < 0.001) by phytase addition. Plasma inositol concentrations were substantially increased (P < 0.001) by phytase addition to the diet. As inositol has been found to be an insulin mimetic in a range of animal species, these results suggest that part of the beneficial effect of high doses of phytase in broiler production may be conferred via insulin-like mechanisms. The effect of phytase on the expression of insulin-sensitive glucose transport systems, gluconeogenesis and nitrogen cycling is an area for future research. It can be concluded that phytase is effective in improving performance of broiler chicks fed diets that are sufficient and insufficient in calcium and phosphorus. Furthermore, phytase addition results in increased plasma inositol concentrations that may be beneficial in nutrient transport and protein deposition.