Effect of selected feed additives on egg performance and eggshell quality in laying hens fed a diet with standard or decreased calcium content

Abstract

the aim of the experiment with 240 isa Brown hens fed the diets with standard or decreased ca level was to evaluate the effect of selected feed additives on laying performance and eggshell quality. the hens were allocated to 10 treatments, each containing 12 cages (replicates) of 2 birds. a 2 × 5 experimental arrangement was used. from 26 to 70 wks of age, experimental diets containing 3.20 or 3.70% ca were used. the diets were either not supplemented, or supplemented with sodium butyrate, probiotic bacteria, herb extracts blend or chitosan. the decreased dietary ca reduced eggshell quality indices in older hens (43-69 wks) (p<0.05) without effect on performance indices. the addition of the probiotic, herb extracts, or chitosan increased the laying rate (p<0.05). in older hens, i.e. at 69 wk, chitosan increased eggshell thickness and breaking strength, while herb extracts increased eggshell thickness (p<0.05). there was no interaction between the experimental factors in performance and eggshell quality. The used feed additives had no influence on fatty acid profile of egg lipids, however diet supplementation with chitosan decreased cholesterol concentration in egg yolk lipids (p<0.05). it can be concluded that such feed additives as probiotic, herb extracts, or chitosan may positively affect performance and eggshell quality, irrespective of ca dietary level.

Citrullus lanatus essential oils inclusion in diets elicit nutraceutical effects on egg production, egg quality, and physiological characteristics in layer hens

“…Bone health and metabolism of laying hens are of major concern to egg producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and geneticists ( Güz et al., 2019 , Kolakshyapati et al., 2019 ). Tibia biomechanical characteristics such as tibia linear measurement bone breaking strength and bone ash ( Świątkiewicz et al., 2014 , Świątkiewicz et al., 2018 ; Zhou et al., 2009 ) are usually used as indicators of mineral adequacy and bone development in broiler diets. In the current study, it was observed that dietary inclusion of C. lanatus seed oil significantly improved TDPE, TW, TAW, and TBS.…”

Alpha-Ketoglutarate: An Effective Feed Supplement in Improving Bone Metabolism and Muscle Quality of Laying Hens: A Preliminary Study

“…The aforementioned abnormalities are consequences of the increased calcium mobilization for the formation of the eggshell. The incidence of bone loss and fractures is determined by genetics and strain of hen, the housing system, methods of depopulation and nutrition [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Bone breakage due to osteoporosis during processing reduces the marketability of spent laying hens and increases the need to develop humane on-farm killing methods to support alternative ways of disposing of the spent hens [ 8 ].…”

The Effect of Dietary Rye Inclusion and Xylanase Supplementation on Structural Organization of Bone Constitutive Phases in Laying Hens Fed a Wheat-Corn Diet

“…In mature egg-laying hens, a specific type of bone, named medullary bone, appears in the endosteal surface of long bones. The medullary bone functions to store calcium phosphate and other minerals for eggshell production [2][3][4][5]. When the calcium stored in the mineral matrix of the medullary bone is moved to the oviduct to be used for eggshell calcification, the physical strength of the bones decreases [1,6].…”