Effects of Different Forced Molting Methods on Postmolt Production, Corticosterone Level, and Immune Response to Sheep Red Blood Cells in Laying Hens

Applicability of Non-Feed Removal Programs to Induce Molting Instead of the Conventional Feed Withdrawal Method in Brown Laying Hens

“…The experiment was lasted for 105 days. In practice, generally after the 10 th day of fasting of conventional molting programs, whole, cracked, or ground cereal grains, such as corn and barley, are fed between days 11 to 28 (Hambree et al, 1980;Kara & Güçlü, 2012;Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007;Sarıözkan et al, 2013).…”

“…As an alternative to the conventional molting method, which applies feed withdrawal with or without water/light restriction, dietary mineral levels are manipulated, and feeds containing insufficient Ca, Na, or Al or excessive Cu or Zn, are supplied (Keshavarz & Quimby, 2002;Baker et al 1983;Koelkebeck & Anderson, 2007;Breeding et al 1992;Yousaf & Ahmad 2006). The dietary supplementation of drugs or hormones, such as gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), melengestrol acetate, and thyroxine have also been applied (Dickerman & Bahr, 1989;Koch et al 2007;Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007). However, these studies showed that the dietary manipulation of mineral levels, and the addition of drugs and hormones addition to layer feeds to induce molting have some disadvantages, such as promoting poorer performance, are expensive, and may induce behaviors (cannibalism) in the second laying cycyle (Webster, 2003;Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007;Biggs et al 2004).…”

“…On farms, readily available and cheap feed ingredients, such as barley grain (Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007;Aygun & Yetisir, 2009; and alfalfa meal (Aygün & Olgun, 2010;Mcreynolds et al 2006;Elouun, 2009;Landers et al 2005b) have been used for induced molting instead of the conventional feed removal program. Barley grain contains 11.0 crude protein, 5.50% crude fiber and 2,640 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME) (NRC, 1994).…”

“…The dietary supplementation of drugs or hormones, such as gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), melengestrol acetate, and thyroxine have also been applied (Dickerman & Bahr, 1989;Koch et al 2007;Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007). However, these studies showed that the dietary manipulation of mineral levels, and the addition of drugs and hormones addition to layer feeds to induce molting have some disadvantages, such as promoting poorer performance, are expensive, and may induce behaviors (cannibalism) in the second laying cycyle (Webster, 2003;Onbaşılar & Erol, 2007;Biggs et al 2004). Due to the strong criticism of conventional programs from the animal welfare point of view, nutrient-restriction non-feed removal (NFR) may be an alternative method to induce molting.…”

Experimental infection of Salmonella Enteritidis in quails submitted to forced molting by feed fasting

“…Onbaşılar & Erol (2007) asserted that fasting, because it causes severe physiological stress, is the least suitable method of molting in terms of bird welfare. Those authors compared fasting with other molting methods, such as the supply of zinc oxide or of barley grains in the feed, and found that the hens submitted to fasting presented higher corticosterone levels as well as impaired humoral immunity compared with other methods.…”