Evaluation of the performance of Hy-Line Brown laying hens fed soybean or soybean-free diets using cage or free-range rearing systems

Abstract

This study evaluated egg production and quality variables of caged and free-range Hy-Line Brown laying hens fed soybean meal (SBM) and soybean-meal-free (SBMF) diets. Hens were randomly assigned to the same 2 dietary treatments within 3 location blocks. SBM and SBMF diets with equivalent calculated nutrient content were prepared based on Hy-Line Brown rearing guidelines. The SBMF diets utilized cottonseed meal, corn distillers dried grains with solubles, corn gluten meal, and wheat middlings in place of dehulled soybean meal. The experiment was conducted between August 2015 and January of 2016 within the TAMU Poultry Research Center and data analyzed over 6 consecutive 28-day periods. Data were analyzed as a split-plot with rearing systems designated whole plots and diets designated as subplots. Hens reared in the free-range rearing system peaked a couple of wk later than those hens within the more conventional indoor caged system, and cumulative production data were considerably more variable for hens raised in the free-range environment. Cumulative egg production, feed per dozen eggs and feed conversion ratio (g feed/g egg) were 92 ± 1.23 and 86 ± 1.84%, 1.45 ± 0.02 and 1.89 ± 0.05 kg, and 2.14 ± 0.04 and 2.77 ± 0.08 (P < 0.05), respectively, for the caged vs. free-range rearing systems. Cumulative egg weight, feed per dozen eggs, and feed conversion ratio were 59.9 ± 0.59 and 56.5 ± 0.60 g, 1.57 ± 0.04 and 1.77 ± 0.05 kg, and 2.24 ± 0.06 and 2.67 ± 0.08 kg (P < 0.05) for SBM and SBMF diets, respectively. Diet did not affect cumulative egg production (P > 0.05). With respect to egg quality, there were no differences in cumulative albumen height, Haugh unit, or breaking strength, but there was a significant rearing system by diet interaction for shell thickness, with the free-range hens averaging 40.77 ± 0.19 and 39.86 ± 0.31 μm (P < 0.05), respectively, for the hens fed SBM vs. SBMF diets. In conclusion, the results suggested free-range production is more variable than traditional closed-house cage systems based on standard errors, and SBMF diets containing cottonseed meal can be used in both caged and free-range production systems without affecting egg production, although one might see lower egg weights.

Effects of rearing systems on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, lymphoid organ indices, and serum biochemistry of Wannan Yellow chickens

“…The most widely and commonly used rearing systems are free‐range (FRS) and conventional cage‐rearing systems (CRS), and the chickens are raised under CRS conditions tending to show superior feed efficiency and growth performance (Wang et al., ). Similar findings had been reported for different poultry breeds, including broiler chickens (Li et al., ), laying hens (Al‐Ajeeli et al., ), and local ducks (Zhang et al., ). Moreover, compared with other rearing systems, the CRS is an effective approach for maximizing the utilization of space and stocking density, and decreasing administrative costs and exposure to contaminants.…”

The Role of Housing Environment and Dietary Protein Source on the Gut Microbiota of Chicken

“…In the U.S., most poultry diets utilize the lowest cost ingredients, typically corn and soy as the sources of energy and protein, respectively, to keep the cost of nutrition low [24]. While soybean meal (SBM) represents over 40% of the poultry diet [25], concerns about the anti-nutritive properties of SBM [26,27], the high concentration of isoflavones on bird or human health [28], have necessitated the search for alternative feed sources that may reduce or replace SBM in poultry diets. Climate change and increased demands from fisheries production are also expected to increase costs [29,30].…”

“…All laying hens in this experiment were a subset of hens used in the study reported by Al-Ajeeli et al (IACUC 2017-0072) [25]. Briefly, the study started with 246 11-week old Hy-Line Brown pullets, divided into either the caged or cage-free group at 20 weeks of age (120 for caged, and 126 for cage-free).…”

“…Hens in all treatment combinations were provided ad libitum feed and water. Details of diets and nutrient composition were previously published in in Al-Ajeeli et al [25], and also reproduced here as Supplementary Table S1. Four main diet x environment treatment combinations were defined as Caged Soy (CS), Caged Soy-Free (CSF), Cage-Free Soy (CFS), and Cage-Free Soy-Free (CFSF).…”

Impacts of Dietary Protein and Prebiotic Inclusion on Liver and Spleen Gene Expression in Hy-Line Brown Caged Layers

“…A total of 120 layers at 63 weeks were used in this study. These older hens were used for this study as the birds were part of the performance study reported in [21], and could not be euthanized at an earlier point. Hens were distributed in wire cages a 50.8 cm W × 30.5 cm L × 30.5 cm H per cage (1549 cm 2 /hen) with one nipple drinker for every two cages in a randomized block design.…”