Time-Restricted Feeding in Commercial Layer Chickens Improves Egg Quality in Old Age and Points to Lack of Adipostat Activity in Chickens

Abstract

In mammals, time-restricted feeding (TRF) with no caloric restriction provides health benefits and extends longevity, usually with a minor (∼3%) or no reduction in total food consumption. In the current study, a TRF regimen of 6 h free access to food (08:00–14:00 h) was applied to Leghorn chickens from 25 to 86 weeks of age; control birds ate freely during the light hours (06:00–20:00 h). Unexpectedly, the TRF-treated birds consumed, on average, 11.7% less food than the controls. This was manifested by an average reduction of 9.6% in body weight, 2.6-fold in visceral fat accumulation, and 6.5% in egg weight. Hen-housed egg production was reduced by 3.6% in the TRF group compared with the control, along the first 40 weeks of the follow-up (P < 0.05), and changed into a tendency of 0.7% higher egg production thereafter. Several parameters of egg quality showed significant improvement (P < 0.05) in the TRF group compared with the controls. A comparison of diurnal patterns of feed consumption revealed a higher rate of hourly consumption in the TRF group and increased consumption before dark in the control group. In conclusion, the reduced feed intake in response to the TRF treatment and loss in visceral fat accumulation supports the lack of a strong adipostat activity in chickens and different appetite regulation mechanisms compared with mammals. Therefore, future TRF studies in chickens should be adjusted by extending the ad libitum time window. The lower feed intake by the TRF-treated chickens compared with the ad libitum-fed controls seems to reduce the efficiency of egg production. Nevertheless, the improved egg quality and persistence of egg lay at the older age suggest that similarly to mammals, the TRF treatment delayed at least some of the negative impacts associated with advanced age.

A systematic review of potential productivity, egg quality, and animal welfare implications of extended lay cycles in commercial laying hens in Canada

“…Overall, about 25% of the publications reviewed had laying rates in extended cycles falling below 70%—the laying rate that is considered a minimum threshold for commercial viability. The laying rates below 70% were seen mostly at 90 wk of age or beyond in the studies reviewed ( Saibaba et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Interventions categorized under flock management were quite diverse. This category included studies on the effects of alternative feeding regimes ( Molnár et al, 2018a ; Saibaba et al, 2021 ), ambient temperature ( Tůmová and Gous, 2012 ), litter substrates, and molting ( Regmi et al, 2018 ). The most commonly addressed aspect under flock management, however, was the effect of housing type ( Anderson, 2012a , 2015 , 2018 ; Abo Ghanima et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Time-restricted feeding was found to have the potential to delay the decline in performance typically seen in aging (86 wk) laying hens. Although only one time-restricted feeding configuration was trialed in Saibaba et al (2021) , the results suggested further potential for improvements in productivity and egg quality in older laying hens with an optimized time-restricted feed regimen. On the other hand, analysis of split feeding systems was affected by the flock experiencing severe health and sustained feather pecking issues in other studies ( Molnár et al, 2018a , b ).…”

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals mechanisms of restriction feeding on lipid metabolism in ducks

“…At present, the meat duck industry usually adopts a high-density and intensive rearing model, and excessive fat deposition in meat ducks, which affects the further development of the meat duck industry ( Na et al, 2019 ). In meat poultry production, restricted feeding ( RF ) was widely used to reduce lipid deposition in meat ducks ( Saibaba et al, 2021 ). Previous studies have shown that RF could affect growth performance, reproduction, and metabolic function of meat poultry, especially on lipid metabolism and deposition ( Pan et al, 2014 ; Mehus et al, 2021 ; Shusha et al, 2021 ).…”

Response of laying hens to dietary ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome powder supplementation pre- and post moulting

“…Age is an important determinant of productivity in laying flocks (Holt, 2003;Tumova and Gous, 2012) influencing the health, and livability of individual birds as well as rate of lay, and egg quality (Tumova and Gous, 2012;Saibaba et al, 2021). When productivity becomes uneconomic due to aging, the farmer continues the enterprise by force moulting the flock to rapidly enter a second laying cycle (Aygun and Olgun, 2010;Wein et al, 2020) or by replacement of the flock.…”