Production Performance of Single Comb White Leghorn Chickens Fed Growing Diets Containing Blood Meal and Supplemental Isoleucine
2009
James Tyus, II | Samuel N. Nahashon | Nathaniel Adefope | Darren Wright
Laying performance of Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) chicks fed diets containing blood meal supplemented with isoleucine from hatch to ten weeks of age (WOA) was evaluated. In 4 replicates, 480 SCWL chicks were fed corn-based diets whose protein sources were 100% soybean meal (control), 100% blood meal (BM), 50% soybean meal+50% blood meal (SMBM), and 50% alfalfa meal+50% blood meal (AMBM). These diets contained 2,900kcal metabolizable energy (ME) per kg and 20% crude protein (CP). Blood meal comprised 16.8, 11.0 and 14.3% of the dietary composition in BM, SMBM, and AMBM diets, respectively. At 11-14, 15-18 and 19-46WOA birds in all treatment groups were fed corn-soy based diets containing 3,000, 3,080 and 2,900kcal ME/kg and 17.5, 16.5, and 17% CP, respectively. The birds were provided a 23, 8, and 16 hr light regimen at 0-10, 11-14, and 15-46WOA, respectively. Feed and water were provided at free choice and mortality was recorded as it occurred. At first egg, birds were observed for age, body weight and egg weight. Thereafter hen-day egg production, egg weight, egg mass, egg grade, internal egg quality and egg shell thickness were measured over five 28-day laying periods. Birds fed BM diets had 6.08, 5.24 and 2.63% higher (P<0.05) hen-day egg production than those fed the control, AMBM, and SMBM diets, respectively. Mean egg mass of BM fed birds was 5.65, 5.49 and 2.34% higher than that of the control, AMBM, and SMBM birds, respectively. Therefore, feeding diets containing blood meal and supplemented with isoleucine to SCWL chicks at 0-10WOA significantly improved their subsequent egg production performance, but depressed their internal egg quality and egg shell thickness.
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