Post-molt egg production and egg quality in Nagoya breed laying hens fed a molt diet based on wheat bran
2009
Ando, M.(Aichi-ken. Agricultural Research Center, Nagakute (Japan)) | Minoura, M. | Ito, H. | Kondo, H. | Noda, K.
The present study was designed to investigate the post-molt egg production and egg quality in Nagoya breed laying hens molted by feeding a molting diet which was mainly composed of wheat bran as an alternative approach to feed withdrawal. In summer, a total of 384 hens at 53 weeks of age were randomly divided into six treatment groups. In one treatment, the feed was withdrawn until 25% of their original body weight was lost. Other four groups were fed a diet based on wheat bran ad libitum or at different intake restriction levels (90, 60, or 30 g/hen per day) for 21 days and then returned to a normal diet. Control group was fed a commercial layer diet ad libitum. The investigation of post-molt egg production and egg quality was continued up to 90 weeks of age. 1. Post-molt egg production and egg qualities (Haugh units, egg-shell strength, egg-shell color) were improved by restricted feeding of the molting diet for 21 days. 2. Restricted feeding of the molting diet was more effective than ad libitum feeding on post-molt egg production and egg quality, and the severer extent of restricted feeding got better performance. In the group fed a molting diet at 30 g/hen per day for 21 days, improvements of post-molt egg production and egg quality were equivalent to those of the feed withdrawal group despite the lower body mass loss. These results indicated that post-molt egg production and egg quality in Nagoya breed laying hens molted by feeding the molting diet at 30g/hen per day for 21 days in summer were improved most effectively and the effect was equal to that of hens molted by feed withdrawal.
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