Egg production and quality responses to increasing isoleucine supplementation in Shaver white hens fed a low crude protein corn-soybean meal diet fortified with synthetic amino acids between 20 and 46 weeks of age

The present study evaluated production performance responses to Ile supplementation in laying hens fed low crude protein (LCP), amino acid (AA) balanced diets. A total of 179 Shaver white pullets were distributed into 30 battery cages (6 birds/cage, n = 6) and observed over the course of 27 wk in a 2-phase (20 to 27 and 28 to 46 wk of age) feeding program. Five isocaloric diets were formulated for standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys intake of 750 and 710 mg/D in phase 1 and 2, respectively, and included a positive control with standard levels of crude protein (CP) (CON; 18 and 16% CP for phases 1 and 2), and 4 LCP diets (16 and 14% CP for phase 1 and 2, respectively) with graded levels of Ile to satisfy SID Ile:Lys ratios of 70 (Ile70), 80 (Ile80), 90 (Ile90), and 100% (Ile100). Based on analyzed dietary AA, the calculated SID Ile:Lys of LCP diets were 75, 84, 88, 99% and 66, 72, 82, 95% for phase 1 and 2, respectively. Dietary treatments significantly (P < 0.05) affected feed intake, hen-day egg production (HDEP), egg weight (EW), feed conversion ratio, and egg quality (Haugh unit) and composition (yolk to albumen). Lowering dietary CP negatively affected HDEP with a 3.3 and 1.5% reduction in phase 1 and 2, respectively, and this was restored with the addition of Ile (P < 0.001) suggesting that Ile was limiting in the LCP basal diet. Average EW was reduced in Ile100 only; however, the Ile:Lys appeared to influence egg size uniformity, with Ile90 producing a greater proportion of large (56 g ≤ EW > 63 g) eggs, suggesting that Ile may be used to manipulate EW at the expense of HDEP. Overall, the results indicated that CP in laying hen diets can be reduced by 2% units if fortified with synthetic AA (Met, Lys, Thr, Trp) + Ile, with optimal responses observed between 82 and 88% SID Ile:Lys.