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Highly prolific modern hens are susceptible to metabolic disorders that could be modulated by functional feedstuffs such as enzymatically treated yeast (ETY). Therefore, we assessed the dose-response of ETY on hen-day egg production (HDEP), egg quality attributes, organ weight, bone ash, and plasma metabolites in laying hens. A total of 160 thirty-week-old Lohmann LSL lite hens were placed in 40 enriched cages (4 birds/cage) based on body weight (BW) and allocated to 5 diets in a completely randomized design for a 12-wk trial. The diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous corn and soybean meal based supplemented with 0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, or 0.2% ETY. Feed and water were provided ad libitum; HDEP and feed intake (FI) were monitored weekly, whereas egg components, eggshell breaking strength (ESBS), and thickness (EST) were monitored biweekly, and albumen IgA concentration was measured on wk 12. At the end of the trial, 2 birds/cage were bled for plasma and necropsied for liver, spleen, and bursa weight, ceca digesta for short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and tibia and femur for ash content. Supplemental ETY reduced HDEP quadratically (P = 0.03); the HDEP was 98, 98, 96, 95, and 94% for 0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2% ETY, respectively. However, ETY linearly and quadratically (P = 0.01) increased egg weight (EW) and egg mass (EM). Specifically, EM was 57.9, 60.9, 59.9, 58.9, and 59.2 g/b for 0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2% ETY, respectively. Egg albumen increased linearly (P = 0.01), and egg yolk decreased linearly (P = 0.03) in response to ETY. In response to ETY, the ESBS and plasma Ca increased linearly and quadratically (P ≤ 0.03). Plasma concentration of total protein and albumin increased quadratically (P ≤ 0.05) with ETY. Diets had no (P > 0.05) effects on FI, FCR, bone ash, SCFA, and IgA. In conclusion, 0.1% or higher ETY reduced egg production rate; however, linear improvement in EW and shell quality linked to larger albumen and higher plasma protein and Ca suggested modulation in protein and calcium metabolism., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The impact of feeding sources of n-3 fatty acids (FA) to ISA brown and Shaver white breeders and their female offspring during rearing on egg production, eggshell, tibia, and keel bone attributes was examined. Breeders were fed Control (CON) or CON + 1% dried microalgae (DMA: Aurantiochytrium limacinum) as the source of docosahexaenoic acid or CON + 2.6% of a coextruded mixture of full-fat flaxseed (FFF) and pulses as a source of α-linolenic acid. Day-old offspring were fed 1) breeder CON-pullet CON (CON-CON), 2) breeder CON-pullet DMA (CON-DMA), 3) breeder CON-pullet FFF (CON-FFF), 4) breeder DMA-pullet CON (DMA-CON), 5) breeder DMA-pullet DMA (DMA-DMA), 6) breeder FFF-pullet CON (FFF-CON), and 7) breeder FFF-pullet FFF (FFF-FFF). At 18 wk of age (WOA), pullets were fed a common layer diet to 42 WOA for egg production and bone quality assessments. There was no (P > 0.05) interaction between strains and diets and the main effect of diets on egg production, egg mass, and eggshell quality. There was an interaction (P = 0.008) between strain and diet on egg weight (EW); however, the strain effect on EW (P < 0.001) was such that ISA brown had heavier eggs than Shaver white. Shaver white had higher (P < 0.001) eggshell %, eggshell, and tibia breaking strength (BS), as well as tibia ash concentration compared with ISA brown hens. In contrast, ISA brown hens exhibited heavier (P < 0.05) tibia and keel bones. Feeding breeders DMA and pullets both sources of n-3 FA increased tibia medullary ash concentration compared with other diets (P < 0.001). Shaver white hens showed greater decline in tibia BS (83.7 vs. 96.3%) and ash content (84.1 vs. 94.3%) than ISA brown hens from 18 to 42 WOA (P < 0.05). Strain and diets exhibited independent effects on eggshell, tibia, and keel attributes. Provision of α-linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid to breeders and offspring improved tibia medullary ash concentration at 42 WOA., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

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., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Effects of total replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) on egg production and quality, organ weight, and apparent retention (AR) of components were investigated in Shaver White hens from 28 to 43 wk of age. A total of 108 birds, (6 birds/cage) were assigned to three diets (6 replicates/diet). Diets were control corn-SBM diet and two additional diets made with the addition of either 10 or 15% BSFLM. Diets met or exceeded breeder specifications, contained TiO 2 as an indigestible marker, and were prepared in pellet form. Birds had free access to feed and water throughout the experiment. Hen-day egg production (HDEP) was monitored daily. Feed intake (FI) and body weight (BW) were monitored in 4-wk intervals. All eggs laid on the sixth day of wks 31, 35, 39, and 43 were used for egg weight (EW), Haugh units (HU), yolk color (YC), shell breaking strength (SBS), and shell thickness (ST). Excreta samples were collected for 3 consecutive days on wk 33 for AR and two birds/cage were necropsied at the end. There were no (P > 0.05) diet effects on HDEP, FI, and HU. Inclusion of BSFLM linearly decreased (P < 0.05) egg mass and feed conversion ratio (FCR) and quadratically increased (P < 0.05) BW. There was no (P > 0.05) interaction between diet and sampling time point on egg quality parameters. Inclusion of BSFLM increased SBF and YC linearly (P < 0.05) and ST quadratically (P = 0.028). Inclusion of BSFLM quadratically (P ≤ 0.01) reduced empty ceca weight and increased liver weight and had no effect (P > 0.05) on gizzard, small intestine, and pancreas weights. Feeding BSFLM linearly (P = 0.001) and quadratically (P = 0.007) increased apparent metabolizable energy (AME). Data showed that defatted BSFLM resulted in deeper orange yolks and improved eggshell quality; however, unfavorable FCR linked to lighter eggs as well as heavier birds and liver warrants further investigations., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

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The present study was conducted to determine the adverse effects of high temperature and humidity not only on live performance and egg quality but also on immune function in commercial laying hens. One hundred eighty 31-wk-old laying hens at peak production were used in this study. Hens were housed in cages (15 cages of 4 birds/cage) in each of 3 environmental chambers and received 1 of 3 treatments. The 3 treatments were control (average temperature and relative humidity), cyclic (daily cyclic temperature and humidity), and heat stress (constant heat and humidity) for 5 wk. Different production and immune parameters were measured. Body weight and feed consumption were significantly reduced in hens in the heat stress group. Egg production, egg weight, shell weight, shell thickness, and specific gravity were significantly inhibited among hens in the heat stress group. Likewise, total white blood cell (WBC) counts and antibody production were significantly inhibited in hens in the heat stress group. In addition, mortality was higher in the heat stress group compared to the cyclic and control groups. Even though T- and B-lymphocyte activities were not significantly affected by any of the treatments, lymphocytes from hens in the heat stress group had the least activity at 1 wk following treatment. These results indicate that heat stress not only adversely affects production performance but also inhibits immune function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]