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Limestone particle sizes and lighting regimens on egg and bone quality of laying hens

Authors :
Regina Patrícia de Souza Xavier
Ednardo Rodrigues Freitas
Nádia Melo Braz
Nadja Naiara Pereira Farias
Raffaella Castro Lima
Pedro Henrique Watanabe
Germano Augusto Jerônimo Nascimento
Maria Simone Mendes Peixoto
Source :
Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, Vol 50, Iss 8, Pp 718-725 (2015)
Publication Year :
2015
Publisher :
Embrapa Informação Tecnológica, 2015.

Abstract

Abstract:The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of limestone particle sizes in the diet and of lighting regimes on the egg and bone quality and on the performance of commercial laying hens. Three hundred Hissex White layers, at 18 weeks of age, were distributed in a completely randomized design, in a 5×2 factorial arrangement (coarse limestone in the diet at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%; with or without artificial light), with five replicates of six birds. No significant interaction was observed between particle sizes and lighting regime for the evaluated parameters. There was no significant effect of coarse limestone level in the diet on the performance and egg quality of hens; however, bone deformity (3.23 to 4.01 mm), strength (5.19 to 6.70 kgf cm-2), and mineral matter (51.09 to 59.61%) improved as the proportion of coarse limestone increased. For lighting regime, the treatment with artificial light yielded higher Haugh unit values (87.17 vs. 85.54) than that with natural light only. Greater limestone particles improve bone quality of laying hens, and the use of artificial light can benefit the albumen quality of the eggs.

Details

Language :
English, Spanish; Castilian, Portuguese
ISSN :
16783921 and 0100204X
Volume :
50
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.70e9756651b64d31b9c12e5a099ca3c9
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2015000800010