Effect of Diet Composition Upon the Performance of Laying Hens Receiving Curacao Island Phosphate

Abstract

Two experiments, each of ten months duration, were conducted with egg production-type pullets (Kimber and DeKalb) housed in individual laying cages. Yellow corn and degerminated corn basals were employed with phosphorus supplementation from either Curacao Island or dicalcium phosphate to provide total phosphorus levels of 0.50, 0.65 or 0.80%. All diets contained 3.0% calcium with supplemental calcium being supplied from ground limestone.Six replicate groups (five birds each) received each dietary treatment for ten 28-day periods. Hen-day egg production, daily feed intake, feed/dozen eggs, egg weights and mortality were utilized as evaluation criteria.Hens receiving Curacao Island phosphate in a yellow corn basal performed equally as well as birds fed equivalent phosphorus levels supplied by dicalcium phosphate. When the degerminated corn diet was used, feed efficiency, daily feed intake and average egg weights were not significantly influenced by phosphorus source or supplementation level; however, egg production was numerically inferior with all levels of Curacao Island supplementation, and was significantly reduced by the 0.80% total phosphorus level. Mortality was numerically greater at all three levels of Curacao Island phosphate supplementation with the degerminated corn diet.