Effects of Dietary Vanadium on Performance and Immune Responses of Commercial Egg-Type Laying Hens

Abstract

Davis, E.G., Miles, R.D., Butcher, G.D. and Comer C.W. 2002. Effects of dietary vanadium on performance and immune responses of commercial egg-type laying hens. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 22: 113–124. The influence of dietary supplementation of vanadium (V) on feed consumption, feed conversion, egg production, egg interior quality, egg weight, egg shell weight, cell-mediated and humoral immune responses was investigated in a 6-wk experiment using White Leghorn laying hens. Four dietary treatments consisting of a corn/soybean meal basal control diet supplemented with 0, 10, 20 and 30 ppm V were used. Feed consumption was not significantly different among treatments, but a decline in feed intake resulted as higher levels of supplemental V. were fed. Hen-day egg production declined in the hens fed the two highest supplemental levels of V, but the decline was only significant for hens fed 30 ppm supplemental V. Egg weight and egg shell weight were similar for birds fed all four diets, but on d 24 and 29 of the experiment egg shell weight was significantly lower for hens fed the diet supplemented with 20 ppm V and on d 24 for those fed 30 ppm V. Egg interior quality declined within 48h after the supplemental vanadium diets were fed. After d14 and until the end of the experimental period hens fed the V supplemented diets had poorer interior egg quality compared to the birds fed the control diet. Across all treatments no significant differences were observed for the cell-mediated and humoral immune response.