Effects of feeding original XPCTM to laying hens on egg production, component yield and composition

Abstract

SUMMARY The U.S. market for eggs has evolved into a diverse and profitable system. In recent years, customers have increased their demand for eggs and egg products in liquid form; as a result, a segment of the egg industry has placed more emphasis on yolk and albumen yield, eggshell quality, and egg solids. In the current experiment, an examination of the effects of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (Original XPCTM) on egg component yield and composition from laying hens was performed. The experiment was conducted using 102 Hy-Line W-36 hens from 19–53 weeks of age. Standard layer rations (CON) were compared with those supplemented with the fermentation metabolite product (FM) at 1.25 kg/metric ton. Hen-day egg production and egg mass were not different between the treatments during 0–35 wks of lay. Feed conversion (feed: egg) for hens fed the FM diet was significantly higher than the CON. Yolk weight, percentage of yolk yield, and percentage of yolk solids were significantly greater for the hens fed the FM diet: however, the percentage of yolk nitrogen was significantly greater for hens fed the control diet. The percentage of albumen nitrogen was significantly higher in eggs from hens fed the FM diet. These results suggest that FM had a significant influence on yolk yield and composition, and nitrogen content in albumen of eggs laid from laying hens fed FM diets at a level of 1.25 kg/MT.