Interior Egg Quality: Improvement by Distillers Feeds and Trace Elements

Abstract

The effect of including distillers dried grains with solubles (DDG/S), additional trace minerals, and other supplements in a corn-soy ration for laying hens on changes in interior egg quality as measured by Haugh units was investigated. In the first experiment, both 10% DDG/S and 10% brewers dried grains significantly increased Haugh units. In the second experiment Haugh units were again significantly increased by 10% DDG/S but this supplement did not counteract a marked depression in Haugh units caused by adding 20 mg/kg vanadium to the diet. Feeding different levels of DDG/S in a third experiment showed that a level of 2.5% significantly increased Haugh units but a level of 10% was needed for a maximum response. Adding extra trace elements, but not doubling the vitamin premix, significandy increased Haugh units. In a fourth experiment, adding extra Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Se significantly increased Haugh units, but V, Sn, Ni, and Mo did not. Neither DDG/S nor distillers dried solubles significantly affected Haugh units in a fifth experiment. The results of these experiments show that feed ingredients such as DDG/S and brewers dried grains contain a factor that generally improves interior egg quality and suggest that the factor may be a trace element(s).