Performance of Single Comb White Leghorn fed a diet supplemented with a live microbial during the growth and egg laying phases

Abstract

360 Dekalb XL Single Comb White Leghorn pullets were fed corn-soya bean meal diets containing either condensed cane molasses solubles (CCMS), which was used as a carrier for Lactobacillus or CCMS-1100 mg viable Lactobacillus (Lacto) kg −1 diet from 7 to 59 weeks of age to determine the long-term effect of feeding Lacto diets on layer performance, anatomical changes of the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts and nutrient retention (fat, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus). The pullets were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments consisting of corn-soybean meal (control), control + CCMS and control + CCMS-1100 mg kg −1 Lacto (4.4 × 10 7 colony forming units (cfu) mg −1 Lacto). The dietary treatments were replicated four times. Condensed cane molasses solubles served as the carrier for the Lacto, and the CCMS and CCMS-Lacto premix were incorporated at 2% of the diet. Between 7 and 19 weeks of age, pullets fed the control + CCMS-Lacto diets had better ( P < 0.05) daily feed consumption and body weight gains than pullets fed either control or control + CCMS diets (59 vs. 57 g per pullet, and 272 vs. 261 and 234 g per pullet, respectively). Supplementing pullet diets with CCMS depressed feed conversion ( P < 0.05). No differences in shank length were observed among dietary treatments. During the laying phase (20–59 weeks of age), layers fed the control + CCMS-Lacto diets had increased ( P < 0.05) daily feed consumption and egg size when compared with layers fed either control or control + CCMS diets (121 vs. 118 and 119 g per layer, and 86.4 vs. 85.4 and 84.6%, respectively). Nitrogen and calcium retentions were better ( P < 0.05) for layers fed the control + CCMS-Lacto diet than layers fed either control or control + CCMS diets (44.8 vs. 33.9 and 36.6%, and 54.9 vs. 45.6 and 47.1%, respectively). Fat retention was not different among dietary treatments. Phosphorus retention was better for layers fed either control + CCMS-Lacto or control + CCMS diets than layers fed the control diet. Positive correlations between Lacto diets and nitrogen and calcium retention, and egg mass and between fat, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus retention and body weight gain, calcium and phosphorus retention and egg mass, respectively, were observed. Intestinal length and dry weight were lower ( P < 0.05) in layers fed the CCMS-Lacto diets compared to the control diet at the end of ten 28-day periods. Increased daily feed consumption, egg size, nitrogen, and calcium retentions and decreased intestinal length were observed in layers fed Lactobacillus diet from 7 to 59 weeks of age.