Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the ideal requirement of sodium to molted laying hens. The experimental period lasted 105 days, divided into five periods of 21 days. Hisex White laying hens 150 with 84 weeks-of-age were used. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme (5x3) with treatments constituted by five levels of sodium (0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30%) in the diets, and three postmolt stages (early = 21 days, medium = 63 days, and final = 105 days). Performance and egg quality results were evaluated by Tukey test at 5%. Eggshell resistance and weight gain results were evaluated by polynomial regression at 5%. Except the yolk height, all performance and egg quality variables were affected (p<0.05) by the sodium levels and the hens’ age postmolt. The level of 0.15% of sodium in diets to postmolt laying hens provided better performance and egg quality, especially in the eggshell. Higher levels of sodium negatively affected the performance and egg quality. Hens in the early stage of postmolt period presented better performance and egg quality. At long-term, the postmolt hens presented worst results.
Highlights
Molting is a natural phenomenon in wild and domestic birds, causing the replacement of feathers and involving reproductive quiescence
Birds fed diets with 0.10% and 0.15% of sodium presented better egg production, feed efficiency, and egg mass
Birds fed diets with 0.10% of sodium present a lower weight gain (y = -1,3936x2 + 0,70316x + 11,7 R2 = 0,89)
Summary
Molting is a natural phenomenon in wild and domestic birds, causing the replacement of feathers and involving reproductive quiescence. This period is responsible for a significant decline in egg production and provides the equivalent of a ‘reproductive rest’ to the birds (Khan et al, 2011). The main purpose of molting is to cease egg production in order for the hens to enter a nonreproductive state, which increases egg production and egg quality postmolt (Webster, 2003; Donaldson et al, 2005). Several successful procedures exist to induce molting in laying hens, most of these techniques differ in several aspects (Hussein, 1996)
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