Egg Production Percentage Research Articles

Effect of Generations and Feather Color Groups on Productive and Reproductive Performance of Female Quail

The research was carried out in the poultry unit fields / Nineveh Research Department, to identify the effect of four generations (1st , 2nd, 3rd and 4th) and feather color groups (black, brown, desert and white) of female quail on their productive performance. The results showed a significant improvement (P <0.05) through generations from 1st to 4th on egg production percentage and weight of eggs produced / kg, a significant increase (P <0.05) for feed consumption / kg as well as a significant decrease (P <0.05) for abnormal color percentage, while the four generations had no significant effect on Feed conversion ratio (feed kg / egg kg), age at 5% eggs production / day, hatchability percentage, fertility percentage, and sexual ratio. On the other hand, the desert color group feathers excelled significantly (P <0.05) in eggs weight / kg., Feed consumed / kg and the food conversion ratio / kg eggs compared to the black group only, and the lowest significant percentage (P <0.05) for colors anomalous was of the desert color group, there was no significant difference between the color groups of the rest of the other traits.

Effect of Adding Lecithin to Diets on Productive Performance of Laying Hens

This study was conducted in the poultry farm of the Department of Animal Production / College of the Agriculture / University of Anbar, during the period from 20/7/2021 to 15/10/2021, with the aim of studying the effect of adding lecithin to the diet on the productive performance of laying hens. 60 layer hens of the Lohmann Brown breed, aged 43 weeks were used in this experiment. The layer hens were distributed randomly into five treatments with four replicates per treatment (3 hens/repeat). Birds fed balanced diets contain 5 levels of lecithin as below: T1 (control groups ), T2, T3, T4 and T5 adding 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0% of lecithin respectively to the basic diet. The results showed the superiority of the additional treatments in the productive traits during most of the production periods, As all the additional treatments during the most stages of production. All additive treatments showed superiority significantly during the third productive period, When calculating the general average, treatments T2 and T5 were significantly superior to the control treatment in the percentage of egg production (Hen Day Production%). Also, T5 showed superiority in the average egg weight during the second and third periods, and in the general average.T5 and T4 showed an increase in the egg mass-produced during the second period and three periods and with the general average. The results showed that there were significant differences between the different treatments in the rates of feed consumption during all stages of production. Also, the additive treatmentT5 showed the best feed conversion ratio during the second and third production periods and in the general average.

Effect of using different energy and protein contain in diet on some production performance characters of local brown quail breed

The study was conducted in one of the research farms in the Department of Animal Production / College of Agriculture at Tikrit University for the period from 17 /10/ 2020 to 11/1/2021 in order to determine the appropriate diets from energy and protein and impact on the production performance of the egg producing brown Japanese quail 35 days' age. the birds were categorized and divided into six treatments, each treatment contains three duplicates and each repeater contains 8 birds (6 females 2 males) raised for 12 weeks three durations for four weeks. The Experiment treatments were fed on the following diets: treatments resulting from the first treatment 2800 kcal/kg energy feed and 20% crude protein. (first treatment use (2800 kcal/kg and CP18 protein ratio), second use (2900 kcal/kg and CP20 protein ratio), third use (2700 kcal/kg and protein ratio) CP17) and treatments resulting from the second treatment 2900 kcal/kg energy feed and 22% crude protein (first use (2800 kcal/kg and CP18 protein ratio), second (2900 kcal/kg and CP20 protein ratio) third use (2700 kcal/kg and CP17 protein ratio). The results of the statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences between the factors in the percentage of egg production, the weight of eggs, and the feed consumption rate during the total period (6-17 weeks) and significant treatments exceeded the first, third, fourth and sixth treatments compared with the fifth treatment, There was no significant difference between them and the second treatment in the egg mass and the feed conversion factor was improved during the total period of all experiment treatments by compared with fifth treatment.

Effect of Replacing Black Soldier Fly Larvae Powder with Soybean Meal in the Ration on the Productive Traits of Laying Hens

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of Replacing Black Soldier Fly Larvae Powder With Soybean Meal in the Ration on the Productive Traits of Laying Hens during the period 29-9-2020 to 18-1-2021. Sixty laying hens, 55 weeks old were used randomly divided into 5 treatments, four replicates for each treatments (3 birds per replicates). Experimental treatments were: (T1): control, (T2): BSF larval meal was partially replaced by 25% in the place of Soybean meal, T3: BSF larval meal was partially replaced by 50% in the place of Soybean meal, T4: Partially replace 75% BSF larval powder in soybean meal, T5: completely replace 100% BSF larvae powder. Results showed during the total period of the experiment (56-71) weeks that there were no significant differences between the experiment treatments in the characteristic of egg production percentage (H.D.%), egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion ratio.

Effects of feeds, supplemented with humic substances and calcium carbonate, on performance, egg quality and heart rate variability in laying hens.

This study aimed to determine the effects of in-feed inclusion of humic substances (HS) and/or calcium carbonate (CaCO3) on the performance and welfare of laying hens. A total number of 144 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (55 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four treatments, T1-T4 (36 birds per treatment). T1 hens were fed on a control diet without HS or CaCO3, T2 hens were fed on the control diet + 2.00 g per bird per day CaCO3, T3 hens were fed on the control diet + 0.20% HS and T4 hens were fed on the control diet + 0.20% HS + 2.00 g/bird/day CaCO3. The experiment started after 15 days of adaptation and lasted 8 weeks. The parameters evaluated were percentage of hen-day egg production, food consumption, mortality, egg quality parameters and heart rate variability (welfare indicator). Hens in the T3 group showed a significantly lower feed intake than those in the other three groups, however, significantly higher daily egg production was recorded in groups T3 and T4 compared to T1 and T2. Eggshell quality characteristics were significantly improved by HS supplementation and eggs laid by hens in groups T1, and T4 presented paler yolk and shell color than those in the other groups. In conclusion, these results indicated that in-feed inclusion of HS had a beneficial effect on laying hens' productive performance including egg production and eggshells quality.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PROTEIN AND/OR METABOLIZABLE ENERGY LEVELS IN DIETS FORMULATED BASED ON IDEAL PROTEIN CONCEPT ON PERFORMANCE, EGG PRODUCTION, AND EGG QUALITY TRAITS OF LAYERS DURING PHASE 1 OF EGG PRODUCTION

A comparative study was conducted to determine the impacts of crude protein (CP) reductions in laying hen diets. During phase one of egg production, 270 laying hens were randomly assigned into six dietary treatments, which were replicated three times using a 2 × 3 factorial experiment. Reduced CP and metabolizable energy (ME) diets were formulated based on the ideal amino acid profile concept and supplemented with crystalline amino acids. The control treatment received standard commercial diets containing 18.8% CP and 2,725 kcal/kg ME. Average weight gain, hen day egg production percentage, egg weight, egg mass, and other selected egg quality parameters were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed. Feed consumption and the feed conversion ratio were improved in birds fed reduced CP diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids. The dietary CP level significantly influenced shell thickness (ST), while the dietary ME level had no effect. A highly significant interaction was observed between CP percent and the Haugh unit (HU). Results indicate that the “ideal protein concept” may be followed as an economically feasible option for laying hens since it optimizes the dietary amino acid profiles and ME levels, and have a positive effect on hen growth, egg quality and environmental pollution.

تأثير استبدال مستويات مختلفة من كسبة السمسم كمصدر بروتيني محل كسبة فول الصويا على الأداء الإنتاجي والتناسلي لطائر السمان البياض

أجريت الدراسة في حقل الطيور الداجنة التابع لقسم الإنتاج الحيواني/ كلية الزراعة والغابات/ جامعة الموصل للفترة من 2020/ 2/ 18 ولغاية 2020/ 4/ 13. هدفت التجربة لدراسة تأثير استبدال مستويات مختلفة من كسبة السمسم (SSM) كمصدر بروتيني محل كسبة فول الصويا (SBM) على الأداء الإنتاجي والتناسلي لطائر السمان البياض، استخدم فيها 360 طائر سمان (240 أنثى و120 ذكر) بعمر 49 يوم وزعت عشوائياً إلى خمسة معاملات، كل معاملة ثمانية مكررات وبواقع 9 طيور في كل مكرر (6 إناث و3 ذكور) وكانت المعاملات كالآتي: الأولى سيطرة (كسبة السمسم صفر%)، الثانية والثالثة والرابعة والخامسة تم استبدال كسبة السمسم محل كسبة فول الصويا بالنسب (25، 50، 75 و100)% على التوالي، حيث كان العلف والماء متوفر بصورة حرة طيلة فترة التجربة البالغة 8 أسابيع. أظهرت نتائج التحليل الإحصائي وجود تدهور معنوي بمستوى (α≤0.05 ) في المعاملة الخامسة (كسبة السمسم 100%) مقارنةً بالسيطرة وباقي المعاملات في عدد البيض الكلي، معدل وزن البيضة، كتلة البيض الكلية، نسبة إنتاج البيض Hen day egg production (%H.D)، كمية العلف المستهلك الكلي، معامل التحويل الغذائي، نسبة الخصوبة، نسبة الفقس من البيض الكلي، معدل وزن الأفراخ الفاقسة وارتفاع معنوي في نسبة الهلاكات الجنينية. كما بينت النتائج وجود انخفاض معنوي بمستوى (P≤0.05) في كمية العلف المستهلك الكلي للمعاملة الرابعة (كسبة السمسم 75%) مقارنةً بالسيطرة، في حين لم يلاحظ وجود اي فروقات معنوية لباقي معاملات الاستبدال في جميع الصفات المدروسة. أظهرت نتائج هذه الدراسة إمكانية استخدام كسبة السمسم كمصدر بروتيني بنسبة (75%) محل كسبة فول الصويا في علائق طائر السمان البياض.

IMPACT OF N-ACETYLCYSTEINE ON PRODUCTIVE, REPRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL CHICKENS UNDER EGYPTIAN SUMMER CONDITION

The present study was carried out to evaluate whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has a beneficial role in enhancing productive and reproductive performance in Inshas layer hens under Egyptian summer conditions. A total number of 300 Inshas hens and 30 Inshas cocks, 34 weeks of age were randomly distributed into 5 groups of 60 hens and 6 cocks each and then subdivided into six replicates (10 hens + 1 cock/ replicate). The first group (G1) was served as the control group without any administration and was injected with water only. The second and the third groups (G2 and G3) drank water supplemented with 50 and 100 mg NAC / litter, respectively, while the fourth and the fifth groups (G4 and G5) were injected with 50 and 100 mg NAC / kg BW, respectively, first three days every month for three months (the experimental period). The obtained results showed that treatment with NAC significantly increased egg production percentage, whereas birds injected with 100 mg NAC/ kg BW recorded the highest value, as compared with those in the control group (68.69 vs. 51.39%, respectively, P

Comparison of the effect of bioplus B2 probiotic and galacto oligosaccharide prebiotic on performance, egg quality and some blood parameters of commercial laying hens

In this research the effect of Bioplus B2 probiotic and galactooligosaccharide prebiotic (GOS) on performance, egg quality, and some blood parameters of commercial laying hens were investigated in a sample of 216 hy-line laying hens (w36) with the same average weight aging 50 to 62 weeks for a period of 12 weeks in a completely randomized design with six treatments, six replications and six hens per each replication in the cage system. Experimental treatments included 1) without additives (as control), 2) diets containing 0.1% Bioplus B2 probiotic, 3) to 6) diets; containing, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.20 % of galactooligosaccharides prebiotic, respectively. The results indicated that both egg weight and mass was increased significantly (P <0.05) in the Bioplus B2 probiotic treatment. Egg production percentage, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not significantly influenced by treatments. Using galactooligosaccharide at the levels of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 percent improved dry eggshell weight significantly while 0.05, 0.15 and 0.2 percent levels increased eggshell weight per unit area compared to the control (P <0.05). Total protein and albumin of serum increased in the Bioplus B2 treatment (P <0.05). Using Bioplus B2 probiotic and 0.15% galactooligosaccharide decreased significantly blood cholesterol level (P <0.05). Generally, the results showed that the using of prebiotic galactooligosaccharide at 0.15 % level improves some performance traits significantly and increases the weight of eggshell per unit area in addition to decreases the blood serum cholesterol compared to control group, therefore galactooligosaccharide can be used instead of probiotic Bioplus B2.

The Effects of Nano and Micro Particle Size of Zinc Oxide on Performance, Fertility, Hatchability, and Egg Quality Characteristics in Laying Japanese Quail.

The current trial was conducted by using the 288 Japanese quails to evaluate the effects of a zinc-deficient diet supplemented with nano and micro zinc oxide on performance, fertility, hatchability, and egg quality characteristics. In this experiment, birds were randomly allocated to 9 dietary treatments includes diets supplemented with nano or micro particles of zinc oxide (amount of ZnO supplement for each treatment) to supply 49, 74, 99, and 124mg zinc per kilogram of diet in a factorial arrangement (2 × 4) and a control non supplemented diet (24mg/kg) with four replicates of eight birds (six females and two males) in each pen. Birds were fed the experimental diets from 47 to 75days of age and had free access to water and feed during the experimental period. Results showed that Zn supplementation, regardless of particle size, improved the eggshell thickness (P < 0.01). A significant (P < 0.05) interaction was observed between zinc level and ZnO particle size for Shell breaking strength. Quails fed diets supplement with ZnO showed significantly higher egg weight and eggshell surface (P < 0.05) as compared with birds fed a non-supplemented control diet. Results obtained here showed that supplementation of nano ZnO enhanced fertility considerably. Application of non-linear quadratic models showed that the maximum egg production percentage was achieved when 67 or 72mg/kg of dietary zinc was supplied from nano and micro ZnO, respectively. This result indicated that nano ZnO could reduce the zinc requirement in laying Japanese quail.

On-farm comparative evaluation of production performance of tropically adapted exotic chicken breeds in western Amhara, Ethiopia

The study was conducted to evaluate the on-farm growth and egg production performance of 3 tropically adapted chicken breeds in western Amhara region of Ethiopia. Kuroiler, Sasso and Sasso-R were tested under the on-farm condition for 45 wk. In total 216 were included in the on-farm test. Breed by location interaction affects the body weight and daily weight gain, egg production, hen-day egg production percentage, and egg weight. Kuroiler exhibited higher body weight as Sasso in the mid-altitude than other breed by location interactions. Kuroiler at south Achefer (mid altitude) had the better daily gain than the other breed by location interactions. Sasso (111.8 ± 3.9 eggs) and Kuroiler (112.22 ± 3.53) in south Achefer (mid-land) and Kuroiler in Banija (high-land) produced significantly higher egg production up to 45 wk than the other strain by location interactions. In all locations slightly higher survivability up to 44 wk was observed for Kurolier than the other breeds. In general, differences in live weight, daily gain, egg production and egg weight could be attributed to differences in genotypes, environment differences and their interaction. Kuroiler in the high land, Sasso and Sasso-R in the mid-land were producing on average 187, 180, and 150%, respectively, more eggs than nationally reported local chicken. Therefore, Kuroiler and Sasso are recommended to be reared in the study area. Further evaluation on different traits of these breeds and their crosses with local chickens under different management systems should be undertaken.

The Impact of Effective Microorganisms (EM) on Egg Quality and Laying Performance of Chickens.

Chickens kept under modern production system are very small and contribute less than 2% of eggs and meat production in Ethiopia. In some parts of the country, effective microorganism (EM) has been used as a means of improving egg and meat production. However, there is information gap on the use and effect of EM on egg quality and laying performance of chickens in the local context. This study was conducted in Aksum University's poultry farm located at the main campus in Axum, to evaluate egg laying performance and quality of eggs in layer chickens treated with effective microorganisms in feed and water. In this experiment, 180 pullets of ISA Brown chickens with uniform age and weight were used and managed in a cage system. Chickens were subjected to 4 treatments with 3 replications, and each replication consisted of 15 chickens. Data collection was started at the first egg lay. Data including feed intake, conversion ratio, and age at first laying, laying percentage, and egg quality parameters were collected. Statistical analysis was carried out using JMP. Chickens fed with EM in feed and drinking water had higher egg production percentage. There was a significant difference in egg laying percentage between the treated and control groups (P < 0.001). Eggs from chickens given EM in feed and water were 6% heavier in weight than those from control birds. Lower feed daily intake (115.5 gram) and feed conversion rate (2.05) were achieved in chickens treated with EM in feed and water. Significant improvement on egg quality was revealed in chickens that received EM in feed and water. From this experiment, it can be concluded that the use of EM in feed and water improves egg production in layer chickens and therefore recommended for medium-scale poultry farms in Northern Ethiopia.

Supplementation of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal in Layer Chickens’ Feed: A Review

As a dietary supplement for animals, Moringa oleifera is very useful because its leaves are very nutritious. Moringa oleifera leaves are rich in fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals with antimicrobial effects. Leaf tea is used to treat ulcers in the stomach and diarrhea. Moringa leaves are considered healthy food sources and are recommended for anemia from malnutrition due to the high protein, fiber, and iron content of the leaves. Moringa oleifera leaves are primarily used for medicinal and human consumption purposes since they are abundant in antioxidants and other nutrients. Due to the low energy and digestibility of proteins, Moringa oleifera leaf meal supplementation increases feed intake and feed conversion ratio, as well as decreasing egg mass yield, percentage of egg production, and egg weight. More research in these areas is required to make full use of the potential advantages of the Moringa oleifera plant as layer feed.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Pine Needle Extract on Productive Performance, Egg Quality, and Serum Lipid Parameters in Laying Hens.

Simple SummaryIn recent decades, the use of phytogenic feed additives as natural growth promoters has been substantially increased in the poultry industry. Fermented pine (Pinus densiflora) needle drink is used as a functional beverage in Korea due to its antioxidant effects. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to determine the effects of fermented pine needle extract on laying performance, egg quality, lipid parameters, and lipid oxidation of eggs in laying hens. Supplementation of fermented pine needle extract in laying hens’ diet improved productive performance and egg quality parameters.This study aimed to investigate the supplemental effects of fermented pine (Pinus densiflora) needle extract (FPNE) in laying hen diets on productive performance, egg quality, and serum lipid metabolites. A total of 108 40-week-old Hy-line brown laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the three dietary treatment groups: (1) basal diet + 0 mL FPNE/kg diet (CON), (2) basal diet + 2.5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T1), or (3) basal diet + 5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T2) for 6 weeks. Each group consisted of four replicates of nine hens each. Feed and water provided ad libitum. Results showed that dietary supplementation of FPNE increased egg production percentage (linear, p < 0.01 and quadratic, p < 0.05), egg mass (linear, p < 0.05), and feed intake (linear, p < 0.05) during the entire experimental period. In addition, dietary inclusion of FPNE significantly increased the eggshell color (linear, p < 0.01), egg yolk color (quadratic, p < 0.01), and eggshell breaking strength (linear, p < 0.05 and quadratic, p < 0.05) while the Haugh unit decreased (quadratic, p < 0.05). However, serum lipid profile did not differ among the dietary treatments (p > 0.05). Notably, antioxidant activity of egg yolk was improved by significantly decreasing the malondialdehyde content in egg yolks after 6 weeks of storage (linear, p < 0.001 and quadratic, p < 0.05). In summary, dietary inclusion of FPNE could improve laying performance and the antioxidant capacity of eggs.

Performance of different commercial layer strains in Bangladesh

To know the production performances of different commercial layer strains in Bangladesh, total 18,420 birds of ISA Brown, 14,790 birds of Novogen-Brown and 27,400 birds of Shavar-579 Brown were studied from 30 commercial layer farms (10 farms for each strain), which were randomly selected from the 7 different districts of Bangladesh by farm visit via a well structured questionnaire. All birds were reared in open-sided shed in cage system. The hen day egg production percentage (HDEP%), average body weight and average feed intake per day of three different strains were studied. The HDEP% of ISA Brown, Novogen-Brown and Shaver-579 Brown were 90.79±0.44%, 78.89±1.84% and 79.13±1.41% respectively, average body weight were 1877±26.4 gm, 1885±26.9 gm and 1815.5±43.9 gm respectively, average feed intake per day were 111±1.88 gm, 109.8±1.86 gm and 112.5±1.35 gm respectively. The HDEP% was higher in ISA Brown, however there were no significant difference among strains for average body weight and average feed intake per day. Finally, it is recommended that ISA Brown is more adaptable and profitable in Bangladesh than that of other strains. Further scientific study is needed to see the production performance of different commercial layer strains in farm trail with same environmental condition.&#x0D; Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2021, 7(1): 33-39

EVALUATION OF FOUR NONLINEAR MODELS DESCRIBING EGG PRODUCTION CURVE OF FAYOUMI LAYERS

Egg production data used in this work were obtained from records of Fayoumi chickens flock belongs to El-Takamoly poultry project at Al-Azab, Fayoum Governorate. Egg production records over a 52-wk egg laying period related to 1900 hens. All data was summarized on a weekly basis as eggs per hen per week on hen-day (survivor) basis. Regarding Wood and McNally models, (a) stands for initial egg production, (a) parameter value was very low (0.001) for both models. The increasing rate to the egg production peak (parameter b) was 2.90 for the Wood model and 2.19 for the McNally model. Similarly, parameter c, the decreasing rate of egg production from the peak, was estimated to be 0.08 for the Wood model and 0.06 for the McNally model. Depending on compartmental function m, n, p and q represent scale parameter, measure of persistency of egg production, sexual maturity rate, and age at first egg, respectively and estimated values for these parameters were 86.47, 0.01, 0.23 and 21.61 wks of age, respectively, Concerning the modified compartmental model the parameters A, B, C and D represent a scale parameter, the rate of decrease in laying ability, the reciprocal indicator of the variation in sexual maturity and the mean age of sexual maturity of the hens, respectively. In this work the estimated values of the abovementioned parameters were 75.26, 0.006, 1.14 wks and 24.96 wks of age for A, B, C and D respectively. According to goodness of fit criteria, modified compartmental model was the best model for describing the egg-laying pattern of Fayoumi layers which had the lowest Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion values and the highest coefficient of determination. Moreover, the modified compartmental model showed correspondence with the actual hen day of egg production (age and percentage at peak were 29.44 weeks of age and 64.16%, respectively).

Effects of oregano (Lippia origanoides) essential oil supplementation on the performance, egg quality, and intestinal morphometry of Isa Brown laying hens.

Background and Aim:The use of antibiotics as growth promoters in the feed of poultry, has contributed to an increase in the antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens worldwide. Hence, the development of new effective alternatives to antibiotics that do not hinder productivity is imperative. For this, the aim of the present study was to determine whether oregano essential oil (OEO) extracted from Lippia origanoides is a suitable alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics (GPAs) for improving the performance, egg quality, and intestinal morphometry of ISA Brown laying hens.Materials and Methods:A total of ninety-six 70-week-old ISA Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with four replicates per treatment and six hens per replicate. The treatments consisted of four different diets that were formulated according to the nutritional requirements of the genetic line and the production phase with and without the addition of GPA and OEO: NC, which did not contain OEO or GPA; GPA, which included 50 ppm zinc bacitracin as a GPA; 80OEO, which included 80 ppm OEO and no GPA; and 150OEO, which included 150 ppm OEO and no GPA.Results:All of the OEO and GPA treatment groups had a better feed conversion ratio than the NC group. However, the addition of 150 ppm OEO to the diet improved the percentage egg production and egg mass, as well as the external and internal quality of the egg compared with the other treatments. In addition, both the 80OEO and 150OEO treatments improved the yolk color, shell thickness, and shell color, as well as parameters related to the intestinal morphometry compared with the NC group.Conclusion:The findings of this study indicate that 150 ppm OEO can be used as a substitute for GPA to improve the performance, egg quality, and parameters related to the intestinal morphometry of ISA Brown laying hens.

Effect of light sources on productivity, welfare aspects, and economic evaluation of commercial layers

The present study was aimed to evaluate the influence of incandescent, fluorescent, and light emitting diode (LED) lights on the productive efficiency and economic aspects of laying hens. For this, 216 laying hens were distributed into three groups of light sources with six replicates each. Each replicate consisted of 12 birds. The data were analyzed in SAS 9.1 (SAS InstituteInc., Cary, NC, USA) by applying one-way ANOVA technique, and significant means were compared through least significant difference test. In the present study, LED light significantly improved the body weight, body weight gain, percentage of egg production, FCR per dozen and FCR per kg egg mass. All parameters for egg quality (excluding egg yolk index and Haugh unit) and egg geometry (including egg shape index, egg surface and volume) were affected by light sources at 24th week, while significant effects were recorded at egg quality (excluding egg Haugh unit and yolk index) and egg geometry (excluding egg volume) at 32nd weeks. Physiological norms (except heartbeat) and welfare aspects (except footpad score) were not affected by light sources; however, footpad score at 32nd week and heartbeat at 17th and 32nd week were significantly better in the pullets under LED lights. Reproductive hormones and metabolic enzymes (T3, T4, GnRH, LH, FSH, and cortisol including catalase enzyme) were significantly better in the birds kept under LED light at the 20th and 32nd weeks. The present findings suggested that productive parameters and reproductive traits, welfare aspects, hormonal profile as well as overall economics of layer production varied significantly based on light sources, and LEDs positively exceeded the fluorescent as well as incandescent light sources.

Sanguinarine improved nutrient digestibility, hepatic health indices and productive performance in laying hens fed low crude protein diets.

A major mean to minimize feeding costs and faecal nitrogen excretion on poultry farms is to decrease the supplied dietary protein content. This, however, is associated with the declines in productive performance and systemic health indices. Sanguinarine may improve protein efficiency via decreasing the intestinal amino acid decarboxylation and stimulating the tryptophan‐serotonin pathway. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of sanguinarine on the performance, egg yolk biochemical parameters, serum enzyme activities, nutrient digestibility, ovarian follicles, and hepatic health indices in laying hens fed decremental levels of crude protein (CP). For this purpose, 180 laying hens were allocated into nine dietary treatments with four replicates of five birds each. The experimental treatments consisted of three levels of CP (85.0%, 92.5%, and 100% of Hy‐Line W‐36 manual recommendation) and three levels of sanguinarine (0.00, 3.75, and 7.50 mg/kg) in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement administered during a 70‐day feeding trial. Results showed that the decremental levels of CP led to significant increases in serum aspartate aminotransferase (p < .05), alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase (p < .01) activities, egg yolk cholesterol concentration (p = .064), and hepatic fat and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents (p < .05). It also caused the significant declines in ileal dry matter (DM) digestibility (p < .05) and eggshell strength (p < .05), and also tended to decrease CP digestibility (p = .071), Haugh unit (p = .057) and egg production percentage (p = .062). The interaction effects of the experimental factors indicated that dietary supplementation of sanguinarine, especially at 7.50 mg/kg, led to significant improvements in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities (p < .01), egg yolk cholesterol (p < .001) and triglyceride (p < .05) concentrations, eggshell strength (p < .001), Haugh unit (p < .05), hepatic fat (p < .001) and MDA (p = .059) contents, ileal DM and CP digestibility (p < .01) as well as egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio (FCR; p < .05) in birds receiving decremental levels of CP. Taken together, the results indicate that dietary administration of sanguinarine could enhance productive performance via improving nutrient digestibility, hepatic health indices and fortifying systemic antioxidant capacity in laying hens fed low‐CP diets.

Welfare and performance of commercial laying hens in conventional California cages at different stocking densities

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different stocking densities on performance and welfare of commercial white leghorn hens (BV 300 strain) reared in conventional California cages. A total of 270 hens were divided into four stocking density groups, viz. 60 sq. inch/387 cm2 (T1); 75 sq. inch/484 cm2 (T2); 85 sq. inch/ 548 cm2 (T3) and 100 sq. inch/645 cm2 (T4) per bird with 18 replicates in each treatment. The experiment was conducted for a 20 week period under uniform standard management practices with birds fed on commercial layer diet. It was observed T3 and T4 group birds had highly significant (P&lt;0.001) percentage of hen day egg production, higher egg weight, better feed conversion ratio, minimum cost of production per egg compared to T2 and T1 at the end of 20 week experimental period. Welfare indicators—Feather score was significantly best in T4 group birds when compared to T1 group, whereas gait score and immunity parameters was non-significant among all the birds reared at different stocking densities. Considering well-being and production performance, the present study confirms that commercial laying hens reared in conventional California cages provided with 85 sq. inch/548 cm2 space per bird gives better quality egg production without compromising birds welfare.