Table 3.
Performance and egg quality of laying hens fed different diets.
| Diet | Experiment 1 |
Experiment 2 |
P-value (diet) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | SEM | P-value (diet) | 1 | 2 | 3 | SEM | ||
| Performance parameters1 | |||||||||
| Initial BW (g/hen)2 | 2,123 | 2,084 | 24 | 0.417 | 1,935 | 1,912 | 1,940 | 5 | 0.078 |
| Final BW (g/hen) | 2,159 | 2,121 | 28 | 0.513 | 2,270a,b | 2,211c | 2,253b,c | 8 | 0.012 |
| BWT change (%) | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.751 | 17.4 | 15.7 | 16.1 | 0.3 | 0.081 |
| Feed intake (g/hen/D as is) | 123.1 | 120.5 | 1.3 | 0.321 | 118.5a,b | 117.0b,c | 115.7c | 0.3 | 0.001 |
| HDP, % | 95.9 | 94.9 | 0.5 | 0.323 | 95.8 | 95.6 | 95.5 | 0.2 | 0.827 |
| Egg weight, g | 60.5b | 63.4a | 0.5 | 0.002 | 59.4b,c | 59.3c | 60.3a | 0.1 | 0.004 |
| Egg mass, g/D | 58.0 | 60.1 | 0.5 | 0.0504 | 56.9b,c | 56.7c | 57.6a,b | 0.1 | 0.030 |
| FCR, (g/g) | 2.124a | 2.007b | 0.021 | 0.004 | 2.082a,b | 2.065b | 2.010c | 0.008 | <0.001 |
| Egg quality parameters3 | |||||||||
| External | |||||||||
| Egg weight, g | 60.2b | 63.4a | 0.2 | <0.001 | 60.0b,c | 59.8c | 60.8a | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Shell color reflectivity (%) | 18.3b | 19.0a | 0.1 | 0.003 | 18.2 | 18.0 | 18.2 | 0.1 | 0.460 |
| Breaking strength, N | 41.5 | 42.0 | 0.2 | 0.337 | 47.2 | 46.9 | 47.0 | 0.2 | 0.820 |
| Deformation, (μm) | 255 | 257 | 1 | 0.261 | 290 | 285 | 289 | 1 | 0.052 |
| Shell thickness (mm) | 0.418 | 0.419 | 0.001 | 0.355 | 0.410 | 0.412 | 0.409 | 0.001 | 0.180 |
| Yolk Weight, g | 16.1 | 16.3 | 0.1 | 0.102 | 14.7a | 14.4b,c | 14.3c | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Yolk % | 26.7a | 25.7b | 0.1 | <0.001 | 24.5a | 24.0b | 23.5c | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Albumen weight, g | 38.2b | 41.0a | 0.1 | <0.001 | 39.5c | 39.7b,c | 40.7a | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Albumen % | 63.5b | 64.7a | 0.1 | <0.001 | 65.9c | 66.3b | 66.9a | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Yolk:Albumen % | 42.2a | 39.8b | 0.2 | <0.001 | 37.2a | 36.3b | 35.2c | 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Shell weight, g | 5.9b | 6.1a | 0.1 | <0.001 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 0.1 | 0.297 |
| Shell % | 9.74a | 9.61b | 0.02 | 0.003 | 9.63b,c | 9.68a,b | 9.57c | 0.02 | 0.037 |
| Internal | |||||||||
| Haugh unit | 90.2b | 92.9a | 0.3 | <0.001 | 98.4b | 97.5c | 98.5a,b | 0.2 | 0.012 |
| Yolk color score | 11.4b | 11.7a | 0.1 | <0.001 | 10.8c | 10.9b,c | 11.0a,b | 0.1 | <0.001 |
a–cMeans within rows with different superscripts are different at different P-values.
Data are means of 31 hens per 2 dietary treatment in experiment 1 and 200 hens of 10 replicates per 3 dietary treatments in experiment 2. (P < 0.05) by one-way ANOVA.
Abbreviations: Initial BW, average body weight at the beginning of experiment (g/hen); Final BW, average body weight at the end of the experiment (g/hen); BWT change, body weight change as difference of initial and final body weight divided by initial body weight) (%); HDP, average hen day production (%); Egg weight, average egg weight (g) for total experimental period; Egg mass as average egg weight × average HDP (g of egg/bird/D); FCR (g/g), feed conversion ratio as total feed intake (g/hen/D, as is) divided by total egg mass (g); yolk, albumen and shell percentage calculated as correspondent parameters values ratio to the egg weight (%).
From the analysis of variance with diet and age effects; the age effect was significant for all the egg quality parameters in experiments 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). The age had no effect on albumen weight in experiment 1 (P > 0.05). Diet by age interactions was not significant (P > 0.05).