. 2020 Apr 24;99(8):3959–3970. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.061

Table 4.

Effects of feeding sources of docosahexaenoic and α-linolenic acids to ISA brown and Shaver white breeders and their pullets on laying hen eggshell quality from 25 to 42 wk of age.¹^,²

Items	Eggshell thickness, mm	Eggshell breaking strength, kgf	Eggshell
Items	Eggshell thickness, mm	Eggshell breaking strength, kgf	Weight, g	%
Main effect
Strain
ISA brown	0.429	4.24^b	6.40	9.9^b
Shaver white	0.430	5.01^a	6.50	11.1^a
SEM	0.002	0.051	0.039	0.069
Breeder diet³
CON	0.428	4.63	6.45	10.5
DMA	0.433	4.63	6.42	10.5
FFF	0.427	4.62	6.48	10.5
SEM	0.002	0.068	0.053	0.091
Offspring diet⁴
CON-CON	0.427	4.67	6.46	10.4
CON-DMA	0.430	4.64	6.42	10.4
CON-FFF	0.426	4.57	6.47	10.6
DMA-CON	0.432	4.63	6.38	10.4
DMA-DMA	0.435	4.63	6.46	10.6
FFF-CON	0.428	4.66	6.43	10.5
FFF-FFF	0.426	4.57	6.51	10.5
SEM	0.003	0.097	0.075	0.129
Probabilities (P-value)
Strain	0.901	<0.001	0.094	<0.001
Breeder diets	0.088	0.989	0.772	0.971
Offspring diet	0.886	0.921	0.854	0.395
Strain × breeder diet	0.516	0.240	0.606	0.928
Strain × offspring diet	0.863	0.620	0.281	0.432

Values with uncommon superscripts within each column are significantly different (P < 0.05).

Data are means of 5 replications per each treatment.

Laying hens during 25 to 42 wk of age were not fed the experimental diets. These diets were only fed in the breeder and progeny pullet stage.

CON: control; DMA: dried microalgae (Aurantiochytrium limacinum) fermentation product, as a source of docosahexaenoic acid; FFF: coextruded full-fat flaxseed and pulse mixture (1:1 wt/wt), as a source of α-linolenic acid.

⁴

The day-old female pullets from breeders fed CON, DMA, and FFF were divided into 3 (CON, DMA and FFF), 2 (CON and DMA) and 2 (CON, FFF) posthatch treatments, respectively. The order shows the breeder diet and pullet diet (e.g., breeder diet-pullet diet, CON-CON).