Table 3.

Mean blood calcium (Ca²⁺), potassium, (K⁺), sodium (Na⁺), and chloride (Cl⁻) values at 8 woa in layer pullets before a R_lowMycoplasma gallisepticum (R_lowMG) challenge at 8 and 10 woa and that belonged to basal (control) and XPC-supplemented (XPC) dietary treatment groups.¹

Variable	Ca2+ (mEq/L)	K+ (mEq/L)	Na+ (mEq/L)	Cl− (mEq/L)
Diet2
Control	3.01	4.63	148	109
XPC	3.02	4.58	148	109
Pooled SEM	0.02	0.05	0.4	0.2
Main effect P-value	0.2565	0.4798	0.3403	0.1410
Challenge3
Unchallenged	3.01	4.58	148	109
RlowMG challenged	3.02	4.64	148	109
Pooled SEM	0.02	0.05	0.4	0.2
Main effect P-value	0.6183	0.3478	0.5759	0.9637
Diet-Challenge4
Control and unchallenged	3.00	4.57	148	109
Control and RlowMG challenged	3.01	4.69	148	109
XPC and unchallenged	3.02	4.58	148	109
XPC and RlowMG challenged	3.02	4.58	148	109
Pooled SEM	0.02	0.07	0.5	0.3
Interaction P-value	0.4865	0.3478	0.8101	0.8914

Abbreviation: woa, wk of age.

¹Challenge treatment designations were preassigned, as main and interaction effect means involving challenge were before challenge.

²Main effect means based on 4 birds in each of 16 units in each dietary treatment group across challenge treatment (64 total birds).

³Main effect means based on 4 birds in each of 16 units in each challenge treatment group across dietary treatment (64 total birds).

⁴Interaction effect means based on 4 birds in each of 8 replicate units in each diet-challenge treatment combination group (32 total birds).