Table 3.
DEKALB nutrient requirements for pullets and laying hens (personal information from Hendrix Genetics, 2009) in a moderate climate (18–24 °C).
| Starter | Grower | Pullet | Pre-Lay | Early Lay | Lay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period (days) | 28 | 42 | 42 | ~14 | ~70 | 364–504 |
| Metabolizable energy (MJ/kg) | 12.4 | 12.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | ||
| Feed intake (g/day) | 105–125 | 105–125 | ||||
| Crude protein (%) | 20.5 | 19.0 | 16.0 | 16.8 | 16.2–18.7 | 15.4–17.9 |
| AAs (%) | ||||||
| Methionine | 0.48 | 0.41 | 0.30 | 0.38 | 0.37–0.44 | 0.35–0.41 |
| Methionine + cystine | 0.78 | 0.66 | 0.53 | 0.60 | 0.59–0.70 | 0.55–0.66 |
| Lysine | 1.00 | 0.85 | 0.64 | 0.71 | 0.68–0.81 | 0.64–0.77 |
| Threonine | 0.67 | 0.57 | 0.43 | 0.48 | 0.47–0.57 | 0.45–0.53 |
| Tryptophan | 0.186 | 0.166 | 0.145 | 0.155 | 0.15–0.18 | 0.14–0.17 |