EFFECT OF FASTING PERIOD AND FEED FORM ON POST MOLT PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY IN LAYING HENS | ||
| Egyptian Poultry Science Journal | ||
| Article 16, Volume 34, Issue 2, June 2014, Pages 619-634 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/epsj.2014.32583 | ||
| Authors | ||
| m el sagher1; h el hmmady1; H H HASSANIN2; H A HASSAN2 | ||
| 1Dep. of Poul. Prod., Fac. of Agric., Assiut Univ., 71526 Assiut, Egypt | ||
| 21Dep. of Anim. and Poul. Prod., Fac. of Agric., South Value Univ., 83523 Qena, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Onehundred and eighty,60 weeksold,Hi-sex Brown laying hens were randomly classified into three equal experimental groups. Eachof them included twelve replicates, of 5 hens each. Birds in all replicateswere kept individually in wire cagesunder controlled conditions in a closed laying house.Experimental hens in groups 1, 2 and 3 were fasted all 24 hrs for 8, 10 and 12 days, respectively. All hens were receiving water ad libitum.At the end of fastening, birds in each group were divided into two equal subgroups. Birds in the first three subgroupswere fed on mash diets, while those of the second three subgroups fed pelleted diets. Body weight loss of fasted hens for 12 d (35.8%) excelled significantly those (30.6 and 27.3%) of fasted hens for 8 and 10 d, respectively. All fasted groups ceased egg production by 5d of the start of fasting and remained out of production until 19, 21 and 27 days before the onset of laying for 8, 10, 12 days fasted groups, respectively. They reached 50% hen-day post molt egg production by 40, 48, 55 d, respectively. During the experimental period, the mortality rate (MR) of 10 d fasted group (5.1%) decreased significantly than both of 8 and 12 d fasted groups (6.6%). The molted hens by 10 d fastingwhichfed on either fed oneither mash or pelleted diets had lower morality than the other subgroups. The molted hens by fasting 10 or 12 d had significantly better hen day egg production (HDP) and egg mass (EM); significantly moreshell and yolk percentages(SP and YP, respectively); and significantly less albumen percentage (AP) than those of the molted hens by 8 d. The molted hens by fasting 10 d had significantly improved feed conversation ratio (FCR) than thoseof fasted hens by 8 and 12 d. The differences due to fasting periods in egg weight (EW), feed consumption (FC), mortality rate (MR), egg shape index (ESI), Haugh unit (HU) and egg yolk index (EYI) were very limited and insignificant.Feeding on pelleted rations had significantly higher HDP, EW, EM, FC, shell thickness (ST), SP and HU; as well as significantly less FCR as compared with hens fed on mashdiets. Feed form did not affect MR, YP, AP, ESI and EYI. All fasted hens on mash dietshad significantly decreased FC; increased EW; and improved | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Fasting period; feed form; force molt; laying hens | ||
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