Effect of Dietary Folic Acid Supplementation to Diets of Low Levels of Energy and Methionine of Developed Laying Hens in Summer Season on Performance, Physiological Status and Immune Response | ||
| Journal of Animal and Poultry Production | ||
| Article 5, Volume 9, Issue 12, December 2018, Pages 471-480 PDF (340.92 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jappmu.2018.41163 | ||
| Authors | ||
| M. E. Nofal; H. R. Samak; A. A. Alderey; A. M. E. Nasr | ||
| Animal production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of folic acid (FA) supplementation on productive and physiological performance and immune response of laying hens fed diets varying in methionine (M) and metabolizable energy (ME) levels. A total number of two hundred and sixteen of Silver Montazah laying hens (28 weeks old), were randomly divided into 12 treatment groups (18 hens / each). All birds were housed in individual cages. The experimental design was conducted in 2 x 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments, 2 levels of ME (2800 and 2600 Kcal/Kg diet), two levels of DL-methionine (0.40% and 0.30%) and three levels of folic acid (0.0, 10, and 20 mg /kg feed). The results can be summarized as follows:- Increasing ME significantly increased final body weight (P≤0.01), shell thickness (P≤0.01), plasma total protein, globulin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, egg folate content and hatchability of total fertile eggs while, daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were decreased. - Methionine at a level of 0.40% in the diet increased significantly egg number, albumin%, plasma total protein, globulin and HDL. On the other hand daily feed intake, FCR, shell%, egg shape index% and egg specific gravity were significantly decreased.- Significant increases were observed in egg number, shell thickness, plasma total protein, globulin and egg folate content due to increasing FA supplementation in the diet while, Haugh units, plasma albumin and plasma folate recorded significantly their lowest values.- Feeding hens diet with ME of 2800 kcal/kg and a level of 0.40% M without FA supplementation significantly increased albumen % and plasma triglycerides. In this respect, FA supplementation at a level of 10 mg/kg diet significantly increased plasma HDL. On the other side, FA supplementation at a level of 20 mg/kg diet significantly increased body weight change, daily egg mass, shell thickness, plasma total protein, albumin, globulin and significantly improved hatchability of fertile eggs. In addition, antibody titre against NDV recorded the highest value with insignificant difference as compared to other treatments.- Hens fed diet with 2600 kcal/kg ME and a level of 0.30% M without FA supplementation laid eggs with the highest mean of specific gravity while increasing FA to 10 mg/kg decreased plasma HDL. Increasing the supplementation level of FA in the diet significantly increased daily feed intake while, plasma triglycerides was significantly decreased.- A significant increase was observed in Haugh units attributed to feeding hens diet of ME at level of 2600 kcal/kg and 0.40% M without FA supplementation. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Folic acid; methionine; Metabolizable energy; laying hens | ||
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