Comparison of dietary hydrated copper sulphate,dietary zinc oxide and a direct method for inducing a moult in laying hens

1. The experiment lasted for seven 28‐d periods. Laying hens of two breeds were allocated to 10 treatments. For the first 28‐d period all birds were offered the control diet and then the following dietary treatments applied: a control group not moulted, one group moulted traditionally, 4 groups moulted using CuSO₄‐ and 4 using ZnO‐containing diets. After the moulting treatments the hens were offered the control diet for the remainder of period 2 and for a further five 28‐d periods.

2. The treatments applied during period 2 significantly reduced food intake, body weight, egg number, total egg weight and efficiency of food conversion. On returning to the control diet, there were no significant differences in cumulative food intake (periods 3 to 7). Body weight had returned to the same value as the control group by the end of period 3. Dietary treatments significantly reduced the efficiency of food utilisation during periods 3 to 7 and 1 to 7 inclusive.

3. For periods 1 to 7 inclusive the birds force‐moulted using CuSO₄ and ZnO gave on average greater egg numbers and total egg weights than those moulted traditionally.

4. The Haugh unit score was significantly improved after moulting. Egg Zn concentrations were increased by the 14‐d ZnO treatments.

5. The use of a diet containing CuSO₄ (2 g added Cu/kg for 7 d) was as effective as one containing ZnO (20 g added Zn/kg for 14 d) and both were superior to a traditional force‐moulting technique.

     

Creation of a stress-free laying pause in turkeys with TURISYNCHRON

Metallibure (TURISYNCHRON, VEB Jenapharm, GDR) at 40 mg per kg of food, given for 14 days, completely suppressed laying, and in a shorter time than that produced by conventional methods. Turkeys tolerated TURISYNCHRON well, and no adverse effects were seen. Egg production after TURISYNCHRON treatment was higher than that of untreated controls. This preliminary trial will be followed by more extensive trials.     

Induction of a pause in laying by corticosterone infusion or dietary alterations: effects on the reproductive system, food consumption and body weight

A pause in laying was induced in hens by infusing 30 micrograms corticosterone/h, feeding diets deficient in calcium or sodium and by food and water withdrawal. In hens infused with corticosterone, food consumption remained high and body weight was unchanged, although liver weight doubled. The other treatments were associated with a decline in food consumption and a loss of body weight but liver weight was unchanged. The weight of the ovary was reduced most severely in hens infused with 30 micrograms corticosterone/h, but the number of follicles weighing more than 12 mg was not altered by any of the treatments. A decrease in the number of large, yolk-filled follicles was matched by an increase in the numbers of small follicles. All treatments resulted in an increase in the number of atretic follicles. All treatments produced an elevation of plasma corticosterone concentrations within the normal physiological range, and a decrease in plasma LH concentrations. These features may constitute part of the physiological mechanism causing regression of the ovary and the cessation of egg-laying, but they do not prevent recruitment of small follicles to the stage which precedes entry into the hierarchy of large, yolky follicles.     

Interrelationships between dietary concentrations of sodium,potassium and chloride in laying hens

1. Twelve diets, representing the factorial combination of two concentrations of Cl‐ (0.8 and 1.4 g/kg), three concentrations of Na+ (0.5, 1.1 and 1.7 g/kg) and two concentrations of K+ (7 and 12 g/kg) were fed to groups of laying hens for 24 weeks and records taken of their productivity.

2. Different concentrations of Na+, K+ and Cl‐ showed highly significant interactions which were always similar. Thus, a deficiency of Na+ (0.5 g Na/kg) was aggravated by the restriction of Cl‐ (0.8 g/kg), but was partly compensated for by supplementing the diet with K+ (12 instead of 7 g/kg). Without a sodium deficiency other interactions occurred; for example, the higher concentration of K+ became unfavourable if the other two ions were also supplied at the higher concentrations.

3. These results show that, for the laying hen, the optimum concentrations of Na+, K+ and Cl‐ cannot be determined independently but depend upon the concentration of the two others in the diet.     

日粮添加碳酸氢钠对蛋鸡肠道菌群多样性的影响

900羽21周龄海兰褐蛋鸡随机分成5组,每组6个重复,每个重复30羽。分别在基础日粮中添加0、0．1％、0．5％、2．5％、5％NaHCO3,持续10周。结果显示,与对照组相比,0．1％组蛋鸡盲肠乳酸菌数量增加,大肠杆菌数量降低,菌群多样性指数提高（P〉0．05）。0．5％组蛋鸡粪便pH值显著提高（P〈0．05）,乳酸菌数量增加,菌群多样性指数提高（P〉0．05）。2．5％、5％组蛋鸡粪便pH值、水分含量极显著高于其他组（P〈0．01）。同时,2．5％、5％组盲肠乳酸杆菌数量降低（P〉0．05或P〈0.05）,大肠杆菌数量增高（P〉0．05或P〈0．05）,5％组菌群多样性指数亦显著降低前3组（P〈0．05）。结果表明,日粮添加NaHCO3超过2．5％,蛋鸡腹泻严重,肠道菌群平衡严重破坏。而当NaHCO3的添加量低于0．5％时,肠道有益菌数量和菌群多样性指数呈增加趋势,蛋鸡生产性能维持正常。因此,本试验提示蛋鸡生产中饲料添加剂NaHCO3最高耐受量为0．5％。     

Alleviation of hysteria in laying hens with dietary tryptophan.

A commercial layer breeder flock that was suffering from hysteria was fed a diet containing 5 grams tryptophan/kg for six days. The incidence of episodes of hysteria declined from five times/hour on day 0 to once/hour on day 6 and none on day 8. Feed consumption increased from 107 g to 145 g/hen/day and egg production increased 23% during the six day feeding period. The tryptophan concentration in plasma doubled (from 95.6 to 188.2 mumol/mL). Plasma phenylalanine and tyrosine also increased. Birds that were not in lay, by postmortem examination, had significantly higher plasma valine concentrations (476.4 vs 372.7 mumol/mL). Tryptophan, serotonin and related metabolites increased in both the hypothalamic region and the remainder of the brain following tryptophan feeding, and subsequently declined. High levels of dietary tryptophan may be useful in alleviating hysteria in poultry.     

Bitter vetch as a single dietary ingredient for molt induction in laying hens

Molting is used to increase productivity in the second laying cycle of commercial laying flocks. We report here the applicability of whole grain of bitter vetch as an alternative method for molt induction in laying hens. A total of 120 laying hens were molted by feed withdrawal (FW), a high-Zn diet (HZn), a moderate-Zn and Ca-P-deficient diet (MZn-CaP), or whole grain of bitter vetch (BV). Egg production ceased first in FW-treated hens and last in MZn-CaP-treated hens (P < 0.05). The rest period was longer (P < 0.05) in hens exposed to the BV diet, which proved to be comparable with the FW treatment for postmolt egg production. Egg mass for 4 to 16 wk after the molting was greater (P < 0.05) for hens molted by BV than hens molted by the MZn-CaP diet. Egg weight and yolk color were not (P > 0.05) significantly different among various molting induction methods. Albumen height and Haugh unit of eggs from hens molted by BV, for the most part of the experimental period, were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than for birds on the MZn-CaP diet and unmolted hens. In conclusion, use of BV grain as a single dietary ingredient proved to be effective in molt induction and improving postmolt egg production and internal egg quality when compared with unmolted hens.     

番鸭产蛋期和休产期血清雌二醇变化的研究

由于番鸭的抱性及换羽休产期长犤１犦，影响了番鸭的繁殖性能。傅玉玲等（１９８８）报道蛋鸭雌二醇分泌率降低时，生殖器官活动就被抑制，产蛋量明显减少犤２犦。小川博等（１９９２）报导雌珍珠鸡产蛋期血浆雌二醇浓度明显高于休产期和换羽期（P＜０．０５或P＜０．０１）犤３犦。Tai等（１９９５）采用雌激素等药物中断就巢，能使家禽恢复产蛋，提高产蛋量犤４犦。本研究拟通过测定番鸭产蛋与休产期血清中雌二醇的含量，为有效调控休产换羽时间及消除抱性提供理论依据。１材料与方法１．１试验鸭被测鸭群是由福建农林大学家禽试验场培…     

Interactions between dietary selenium,copper and sodium nitroprusside,a source of cyanide in growing chicks and laying hens

1. Diets containing supplements of selenium (10 mg/kg as sodium selenite), copper (500 mg/kg as copper (II) sulphate) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP 300 mg/kg) as a source of cyanide, were fed singly and in all possible combinations to chicks from 14 to 35 d of age.

2. Both copper and SNP individually alleviated the growth depression caused by excess selenium but interacted adversely with one another. The effect of SNP was to decrease liver selenium but copper increased it. Despite this contrast it is suggested that both achieve their beneficial effects through influences on the fraction of liver selenium that can be reduced to volatile forms by hydrochloric acid and zinc.

3. In a second experiment the effects of diets containing additional selenium (2 mg/kg as sodium selenite or selenomethionine) with or without additional copper (100 mg/kg) or SNP (100 mg/kg) on selenium incorporation into eggs were compared.

4. SNP reduced incorporation from selenite whereas copper had no effect. However, copper reduced the incorporation from selenomethionine into the protein fractions of egg white as much as SNP.     

日粮添加柠檬酸对蛋鸡生产性能的影响

采用六处理三重复单因子试验研究0%、0.05%、0.15%、0.25%、0.35%和0.55%柠檬酸添加水平对蛋鸡生产性能的影响,并分析各柠檬酸添加水平对蛋鸡高温期间生产性能的影响。结果表明:0.05%~0.55%柠檬酸添加量显著降低整个试验期和试验高温期的软、破蛋率(P<0.05),对其它生产指标无显著影响(P>0.05)。     

Effect of excess dietary sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus on excreta moisture of laying hens

1. Four experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium or phosphate on the water intake and excreta moisture of laying hens. A fifth experiment examined the effect on these variables of increasing amounts of 2 different sodium salts (chloride or bicarbonate) and the interactions with 2 levels of dietary phosphorus. 2. All experiments involved individually caged laying hens fed on diets varying in 1 or 2 minerals in replacement for washed sand. The experimental diets contained mineral concentrations that either met or exceeded the expected requirement of the hens. The diets were given for a 7 or 8 d feeding period and food and water intakes were measured and excreta were collected for the last 48 h of each feeding period. These data were corrected for evaporative water loss to the environment during the collection period. 3. Increasing dietary concentrations of sodium, potassium or phosphorus gave linear increases (P<0.001) in the water intake of the laying hens and linear increases (P<0.01) in the moisture content of their excreta. Each 1 g/kg increase in dietary mineral increased the moisture content of the excreta by 9.04 (+/- 1.57), 11.95 (+/- 2.02) and 5.59 (+/- 0.31) g/kg (+/- standard error) for sodium, potassium and phosphorus, respectively. Increasing concentrations of dietary calcium did not significantly affect the water intakes or excreta moisture levels of the laying hens. 4. The fifth experiment showed that, although there was a sodium x phosphorus interaction (P<0.05), the effects of the 2 mineral additions were approximately additive. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in water intakes or excreta moisture contents due to the 2 different sodium salts (chloride or bicarbonate).     

Effect of dietary fibre on the performance of laying hens

1. In tests to determine whether gizzard weight could be influenced by dietary fibre concentrations, caged layers were fed on diets containing 15, 30 or 60 g pine shavings/kg diet.

2. As dietary fibre content increased, gizzard weight increased, but there was no effect on body weight, hen‐day production, egg weight, efficiency of food conversion, mortality, percentage of liver ether extract or egg shell breaking strength. Percentage of body ether extract tended to be lower when pine shavings were fed.     

Influence of dietary osteolathyrogenson the eggshell quality of laying hens

1. Laying hens were fed osteolathyrogens, either semicarbazide hydrochloride at 0.3 or 0.4 g/kg or β-aminopropionitrile fumarate at 0.5 or 0.6 g/kg diet to examine their effects on eggshell quality. 2. Shell quality characteristics considered for evaluation were shell surface area, shell thickness, shell weight, percentage shell, shape index and the specific gravity of eggs. Measurement of shell quality traits revealed that the hens fed osteolathyrogens laid eggs with significantly lower specific gravities and proportion of shell by weight. These differences were not explained by differences in shell thickness or weight or the shape index of eggs. 3. It was concluded that osteolathyrogens cause hens to lay eggs with poor shell quality and such eggs are weak and fragile.     

Analysis of the free range behaviour of laying hens and the genetic and phenotypic relationships with laying performance

1. Over twelve 28-d laying periods (almost one year), 272 laying hens of the Lohmann Silver strain, individually tagged with transponders, were monitored on their ranging behaviour and laying performance in an aviary system with an adjacent winter garden. 2. From laying periods 1 to 12, the daily frequency of passages between the barn and the winter garden of individual hens, showed an antagonistic trend compared to the average duration of single visits. While the frequency of passages decreased until the end of the recording period to 8 passages per hen and day, the average duration of single visits increased to a maximum of 32 min per hen. 3. The heritability estimates for the traits, length of stay in the winter garden and frequency of passages were higher for the last 5 laying periods than at the beginning of the recording period. For the last 5 laying periods, the estimates for the duration of stay in the winter garden varied between h(2) = 0.21 and 0.32 and for the frequency of passages, between h(2) = 0.30 and 0.49. 4. Most of the estimated heritabilities for the rate of lay were on an expected medium level (h(2) = 0.09 to 0.45). Deviant h(2)-values to a few laying periods were based on low additive genetic variances or high environmental variance. 5. Genetic correlations between both free range traits and the laying performance were negative (r(g length of stay) = -0.34 and r(g passage frequency) = -0.08). 6. Generally, there seems to be a possibility to influence the ranging behaviour through selection. Further investigations with different genotypes and varying dates of exposure to the laying environment, should be carried out to clarify possible influences on other traits and the negative correlation with laying performance.     

Sulphur amino acid requirement of laying hens and the effects of excess dietary methionine on laying performance

1. Individually‐caged laying hens were fed on maize‐soya bean meal diets containing 11.50 or 12.35 MJ ME/kg with sulphur amino acid (SAA) contents varying from 5.0 to 7.0 g/kg in period 1 (0 to 20 weeks); from 5.0 to 8.0 g/kg in period 2 (21 to 36 weeks) and from 5.0 to 10.0 g/kg in period 3 (37 to 52 weeks).

2. A SAA requirement of about 750 mg/hen d, of which about 425 mg was methionine, was found to be adequate for birds producing on average 51 g egg mass per hen d over 52 weeks. The SAA requirement was found to be higher for maximum efficiency of food utilisation than for maximum egg yield.

3. A diet containing 140 g protein/kg adequately supplemented with methionine and lysine, could sustain laying performance almost identical to that achieved on a diet containing 167 g protein/kg.

4. In diets with 140 g protein/kg the addition of 0.5 to 3.5 g dl‐methionine/kg diet in excess of the requirement did not affect egg production adversely, but food conversion efficiency was decreased.     

Optimal dietary concentration of vitamin E for alleviating the effect of heat stress on egg production in laying hens.

1. The effects of different dietary concentrations of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) were investigated on laying hens exposed to chronic heat stress at 32 degrees C from 26 to 30 weeks of age. 2. Diets containing 5 dietary concentrations of vitamin E (a control diet containing 10 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg or this diet supplemented to contain 125, 250, 375 and 500 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg) were fed to 335 birds. Half of the birds received the supplemented diets for only 4 weeks before the heat stress period (short supplementation duration, SSD) and were fed on the control diet for a further 12 weeks. The remaining birds were fed on the supplemented diets throughout the experiment, 4 weeks before, 4 weeks during and 8 weeks after the heat stress period (long supplementation duration, LSD). 3. Egg production was significantly higher during (80-6 vs 68.9%, P<0.02) and after (75.3 vs 62.7%, P<0.02) the period of stress in the LSD group fed on the diet containing 250 mg vitamin E/kg compared with the group fed on the control diet. LSD birds given 375 and 500 mg vitamin E/kg also had higher egg production than control birds during heat stress but the differences failed to reach significance (74.6 vs 68.9% and 77.1 vs 68.9% respectively). In the SSD groups, mean egg production of the birds given the diets supplemented with 125 mg vitamin E/kg or more was significantly different from the control group after heat stress (70.3 vs 62.7%, P<0.05). Egg weight and food intake were similar in all the groups. 4. Plasma and liver vitamin E concentrations were proportional to the vitamin E intake before the stress period, dropped during heat stress in the SSD groups but were maintained at concentrations closer to those observed before heat stress in the LSD groups. 5. It is concluded that a dietary supplement of 250 mg vitamin E/kg provided before, during and after heat stress is optimum for alleviating, at least in part, the adverse effects of chronic heat stress in laying hens.     

The effects of dietary intake and of dietary concentration of copper sulphate on the laying domestic fowl: Effects on laying performance and tissue mineral contents

1. Sixty white hybrid (Shaver 288) laying hens were subjected to three main dietary regimens for 5 d: ad libitum feeding of control and CuSO₄‐supplemented diets, force‐feeding these same diets to the same intake as that of the ad libitum control diet and pair‐feeding the control CuSO₄‐free diet to intakes equivalent to those of supplemented diets.

2. Final body weight of the force‐fed birds was significantly greater than of the other groups. Egg number and weight were significantly reduced as food intake decreased.

3. Liver weight per unit body weight was significantly increased and oviduct and ovary weights/kg body weight were significantly reduced by force‐feeding. As food intake decreased kidney and gizzard weights per unit body weight were significantly increased.

4. The concentrations and total contents of Cu and Zn in liver were significantly increased in the ad libitum and force‐fed groups.

5. Force‐feeding CuSO₄‐supplemented diets, which eliminated difference in food intake, confirmed that CuSO₄ per se affected tissue weights and mineral concentrations as distinct from effects due to the reduced food intake associated with increasing dietary CuSO₄.     

Pathophysiologic response of the juxtaglomerular apparatus to dietary sodium restriction in the dog.

Pathophysiologic changes in the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) of the dog were induced by 10 days of dietary sodium restriction (less than 1 mEq of Na+/day). Plasma renin activity increased 12-fold and plasma aldosterone values increased 60-fold, whereas urinary sodium excretion decreased precipitously. Urinary potassium excretion remained within normal values throughout the period of sodium restriction. The JGA cell counts, determined by light microscopy, were significantly (P = less than 0.05) increased after 2 days of sodium restriction and remained increased through day 10. Adrenal gland weights and the cross-sectional width of the zona glomerulosa were not altered. Ultrastructurally, JGA cells showed progressive hypertrophy and hyperplasia. The Golgi apparatus became more prominent. The endoplasmic reticulum increased, as did the number of ribosomes. Cytoplasmic secretory granules increased in number and size from day 2 through day 6. On days 8 and 10, fewer and smaller secretory granules were encountered, even though plasma renin and aldosterone values continued to increase. In the dog maintained in a balanced sodium state, little renin is stored in cytoplasmic granules of the juxtaglomerular cells. Short-term stimulation results in increased plasma renin values and increased production and storage of renin in JGA cells. Continued stimulation results in depletion of cytoplasmic stores, although plasma renin content continues to rise, suggesting that renin is produced and secreted directly during more prolonged stimulation.     

An experimental study of the utilisation, by the laying hen, of dietary energy partially supplied as animal fat

Experiments were carried out at two centres in which laying hens were fed diets containing up to 28.25 per cent tallow and in which an attempt was made to maintain a fairly constant calorie : protein ratio. The most satisfactory production was obtained on a diet containing 3.5 per cent added fat in one experiment and 7.5 per cent added fat in the other experiment. Food conversion efficiency (kg food/kg eggs) increased with increasing dietary fat content.

The efficiency of ME utilisation (Mcal/kg egg) decreased with increasing dietary ME content. The data indicate that at the higher levels of fat addition the net utilisation of ME was decreased.

In both experiments mean egg weight was increased by the addition of tallow to the diet whilst at the highest level of addition there was a very high mortality.