Effect of husbandry system on broken bones and bone strength in hens

The effects of rearing system, forced moulting and three different layer housing systems on broken bones and bone strength, were examined in hens at the end of lay. Weak bones and broken bones were more common in battery hens which had been reared to point of lay on deep litter rather than in cages. The incidence of old breaks was greater in perchery birds (14 per cent) than in tiered terrace birds (5 per cent), and there was also a difference between their incidence in two types of perchery design (17 per cent and 11 per cent). Moulting was associated with a transient decline in bone strength, followed by an increase in strength during the second lay.     

Influence of housing system and design on bone strength and keel bone fractures in laying hens

The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old breaks in end-of-lay hens housed in a variety of system designs and identify the important risk factors. Sixty-seven flocks housed in eight broad subcategories were assessed at the end of the production period. Within each flock, the presence of keel fractures was determined and the tibia, humerus and keel bones dissected for measurement of breaking strength. For each house, variations in internal design and perching provision were categorised and the effective heights of the differing structures recorded. All systems were associated with alarmingly high levels of keel damage although variation in mean prevalence between systems was evident with flocks housed in furnished cages having the lowest prevalence (36 per cent) despite also having significantly weaker bones and flocks housed in all systems equipped with multilevel perches showing the highest levels of damage (over 80 per cent) and the highest severity scores.     

Effects of age and dietary soybean oil level on eggshell quality,bone strength and blood biochemistry in laying hens

1. The objective of the study was to investigate the differences in eggshell quality, bone quality and serum bone biochemistry markers associated with changes in age and dietary soybean oil levels in laying hens.

2. A total of 54, 19-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were housed in 18 battery cages (3 birds/cage) and randomly divided into three diet treatments for 90 d: control-fat (CF, 1.9% soybean oil), moderate-fat (MF, 7% soybean oil) and high-fat (HF, 10% soybean oil).

3. The hens’ body weights (BW), egg production, egg weights, eggshell thickness and femoral diameter were higher at d 90 than at d 60 or d 30. Meanwhile, feed intake, relative bone weights, all bone strength parameters and serum Ca were lower at d 90 or 60 than at d 30.

4. Compared to the CF hens, the feed intake, BW, abdominal fat pad weights and serum alkaline phosphatase activity were elevated in MF or HF hens. The eggshell thickness, relative femoral and tibial weight, femoral stiffness, femoral modulus, tibial mixed force and serum calcium and phosphorus levels were lower in MF or HF hens than CF hens.

5. These findings suggest that bone loss in caged hens starts from an early stage of the laying period, and dietary oil (particularly with diets over 10% soybean oil) has harmful effects on eggshell quality, bone strength and bone mineralisation from an early stage of the laying period.     

Limb bone strength and movement in laying hens from different housing systems

Walking and bouts of wing movement performed by 61-week-old ISA brown laying hens which had been taken from one batch of eggs and then kept in three different housing systems which allowed a gradation in spatial freedom, were recorded. After slaughter the breaking strengths of the humerus and tibia of birds from each system were measured. Birds from battery cages exhibited the fewest limb movements and had the weakest bones, their humeri having only 54 per cent of the strength of those of birds from a perchery. Birds from the Elson terrace system were heavier and had a stronger tibia than cage birds. Compared with perchery birds, terrace birds had weaker humeri and also performed fewer wing movements. The results indicate that the amount of movement possible for laying hens in battery cages was insufficient to avoid levels of osteopenia and consequent bone fragility much greater than in birds kept in the perchery and Elson terrace systems.     

Keel bone condition in laying hens: a histological evaluation of macroscopically assessed keel bones

The objective of the present study was to conduct a corresponding histological analysis of 162 macroscopically assessed keel bones (1: severe, 2: moderate, 3: slight, 4: no deformity). Four layer lines were used and hens were kept in furnished cages, small group systems (both allowing more activities due to the provision of perches) and an aviary system, which fully conformed to the EU standards. Investigations were carried out in the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th laying month of two experimental trials. In 97.9% of grade 4 keel bones, no histological deviations were found, whereas in keel bones manifesting deformities of grade 1 and 2, the predominant histological observation was the incidence of fracture callus material (FCM) and new bone in the form of woven bone. FCM was also detected in 50.9% of grade 3 keel bones, whereas in 40.7%, only s-shaped deviations of keel bones were found, which were related to extended pressure loading while perching activities rather than short-duration trauma. Histological analysis showed that keel bones of grade 1 and 2 were mainly attributed to traumatic origin and therefore associated with pain experience in layers. Grade 3 keel bones manifested either FCM as a result of trauma or adaptational deformities without any evidence of a preceding fracture in response to mechanical pressure loading and were most likely not associated with pain. Therefore, histological analysis was found to be a mandatory tool when evaluating grade 3 keel bones with respect to layers'welfare. Furthermore, this analysis corroborates the findings that in aviary systems deformities of keel bones are predominantly caused by painful fractures.     

Effect of age at starting biomittent lighting on performance of laying hens

1. Two experiments were conducted with brown‐egg laying hybrid pullets to determine the optimum age at which to begin Biomittent lighting (a system providing 15 min light and 45 min darkness in each hour for 16 h).

2. In the first experiment birds introduced to Biomittent lighting at 18, 24, 30 or 36 weeks of age all gave the same egg output. Use of Biomittent lighting between 22 and 34 weeks of age reduced food intake by 5.3% compared with normal lighting during this period.

3. In the second experiment, birds introduced to Biomittent lighting at 23 or 36 weeks of age gave essentially the same egg output and this was true even for half of the flock which had been severely restricted in food intake between 6 and 18 weeks of age.

4. It is concluded that Biomittent lighting can be safely introduced at point of lay as a means of saving food consumption without loss of output provided that an adequate diet is fed. The response is interpreted as a saving in energy expenditure rather than a restriction of feeding opportunity.

5. It is recommended that, to avoid the complication of combining weekly increments in photoperiod with intermittent lighting, Biomittent lighting can be introduced abruptly as a skeleton long day. However, if this follows rearing on short photoperiods and if egg size is important, the start should be delayed until about 22 weeks of age so as not to induce early sexual maturity.     

Increase in bone strength of spent laying hens housed in modified cages with perches

The strength of the tibia was compared in 72-week-old ISA brown hens housed as groups of four for 52 weeks either in conventional cages or in cages with a 450 mm long perch, positioned either at the front or the back of the cage. The breaking strength of the bone was measured by subjecting it to a gradually increasing force on a three-point rig until it broke. The median strength of the tibia was greater in birds from cages with either front (160 Newtons [N]) or rear perches (152 N) than from conventional cages (135 N). Increased between-bird variation in the cages with perches suggests that there is scope for a further increase in bone strength by the provision of perches long enough to accommodate all the birds simultaneously. These results show that the strength of the tibia can be increased almost as much by using new designs of cage as by housing hens on the floor.     

Effects of age on the tryptophan requirement of laying hens

1. White Leghorn pullets which had been used for an assay of tryptophan requirement between 32 and 40 weeks of age were used for similar determinations between 63 and 73 and, after a moult, from 97 to 106 weeks of age.

2. A tryptophan‐limiting protein mixture was used and by dilution seven dietary protein contents were produced, supplying from 0.84 to 1–92 g tryptophan/kg diet. The diet of lowest protein content was also sup‐lemented with free tryptophan. These diets were fed in experiments using 24 groups of 72 pullets at 63 to 73 weeks and 45 groups of 21 hens at 97 to 106 weeks.

3. The relationship between egg output and tryptophan intake was the same in moulted hens as in young pullets, but pullets of 63 to 73 weeks of age yielded a different response curve; more tryptophan being needed for a given egg output.

4. It is concluded that tryptophan required, per day, does not decrease during the first laying year, despite a decrease in rate of egg output.     

大豆黄酮对产蛋鸡蛋壳品质和骨骼代谢的影响

大豆黄酮(Daidzein)属于异黄酮类植物雌激素(Isoflavonic phytoestrogen)，主要存在于豆科的蝶形花亚科植物中。20世纪90年代以来，国外流行病因学研究证明，膳食中的异黄酮具有防癌和抗癌的作用，使人类乳腺癌、结肠癌发病率降低，近年来动物营养研究表明大豆黄酮具有促进动物生长，增加产     

Exogenous estradiol improves shell strength in laying hens at the end of the laying period

Background

Cracked shells, due to age related reduction of shell quality, are a costly problem for the industry. Parallel to reduced shell quality the skeleton becomes brittle resulting in bone fractures. Calcium, a main prerequisite for both eggshell and bone, is regulated by estrogen in a complex manner. The effects of estrogen, given in a low continuous dose, were studied regarding factors involved in age related changes in shell quality and bone strength of laying hens. A pellet containing 0.385 mg estradiol 3-benzoate (21-day-release) or placebo was inserted subcutaneously in 20 birds each of Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) and Lohmann Brown (LB) at 70 weeks of age. Eggs were collected before and during the experiment for shell quality measurements. Blood samples for analysis of total calcium were taken three days after the insertion and at sacrifice (72 weeks). Right femur was used for bone strength measurements and tissue samples from duodenum and shell gland were processed for morphology, immunohistochemical localization of estrogen receptors (ERα, ERβ), plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) and histochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase (CA).

Results

Estrogen treatment increased shell thickness of both hybrids. In addition, shell weight and shell deformation improved in eggs from the brown hybrids. The more pronounced effect on eggs from the brown hybrid may be due to a change in sensitivity to estrogen, especially in surface epithelial cells of the shell gland, shown as an altered ratio between ERα and ERβ. A regulatory effect of estrogen on CA activity, but not PMCA, was seen in both duodenum and shell gland, and a possible connection to shell quality is discussed. Bone strength was unaffected by treatment, but femur was stronger in LSL birds suggesting that the hybrids differ in calcium allocation between shell and bone at the end of the laying period. Plasma calcium concentrations and egg production were unaffected.

Conclusions

A low continuous dose of estrogen improves shell strength but not bone strength in laying hens at the end of the laying period.     

Effect of electrical stunning frequency on ventricular fibrillation, downgrading and broken bones in broilers, hens and quails

The effect of stunning current frequency on the incidence of ventricular fibrillation was determined in broilers and hens. When a pulsed unipolar square wave (DC) was used the incidence of ventricular fibrillation decreased as the frequency was increased beyond 125 Hz. When a sinusoidal AC was used, 50 Hz killed some of the birds whereas at the corresponding r.m.s. currents no birds experienced a ventricular fibrillation with 1500 Hz. In quail, it was found that between 45 and 110 mA (50 Hz) all birds experienced a ventricular fibrillation. The effect of 50, 200 and 350 Hz square wave DC on carcass downgrading was examined in broilers, and there were no differences between the groups. It was concluded that there were few advantages from using high frequency stunning currents in poultry.     

Optimum isoleucine requirement of laying hens and the effect of age

1. Medium weight laying hens were used for an assay to determine their isoleucine requirement between 26 and 36 weeks of age and again between 46 and 56 weeks of age. 2. Two isoleucine-limiting mixtures were formulated with similar amino acid profiles, one containing 198 g and the other 110 g crude protein per kg diet. These mixtures were blended to give a series of 11 diets with isoleucine contents ranging from 7.6 to 3.8 g/kg. The lowest protein diet was also fed with a supplement of L-isoleucine. Each of the 12 diets was given to 5 groups of 24 laying hens. 3. The daily isoleucine requirement of individual laying hens was estimated to be 9.48 mg/g egg output plus 44.47 mg/kg body weight per day for the 1st period and 12.11 mg/g egg output plus 6.86 mg/kg body weight per day for the 2nd period. Calculated optimum intakes of isoleucine for various ratios of cost of input to value of output are tabulated. For example, for a flock of medium weight hens producing an average of 50 g daily egg mass, the optimum isoleucine intake (mg/hen d) varied between 760 and 890 varying for ratios of costs to egg prices. 4. It is concluded that the isoleucine required per day does not decrease during the first laying year despite a decrease in rate of egg output.     

Antimicrobial resistance in Swiss laying hens, prevalence and risk factors

Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging concern to public health, and food-producing animals are known to be a potential source for transmission of resistant bacteria to humans. As legislation of the European Union requires to ban conventional cages for the housing of laying hens on the one hand, and a high food safety standard for eggs on the other hand, further investigations about the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in alternative housing types are required. In this study, we determined antimicrobial resistance in indicator bacteria from 396 cloacal swabs from 99 Swiss laying hen farms among four alternative housing types during a cross-sectional study. On each farm, four hens were sampled and exposure to potential risk factors was identified with a questionnaire. The minimal inhibitory concentration was determined using broth microdilution in Escherichia coli (n=371) for 18 antimicrobials and in Enterococcus faecalis (n=138) and Enterococcus faecium (n=153) for 16 antimicrobials. All antimicrobial classes recommended by the European Food Safety Authority for E. coli and enterococci were included in the resistance profile. Sixty per cent of the E. coli isolates were susceptible to all of the considered antimicrobials and 30% were resistant to at least two antimicrobials. In E. faecalis, 33% of the strains were susceptible to all tested antimicrobials and 40% were resistant to two or more antimicrobials, whereas in E. faecium these figures were 14% and 39% respectively. Risk factor analyses were carried out for bacteria species and antimicrobials with a prevalence of resistance between 15% and 85%. In these analyses, none of the considered housing and management factors showed a consistent association with the prevalence of resistance for more than two combinations of bacteria and antimicrobial. Therefore we conclude that the impact of the considered housing and management practices on the egg producing farms on resistance in laying hens is low.     

Inheritance of bone characteristics affecting osteoporosis in laying hens

1. Heritabilities of a range of morphometric, radiological and strength characteristics were measured in the bones of end-of-lay hens. 2. Tibial strength (TSTR), humeral strength (HSTR) and keel radiographic density (KRD) were moderately to strongly inherited and were combined in a Bone Index which was used as a basis for selection. Data are available on 6 generations/cohorts of hens (n=1306), the last 3 of which are the progeny of divergently selected birds. 3. All bone characteristics used in the Bone Index responded rapidly to divergent selection and were strongly correlated with each other. In the last generation, the lines differed by 25% for TSTR, 13% for HSTR and 19% for KRD. The heritability of the index was 0.40. 4. There were no apparent genotype by environment interactions between birds housed at 2 different locations. 5. The incidence of bone fractures was significantly decreased in the line selected for high bone strength compared to the line selected for low bone strength. Humerus fracture incidence differed by a factor of 6 between the lines in the last generation. There was a strong quadratic relationship between tibia strength and overall fracture incidence (r2=0.92, P<0.01). 6. The results imply that selection for enhanced bone strength can be used as a long-term strategy for alleviating the problems of osteoporosis in laying hens.     

Prevalence of keel bone deformities in Swiss laying hens

The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of keel bone deformities of laying hens in Switzerland. The keel bones of 100 end-of-lay hens from each of 39 flocks (3900 in total) were palpated. On average, 25·4% of the hens had moderately or severely deformed keel bones and the overall prevalence including slight deformities was 55%. 3. Variation between flocks was considerable. Thus, the prevalence of moderately or severely deformed keel bones ranged from 6 to 48%, and the overall prevalence including slight deformities ranged from 20 to 83%. Aviary housing was associated with a higher prevalence of total, and severe or moderate deformations, compared with floor pens. There were no significant differences in the number of deformities between the different plumage colours, hybrids or perch materials.     

合生素对蛋鸡生产性能的影响

选择49周龄海兰褐蛋鸡1275只,随机分成5组,设3个正对照组、1个负对照组和1个试验组。试验组饲喂负对照组日粮（未加微生态制剂）基础中添加0．05％合生素,3个正对照组分别饲喂负对照组日粮基础中依次添加其他微生态产品M100、NW和GEK（营养标准相对负对照组低6％蛋白）的日粮。预试期30d,试验期30d,考察不同添加剂产品对蛋鸡生产性能的影响。结果表明,合生素添加组与M100添加组、负对照组、NW添加组和GEK添加组的生产性能相比．产蛋率分别提高4．82％、1．01％、1．78％和5．55％;蛋质量分别提高2．79％、3．77％、2．61％和3．82％。统计上均差异显著。合生素添加组和正负对照组的料蛋比分别是2．331、2．471、2．369、2、400和2．441。鸡蛋的平均合格率统计上均无显著差异。这表明,饲料中添加0．05％合生素可达到较理想的效果。     

甪里艾叶粉对蛋鸡产蛋性能与蛋品质的影响

为了研究甪里艾叶粉对蛋鸡产蛋性能与蛋品质的影响,试验选用50周龄健康状况良好、生产性能相近的海兰褐蛋鸡288只,随机分为四组,一个对照组,三个试验组,各组甪里艾叶粉分别添加0、1%、2%、3%,每组6个重复,每个重复12只鸡,预试期为7 d,试验时间为42 d。结果显示:(1)甪里艾叶粉对产蛋性能的影响:试验各组的平均日产蛋重均高于对照组(P0.05),分别提高了2.62%、3.58%、2.41%;随着艾叶粉添加量的增加,平均日采食量显著减少(P0.05),分别减少了2.76%、3.29%、3.62%;试验各组料重比均显著低于对照组(P0.05),分别降低了5.10%、6.63%、5.61%;随着甪里艾叶粉添加量的增加,产蛋率分别提高了2.85%(P0.05)、3.99%(P0.01)、5.93%(P0.01)。试验各组的蛋重与对照组均无显著差异(P0.05)。(2)甪里艾叶粉对蛋品质的影响:甪里艾叶粉可显著提高蛋的比重(P0.05),其中添加量为2%时差异极显著(P0.01)。各组间的蛋形指数、哈氏单位、蛋黄颜色差异均不显著(P0.05)。但试验各组的蛋白高度分别提高了8.92%(P0.05)、11.29%(P0.05)、10.21%(P0.05),哈氏单位则相应提高了4.51%、5.67%、5.69%。各组间的蛋壳指标差异不显著(P0.05)。试验各组的蛋白比率、蛋黄比率差异不显著(P0.05),随着甪里艾叶粉添加量的增加,蛋壳比率逐渐降低,其中添加2%和3%的甪里艾叶粉可显著降低蛋壳比率(P0.05)。甪里艾叶粉可以改善海兰褐蛋鸡的产蛋性能,蛋的比重和蛋白高度显著提高,蛋壳比率呈降低的趋势。     

日粮中长期添加大豆黄酮对产蛋鸡产蛋性能及有关内分泌的影响

试验旨在探讨日粮中长期添加大豆黄酮对产蛋高峰期蛋鸡采食和生产性能的影响及有关内分泌机制。40羽180日龄产蛋鸡,均分为2组,对照组饲喂基础日粮,试验组饲喂基础日粮+大豆黄酮(6mg/kg),试验期为150d。结果显示:试验组蛋鸡采食量、产蛋率、只日蛋重、每枚蛋重均显著提高,料蛋比显著下降;血清17β-雌二醇、T3、T4水平均显著提高,而血清瘦素(leptin)水平有下降的趋势。试验结果表明,大豆黄酮可调控血液激素水平而提高产蛋鸡生产性能,并使产蛋高峰期得到延长。