The effects of calcium, fat and sodium bicarbonate on egg shell strength

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (55) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
JK Connor ◽  
KF Arnold

Five levels of calcium ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 per cent were fed in diets with and without tallow to White Leghorn and Australorp X White Leghorn pullets. Sodium bicarbonate additions to diets varying in calcium and sodium chloride content were fed in two further experiments using Australorp X White Leghorn pullets and hens. Sodium bicarbonate did not increase specific gravity of the egg but did increase liveweight gain. Adding tallow to the diet did not effect calcium utilization. Shell strength increased as the level of calcium increased up to 4.5 per cent. The magnitude of the response to additional calcium was reduced as the birds aged. The results also suggested limestone in the diet depressed the appetite of young pullets but not that of older hens. There were no differences in egg production between any treatments.

1963 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. MacIntyre ◽  
H. W. R. Chancey ◽  
E. E. Gardiner

Two experiments were conducted with Single-Comb White Leghorn laying hens to measure some of the effects of energy and calcium levels on egg production and quality. In Experiment 1, rations containing 3.95 per cent calcium gave significantly higher egg production than rations containing 3.00 or 2.25 per cent, but in Experiment 2 there was no difference in egg production between rations containing 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 per cent calcium. Rations containing 1.0 per cent calcium gave significantly lower egg production than rations containing 2.0 per cent or more. Levels of calcium up to 6.0 per cent had no adverse effect on egg production.Egg-shell quality as measured by specific gravity improved with increasing levels of calcium. A calcium intake of at least 4 grams per bird per day was necessary for best egg-shell quality.


1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 757-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. LEESON ◽  
L. J. CASTON ◽  
J. D. SUMMERS

Three experiments were undertaken to investigate the coccidiostat, nicarbazin, on reproductive performance of layers. In trial 1, levels of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 125, and 200 ppm nicarbazin were fed to White leghorn laying hens for 5 wk. By the 2nd week of nicarbazin treatment, egg production was significantly reduced in birds fed 125 and 200 ppm (P < 0.05). Similarly, increasing levels of nicarbazin resulted in decreasing egg weights (P < 0.01) and feed intake was significantly decreased. However, by the 2nd week post-nicarbazin treatment, egg production, egg weight, and feed intake had returned to normal. Nicarbazin had no effect on egg shell deformation or body weight. Nicarbazin had a marked effect on hatchability; levels of 125 and 200 ppm reduced hatchability significantly (P < 0.01) as well as producing an increased incidence of malpositions and malformations. When nicarbazin was withdrawn from the diet, hatchability returned to pretreatment values although malpositions and malformations were still in evidence. Experiments 2 and 3 were designed to study the effect of nicarbazin on production of brown-shelled eggs. In the 2nd experiment 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 ppm of dietary nicarbazin resulted in significant loss of shell color at 20 and 40 ppm, whereas in exp. 3 with levels of 0, 80, 125, and 200 ppm, brown eggs lost virtually all their color. It is concluded that the adult White Leghorn bird can tolerate up to 125 ppm nicarbazin without significant (P < 0.01) loss of reproductive performance although lower levels show a trend for reduced production. Hatchability is depressed with nicarbazin levels in excess of 80 ppm, while trace levels will produce a visual loss of color in brown-shelled eggs. Key words: Layer, coccidiostat, reproductive performance


1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Balnave ◽  
S. K. Muheereza

Point-of-lay pullets were housed in 2 temperature-controlled rooms maintained at a constant 32°C with either a conventional 16 h light : 8 h dark (16L : 8D) or an intermittent 3L : 1D lighting regimen. They were fed either a conventional layer diet (12·0 MJ of ME and 199 g crude protein/kg) or this diet supplemented with 1% sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Production and egg shell quality measurements were made at 8-week intervals from 22 to 62 weeks of age. All measures were influenced by age. The 3L : 1D regimen significantly increased feed intake (P < 0·001), weight gain (P < 0·01), egg weight (P < 0·001), egg shell breaking strength (P < 0·001), and shell thickness (P < 0·01). Significant age×light interactions were observed for feed intake, egg production, and egg mass. Hens in the 3L : 1D regimen ate significantly (P < 0·001) more food and produced significantly (P < 0·01) greater egg mass to 46 weeks of age. No significant differences were observed after 46 weeks. Although not significant, NaHCO3 consistently improved shell breaking strength. The response was small in the 16L : 8D regimen (3%) compared with the 3L : 1D environment (7%), the latter being additional to the 14% improvement resulting from the use of the 3L : 1D regimen. The results indicate advantages from the use of intermittent lighting and dietary NaHCO3 supplementation at high temperatures.


1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (110) ◽  
pp. 287
Author(s):  
H Karunajeewa ◽  
M Fox

In a 43x2 factorial experiment, 576 White Leghorn x Australorp pullets attaining 50% egg production at about 180 days of age were given from 22 to 26 weeks of age pre-layer diets with 10.4 or 25.8 g kg-1 calcium and 6.2 or 10.9 g kg-1 phosphorus. From 26 to 74 weeks of age these pullets were given layer diets with three levels (0, 1.5 and 7.0 g kg-1) of added sodium chloride and two levels (0 and 6.0 g kg-1) of added potassium sulfate. The calcium content of the pre-layer diet had no significant effect on feed intake, bodyweight gain or tibia-ash content between 22 and 26 weeks of age, or on egg production, egg weight, feed conversion efficiency and mortality in the subsequent laying phase. The higher level (25.8 g kg-1) of calcium improved (P<0.05) the shell quality of the first eggs laid and prevented a decline in shell quality due to excess sodium chloride (7.0 g kg-1) in the layer diet. A phosphorus level of 10.9 g kg-1 of the pre-layer diet reduced (P<0.05) feed intake, and in the subsequent laying phase both hen-housed egg production and efficiency of feed conversion were reduced (P<0.05). The adverse effect on feed conversion efficiency was alleviated by adding potassium sulfate to the diet. The level of phosphorus in the pre-layer diet had no significant effect on tibia-ash content or egg shell quality. The dietary level of sodium chloride had no significant effect on egg weight, feed intake and bodyweight gain. The inclusion of sodium chloride at a level of 7.0 g kg-1 diet tended to depress rate of lay by 2.0% and during the first half of the laying cycle, increased mortality by 12.5% (P<0.05) and reduced egg shell weight and thickness (P<0.05) in birds given pre-layer diets with a low calcium content. A daily intake of 137 to 139 mg of sodium per bird was not adequate for maintenance of egg production and efficiency of feed conversion in crossbred layers. The sodium requirement of a crossbred layer given a diet containing meat and bone meal is about 160 mg/day. The adverse effects due to either a low intake of sodium or a high level of sodium chloride in the diet were alleviated by the inclusion of 6.0 g kg-1 potassium sulfate in the diet. The inclusion of potassium sulfate (6.0 g kg-1) in the layer diet increased rate of lay by 2.1% (P<0.05).


1989 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Balnave ◽  
I. Yoselewitz ◽  
R. J. Dixon

1. Supplementing the drinking water of laying hens with 600 or 2000 mg sodium chloride/l induced large increases in egg-shell defects without corresponding changes in egg production, egg weight or food and water intakes. A supplement of 2000 mg NaCl/l resulted in a high incidence of shell-less eggs.2. The increased incidence of egg-shell damage in hens receiving the NaCl was associated with a decrease in egg-shell quality measured objectively. These responses persisted even after the NaCl was removed from the drinking water.3. The NaCl treatment had little effect on blood acid-base balance and electrolytes, but significant reductions were observed in the carbon dioxide tension, and bicarbonate and calcium concentrations in the fluid surrounding the egg in the shell gland.4. The poor shell quality appeared to be associated with a reduced supply of bicarbonate, rather than with an effect on Ca, in the lumen of the shell gland, although a reduced residence time of eggs in the shell gland may also have contributed to the problem.


1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (110) ◽  
pp. 287
Author(s):  
H Karunajeewa ◽  
M Fox

In a 43x2 factorial experiment, 576 White Leghorn x Australorp pullets attaining 50% egg production at about 180 days of age were given from 22 to 26 weeks of age pre-layer diets with 10.4 or 25.8 g kg-1 calcium and 6.2 or 10.9 g kg-1 phosphorus. From 26 to 74 weeks of age these pullets were given layer diets with three levels (0, 1.5 and 7.0 g kg-1) of added sodium chloride and two levels (0 and 6.0 g kg-1) of added potassium sulfate. The calcium content of the pre-layer diet had no significant effect on feed intake, bodyweight gain or tibia-ash content between 22 and 26 weeks of age, or on egg production, egg weight, feed conversion efficiency and mortality in the subsequent laying phase. The higher level (25.8 g kg-1) of calcium improved (P<0.05) the shell quality of the first eggs laid and prevented a decline in shell quality due to excess sodium chloride (7.0 g kg-1) in the layer diet. A phosphorus level of 10.9 g kg-1 of the pre-layer diet reduced (P<0.05) feed intake, and in the subsequent laying phase both hen-housed egg production and efficiency of feed conversion were reduced (P<0.05). The adverse effect on feed conversion efficiency was alleviated by adding potassium sulfate to the diet. The level of phosphorus in the pre-layer diet had no significant effect on tibia-ash content or egg shell quality. The dietary level of sodium chloride had no significant effect on egg weight, feed intake and bodyweight gain. The inclusion of sodium chloride at a level of 7.0 g kg-1 diet tended to depress rate of lay by 2.0% and during the first half of the laying cycle, increased mortality by 12.5% (P<0.05) and reduced egg shell weight and thickness (P<0.05) in birds given pre-layer diets with a low calcium content. A daily intake of 137 to 139 mg of sodium per bird was not adequate for maintenance of egg production and efficiency of feed conversion in crossbred layers. The sodium requirement of a crossbred layer given a diet containing meat and bone meal is about 160 mg/day. The adverse effects due to either a low intake of sodium or a high level of sodium chloride in the diet were alleviated by the inclusion of 6.0 g kg-1 potassium sulfate in the diet. The inclusion of potassium sulfate (6.0 g kg-1) in the layer diet increased rate of lay by 2.1% (P<0.05).


Author(s):  
C. Pandian ◽  
A. Sundaresan ◽  
A. V. Omprakash

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of supplementation of Multi-enzymes with lysophospholipids on production performance of pure line White Leghorn layers. Body weights before and after the experiment did not differ significantly across the experimental diets. Irrespective of the dietary treatments, the birds gained 3.83 per cent of live weight relative to its initial body weight. Mean per cent Hen housed egg production was significantly (Pis less than 0.05) higher in diet supplemented with 0.10 MEC-L than other groups. Mean egg weight and average daily feed consumption during 25 to 35 weeks of age indicated no significant effect of enzyme supplementation. Average daily feed consumption per bird in control, 0.05 % and 0.1% multi-enzyme supplemented groups was 108.13, 105.66 and 107.67 g respectively and birds offered control diet recorded numerically more feed intake than enzyme supplemented groups. Comparatively low feed per egg was observed in 0.10 per cent group followed by 0.05 per cent group which offers economic benefits than control diets. However, the egg quality traits between different dietary enzyme supplementation groups showed no significant difference.


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