scholarly journals The effect of cage and house design on egg production and egg weight of White Leghorn hens: An epidemiological study

2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 1522-1535 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.P. Garner ◽  
A.S. Kiess ◽  
J.A. Mench ◽  
R.C. Newberry ◽  
P.Y. Hester
1937 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  

1.The connection between the rate of maturity (number of days between birth and production of the first egg) and egg production of 938 White Leghorn pullets, hatched and reared on the Experimental farm of the Oliefabrieken Calvé-Delft was investigated. The pullets were of various strains and received widely differing treatment as regards feeding.2.There is a curvilinear correlation between rate of maturity and to talproduction and also between rate of maturity and winter production. It is, therefore, not correct to calculate with rectilinear correlations or regressions.3.The conditions, obtaining during the rearing, influence not only the rate of maturity, but also the connection between the rate of maturity and egg production.4.It is, therefore, impossible to state any generally acceptable rules concerning the way in which the existing connection can be used to raise the average production by the elimination of certain birds.5.Even when the pullets have been carefully culled either before or at the commencement of production, it is possible to raise the average production still further by eliminating those birds, which come into production last. A considerable number of bad producers are found among the birds with the slowest rate of maturity.6.No connection was found between rate of maturity and mortality.7.Neither was there any connection between rate of nlaturity and the average weight of the eggs produced after December.8.For the 514 birds which began production after 30th September, 1935, a rectilinear correlation of +0.66±0.02 was found between rate of maturity and the average weight of the first ten eggs produced. The regression-eo-efficient of this “inception egg-weight” to rate of maturity in +0.16±0.02.


1971 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-210
Author(s):  
H. Appelman ◽  
B.J. Bonhof

161 Australorp X Rhode Island Red (RIR) X New Hampshire (NH) and 166 White Leghorn (WL) imported fowls were kept in insulated housing; 161 Australorp X RIR X NH, 166 WL, 154 RIR X WL and 148 RIR X NH X RIR fowls were kept in open houses. In the 6 groups resp., live weight at 126 days of age averaged 1602, 1227, 1578, 1234, 1397 and 1539 g, food consumption 4.02, 4.49, 4.03, 4.47, 4.25 and 4.17 kg/kg gain, overall laying percentage 56.6, 56.4, 52.5, 53.4, 55.0 and 37.5, egg production/hen 202, 201, 188, 191, 196 and 134, and egg weight 56.3, 56.3, 55.0, 55.8, 55.0 and 57.5 g. Egg mass averaged 1335, 1323, 1191, 1151, 1126 and 796 kg and food consumed/kg eggs produced 3.68, 3.53, 3.71, 3.25, 3.37 and 4.74 kg. Live weight at 16 mth of age averaged 2894, 2040, 2665, 1874, 2132 and 2517 g, and mortality 12.8, 11.1, 33.6, 43.5, 52.8 and 50.4%. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


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


1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 305-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. GARDINER ◽  
D. J. MAJOR ◽  
S. DUBETZ

The effects of substituting various levels of sorghum for wheat in diets for laying hens were studied. Egg production, egg weight, feed consumption, body weight and hatchability of eggs from Single Comb White Leghorn hens were not affected by the proportion of sorghum in the diet. Key words: Sorghum, wheat, nutrition, egg production


1929 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-58

The Influence of confinement on the Production of white leghorn pullets by F. C. Bobby. Report from the National Institute of Poultry Husbandry Experimental Farm. The Harper Adams Utility Poultry Journal 1929, p. 471.1.The experiment confirmed the previous experiment of the winter 1925-1926. Under the conditions of this experiment confined White Leghorn pullets showed a decrease in egg production. The important condition associated with this decrease in eggs was a glass fronted house which prevented any direct rays of sunlight reaching the pullets when confined to the house itself.2.That the apparent reason for the decrease in egg production is a lack of sunlight or the antirachitic vitamin, which results in a condition resembling rickets among the pullets so confined.3.This condition in adult stock appears only after the birds have been confined for two-three months. It has occurred in both the experiments of 1925-26 and 1927-28.4.That the use of an open-fronted house, protected in a suitable way against inclement weather, and at night, is one definite method of obtaining improved results with confined birds.5.That the use of 2 per cent. Cattle Cod Liver Oil supplies the necessary food accessory, the absence of which appears to result in the decrease of egg production described.6.That the birds under confinement without a sufficient source of Vitamin „D” are likely to lose body weight, as indicated by the results obtained in this experiment.7.That the egg weight is not influenced by the differences in management practised in this experiment.


1963 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-227
Author(s):  
J. C. M. Trail

Data on egg production, egg weight, food consumption, broodiness, mortality and body weights of the progeny of indigenous poultry of Uganda crossed with Light Sussex, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red and Black Australorp breeds were collected collected over the 25-week period from 161 to 336 days of age and compared with the performances of indigenous poultry.In comparison with the indigenous birds, the cross-breeds had a 61% higher mean egg production rate, a 34% lower food consumption per pound of eggs produced, a 15% higher egg weight, a 30% reduction in mortality, a 23% increase in body weight and a decrease in broodiness.All the cross-breeds were superior in productive respects to the indigenous birds and the White Leghorn and Light Sussex breeds appeared to be the best for use in the upgrading of indigenous stock for highest egg production results.


1979 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 991
Author(s):  
BH Yoo ◽  
BL Sheldon

The extent of sire x hatching season interaction in egg production characters has been studied in White Leghorn, Australorp and Synthetic flocks in which half-sib families bred from the same sires were mated largely to the same dams for spring and autumn hatchings. Interaction appeared to be more important in White Leghorn and Synthetic than in Australorp. The estimate of variance component for interaction was not consistent among the three flocks, and it was important only in certain flocks for different characters: age at first egg, part-annual hen-housed production (PHP), and egg weight at 34 and 62 (EWL) weeks of age in Synthetic; and annual survivors' production and egg specific gravity at 62 weeks of age (SGL) in White Leghorn. Comparison of within-season and across-seasons heritabilities showed that the former could be on average more than 45% higher than the latter in PHP, EWL, SGL and annual hen-housed production. As the estimates of the genetic correlation coefficient between seasons tend to be below 1.0 for many characters in White Leghorn and Synthetic, the sire x hatching season interaction may need to be taken into account and investigated further to improve the efficiency of selection for egg production.


1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 887-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. CAVE ◽  
R. M. G. HAMILTON

Two experiments with nine strains of Single Comb White Leghorn hens were conducted to compare laying house performance of hens given a diet of uniform protein content or a phase-feeding diet in which protein content was reduced from 156 to 148 and then to 140 g/kg at 273 and 414, or 273 and 384 days of age. Performance criteria were egg production, feed and protein intake, egg, quality, egg weight, mortality and body weight. Phase-feeding allowed reductions of 4.2 and 4.3% in protein consumption without reducing egg production, mortality or, except in one strain, body weight. There was an increase of 0.5% in feed consumption, but feed cost was reduced by 1.3%. Phase-feeding increased Haugh units by 0.3% and decreased specific gravity of eggs in one experiment, decreased percent visibly-cracked eggs in the other experiment and had no effect on percent blood spots. Depending on strain, phase-feeding had a variable effect on egg weight in exp. 1 but had no effect in the second experiment. Key words: Phase-feeding, protein utilization, egg production, hen


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 320 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Abu-Serewa ◽  
H Karunajeewa

Three of five groups of White Leghorn x Australorp hens aged 73 weeks, housed in cages, were fed a laying diet containing zinc (23.7 g/kg), or iodine (4.1 g/kg), or calcium (1.0 g/kg). The fourth group of hens was given only whole-grain barley while a fifth group given a normal laying diet served as the control. All groups were fed their respective diets until rate of lay dropped to 0% or less than 2%, and they were then given a normal laying diet until 97 weeks of age. Water was available at all times and 15.5 h of constant light was provided daily to all treatments throughout the experiment. Hens given the zinc and the whole-grain barley diets ceased egg production within 1 week and remained out of production for about 10 days. The hens in both of these treatments reached peak egg production (67%, on a hen day basis) 8 weeks after the initiation of treatments, after which they continued to lay at a higher rate than those given iodine, calcium and control treatments. Hens given the diets with either iodine or calcium reached their lowest rate of lay (1.6%) after 15 and 7 days of feeding the two diets respectively. They resumed laying immediately after the resumption of feeding the normal laying diet and reached peak egg production (59%) at 8 and 12 weeks after feeding the iodine and calcium diets respectively. The treated hens laid eggs with higher Haugh units and specific gravity values than those eggs of the controls. The lowest rate of decline in both those traits, from the pre-treatment values, was in the zinc and barley treatments. These treatments also had the lowest percentage of cracked eggs. There was no significant difference among treatments in mean rate of lay, egg weight, or rate of mortality from 73 to 97 weeks of age. The present results suggest that feeding wholegrain barley can be used successfully to extend the productive life of laying hens beyond the first year of egg production if such an extension is desirable in a given economic situation. It is a simpler technique than the conventional method of induced moulting and the method of feeding a high level of zinc.


1978 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. GARDINER ◽  
S. DUBETZ

High-protein wheat (21.0%) and regular-protein wheat (14.5%) were compared at two dietary protein levels with and without supplementary L-lysine. The diets were fed to White Leghorn laying hens maintained in floor pens for 44 wk. The addition of 0.3% L-lysine increased egg production from all diets, although the increase with the 17.4%-protein diet was not significant. L-lysine supplementation increased egg weight with the high-protein wheat diets but not with the regular wheat diets. Feed consumed per dozen eggs was lowest when hens were fed regular-protein wheat supplemented with L-lysine. L-lysine supplementation of the high-protein wheat in the 16%-protein diet reduced the amount of feed required per dozen eggs. Body weights of hens were not affected by L-lysine supplementation of the regular wheat diet; however, supplementation of the high-protein wheat diets resulted in increased body weights. The use of high-protein wheat in the diets that were not corrected for protein (i.e., 17.4%-protein diet) did not support high rates of lay, egg size, and body weight unless supplemented with L-lysine.


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